Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $617 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Tehran

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Tehran actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $617 in Tehran.

Athens $1,779
Tehran $617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,064 in Tehran.

Athens $2,721
Tehran $1,064

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,511 in Tehran.

Athens $3,663
Tehran $1,511

Living in Athens is roughly 188% more expensive than in Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Tehran is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$3.45 $3.45

387.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$16.20 $16.20

307.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$3.91 $3.91

186.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.40 $1.40

191.43%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.47

$0.50 $0.50

454.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.71 $1.71

-68.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.67 $0.67

174.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.59 $0.59

142.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$3.46 $3.46

-22.83%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.26 $1.26

292.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.32 $4.32

249.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.32 $3.32

231.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$10.44 $10.44

89.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.48 $1.48

43.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.99 $1.99

-0.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.27 $1.27

4.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.63 $0.63

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.55 $0.55

92.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.47 $0.47

144.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.52 $0.52

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.27 $0.27

214.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.46 $2.46

121.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.11 $0.11

1127.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$5.61 $5.61

444.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.51 $0.51

647.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.29 $0.29

255.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$3.01 $3.01

447.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.10 $0.10

2240.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.8K €24.7K

$49.6K $49.6K

-44.00%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.6K €23.7K

$45.6K $45.6K

-41.61%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$202 €180

$13.23 $13.23

1428.50%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.81 €23.88

$1.60 $1.60

1575.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$3.85 $3.85

691.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$24.30 $24.30

122.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$13.26 $13.26

106.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$2.02 $2.02

416.83%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$568 €506

$108 $108

426.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,533 $2,533

499.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$26.03 $26.03

248.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$38.33 $38.33

2.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$116 $116

-8.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$72.9 $72.9

76.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$419 $419

77.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$256 $256

153.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$940 $940

35.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$632 $632

77.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,293 $1,293

209.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$727 $727

351.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$210 $210

492.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

24.79

-82.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Tehran: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Tehran

$256 41.4% 60.6% $393

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Tehran

$128 20.7% 59.6% $188

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Tehran

$65 10.5% 76.1% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Tehran

$19 3% 92.8% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Tehran

$114 18.4% 30.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Tehran

$28 4.6% 62.2% $47

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Tehran

$8 1.3% 82.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $419 in Tehran. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $16 in Tehran for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $128 per month, with Tehran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:50 9:50 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Tehran 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Tehran

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tehran wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tehran the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 5.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $419 in Tehran. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tehran – a meal for two runs $16 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $617 in Tehran – Tehran is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $617 in Tehran versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tehran but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Tehran the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Tehran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.