Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zabol

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabol: $518 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Zabol
Learn more

Zabol Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Zabol

🇮🇷 Iran

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zabol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $518 in Zabol.

Athens $1,779
Zabol $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $812 in Zabol.

Athens $2,721
Zabol $812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,107 in Zabol.

Athens $3,663
Zabol $1,107

Living in Athens is roughly 244% more expensive than in Zabol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Zabol is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$1.98 $1.98

750.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$15.76 $15.76

318.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$3.98 $3.98

181.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$0.52 $0.52

684.62%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.51 $0.51

443.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.99 $0.99

-45.45%

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

$0.70 $0.70

162.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.48 $0.48

197.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.06 $2.06

29.61%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.24 $1.24

299.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.44 $4.44

239.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$3.28 $3.28

235.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$10.19 $10.19

94.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.03 $1.03

105.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.62 $1.62

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.81 $0.81

64.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.56 $0.56

285.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.54 $0.54

96.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.50 $0.50

130.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.57 $0.57

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.24 $0.24

254.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.48 $2.48

120.16%

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

$0.15 $0.15

800.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$9.50 $9.50

221.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.38 $0.38

902.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.29 $0.29

255.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.65 $2.65

522.26%

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

$50.2K $50.2K

-44.71%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$46.6K $46.6K

-42.95%

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

$202 €180

$12.87 $12.87

1471.25%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$1.53 $1.53

1652.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$3.95 $3.95

671.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$18.26 $18.26

196.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$13.20 $13.20

107.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$1.94 $1.94

438.14%

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

$568 €506

$107 $107

431.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,365 $2,365

542.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$22.98 $22.98

294.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$27.85 $27.85

41.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$98.0 $98.0

7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$71.0 $71.0

81.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$285 $285

160.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$213 $213

204.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$789 $789

61.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$350 $350

220.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,132 $1,132

253.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$533 $533

515.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$149 $149

734.60%

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 Zabol: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Zabol

$213 41.1% 67.2% $436

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Zabol

$114 22% 64% $202

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Zabol

$40 7.7% 85.3% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Zabol

$18 3.5% 92.9% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Zabol

$99 19.1% 39.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zabol

$22 4.3% 70.4% $53

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zabol

$12 2.3% 73.5% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $285 in Zabol. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 8.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $16 in Zabol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $114 per month, with Zabol cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇷 Zabol

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

01:48 1:48 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Zabol 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Zabol

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 Zabol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zabol wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zabol the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 8.3 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 $285 in Zabol. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zabol – 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 $518 in Zabol – Zabol is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $518 in Zabol versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zabol but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zabol 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 Zabol gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.