Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Urmia

For one person, living is cheaper in Urmia: $420 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Urmia
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Urmia Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Urmia

🇮🇷 Iran

$420

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Urmia

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 Urmia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $420 in Urmia.

Athens $1,779
Urmia $420

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $725 in Urmia.

Athens $2,721
Urmia $725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,031 in Urmia.

Athens $3,663
Urmia $1,031

Living in Athens is roughly 324% more expensive than in Urmia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Urmia is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.90 $4.90

243.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$23.79 $23.79

177.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$3.04 $3.04

268.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 $1.26

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$1.06 $1.06

284.91%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.74 $0.74

274.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.45 $0.45

20.00%

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

$0.63 $0.63

192.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.44 $0.44

225.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.34 $2.34

14.10%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.25 $1.25

296.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.53 $4.53

233.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.52 $2.52

336.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$6.60 $6.60

199.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.92 $0.92

130.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.44 $1.44

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.76 $0.76

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.62 $0.62

248.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.49 $0.49

116.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.51 $0.51

125.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.54 $0.54

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.26 $0.26

226.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 $1.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.13 $1.13

383.19%

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

$0.14 $0.14

864.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$9.82 $9.82

210.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.41 $0.41

829.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.29 $0.29

255.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.66 $2.66

519.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.09 $0.09

2500.00%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$50.2K $50.2K

-44.63%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$46.3K $46.3K

-42.54%

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

$202 €180

$13.20 $13.20

1431.97%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$1.52 $1.52

1663.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$3.87 $3.87

687.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$9.35 $9.35

478.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$13.37 $13.37

104.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$2.03 $2.03

414.29%

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

$568 €506

$108 $108

425.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,410 $2,410

530.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$22.33 $22.33

305.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$28.74 $28.74

36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$98.0 $98.0

7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$31.95 $31.95

303.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$176 $176

321.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$130 $130

399.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$327 $327

288.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$272 $272

312.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$694 $694

476.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$602 $602

445.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$279 $279

345.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

24.3

-81.73%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Urmia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Urmia

$130 31% 80% $518

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Urmia

$98 23.4% 69% $218

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Urmia

$66 15.7% 75.8% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Urmia

$19 4.4% 92.8% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Urmia

$81 19.4% 50.3% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Urmia

$13 3.2% 82.1% $62

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Urmia

$12 2.9% 72.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $176 in Urmia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $24 in Urmia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $98 per month, with Urmia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Urmia

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

736,224

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Urmia 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Urmia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Urmia wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Urmia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 4.5 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 $176 in Urmia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Urmia – a meal for two runs $24 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 $420 in Urmia – Urmia is about 76% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $420 in Urmia versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Urmia but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Urmia 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.

Safety-wise, Athens and Urmia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Urmia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.