Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zakho

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $723 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
Learn more

Zakho Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zakho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $723 in Zakho.

Athens $1,779
Zakho $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $1,149 in Zakho.

Athens $2,721
Zakho $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,574 in Zakho.

Athens $3,663
Zakho $1,574

Living in Athens is roughly 146% more expensive than in Zakho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Zakho is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.08 IQD 6,161

312.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$35.99 IQD 54.4K

83.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$7.28 IQD 11.0K

53.98%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$3.33 IQD 5,038

22.52%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.90 IQD 1,364

207.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.36 IQD 545

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$5.47 IQD 8,269

4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$4.04 IQD 6,106

54.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.06 IQD 1,596

73.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.68 IQD 1,031

110.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.46 IQD 2,201

82.88%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.53 IQD 2,308

223.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.13 IQD 10.8K

111.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.29 IQD 6,486

156.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$12.92 IQD 19.5K

53.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.94 IQD 1,417

125.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.99 IQD 1,501

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.01 IQD 1,526

31.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.69 IQD 1,046

213.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.60 IQD 901

76.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.58 IQD 877

98.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.64 IQD 973

68.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.52 IQD 789

63.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.10 IQD 3,180

160.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$10.75 IQD 16.2K

-6.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.41 IQD 2,126

44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.78 IQD 2,695

33.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.32 IQD 478

321.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$1.61 IQD 2,430

136.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.54 IQD 2,321

-33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$5.56 IQD 8,398

196.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.57 IQD 867

310.53%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

67.51%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$17.4K IQD 26.4M

52.55%

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

$202 €180

$111 IQD 168.2K

81.71%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

123.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$24.34 IQD 36.8K

25.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$36.93 IQD 55.8K

46.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.83 IQD 14.8K

6.21%

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

$568 €505

$290 IQD 438.5K

95.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$2,723 IQD 4.1M

457.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$26.94 IQD 40.7K

236.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$19.67 IQD 29.7K

99.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$50.7 IQD 76.6K

107.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$39.33 IQD 59.4K

227.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$209 IQD 315.7K

255.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$139 IQD 210.0K

366.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$368 IQD 556.5K

245.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$313 IQD 472.6K

258.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$847 IQD 1.3M

372.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$500 IQD 756.2K

555.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$652 IQD 985.8K

90.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

2.53

75.49%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Zakho: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Zakho

$139 19.2% 78.6% $509

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Zakho

$173 23.9% 45.3% $143

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Zakho

$135 18.7% 50.3% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Zakho

$148 20.4% 43.1% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Zakho

$61 8.5% 62.5% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zakho

$57 7.8% 24.5% $18

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zakho

$11 * 1.5% 76.5% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $209 in Zakho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 91% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $36 in Zakho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $173 per month, with Zakho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇶 Zakho

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

197,163

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Zakho 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Zakho

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 Zakho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zakho wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zakho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Athens, 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 $209 in Zakho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $568 in Athens versus $290 in Zakho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zakho – a meal for two runs $36 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $723 in Zakho versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho 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 Zakho are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Zakho wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.