Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baghdad and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Baghdad: $1,032 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Baghdad
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Baghdad Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Baghdad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$1,032

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baghdad and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,032 in Baghdad versus $1,779 in Athens.

Baghdad $1,032
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,490 in Baghdad versus $2,721 in Athens.

Baghdad $1,490
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,949 in Baghdad versus $3,663 in Athens.

Baghdad $1,949
Athens $3,663

Living in Baghdad costs roughly 42% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baghdad is 24% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.34 IQD 6,556

$16.83 €14.99

-74.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

$66.0 €58.8

-59.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.40 IQD 9,677

$11.21 €9.99

-42.91%

Cappuccino

$2.67 IQD 4,034

$4.08 €3.64

-34.56%

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

$0.39 IQD 587

$2.77 €2.47

-85.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 IQD 333

$0.54 €0.48

-59.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 IQD 4,857

$5.70 €5.08

-43.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 IQD 4,937

$6.26 €5.58

-47.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,378

$1.84 €1.64

-50.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 IQD 1,006

$1.43 €1.27

-53.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 IQD 2,077

$2.67 €2.38

-48.69%

Eggs

$1.69 IQD 2,557

$4.95 €4.41

-65.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.37 IQD 5,091

$15.09 €13.45

-77.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.90 IQD 5,900

$10.99 €9.79

-64.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.44 IQD 18.8K

$19.77 €17.61

-37.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,557

$2.12 €1.89

-51.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 IQD 1,356

$1.98 €1.76

-54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,418

$1.33 €1.19

-29.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 963

$2.16 €1.92

-70.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 904

$1.06 €0.94

-43.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 861

$1.15 €1.02

-50.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 883

$1.08 €0.97

-46.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 IQD 935

$0.85 €0.75

-27.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.54 IQD 2,331

$5.46 €4.86

-71.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 IQD 18.1K

$10.03 €8.93

19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 IQD 2,874

$2.04 €1.82

-6.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,833

$2.38 €2.12

-21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 518

$1.35 €1.20

-74.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.50 IQD 29.5K

$30.52 €27.19

-36.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,059

$3.81 €3.39

-46.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,976

$1.03 €0.92

27.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.76 IQD 10.2K

$16.49 €14.68

-59.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 870

$2.34 €2.09

-75.21%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

$27.8K €24.7K

-41.02%

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

$16.4K IQD 24.7M

$26.6K €23.7K

-38.49%

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

$191 IQD 288.4K

$202 €180

-5.63%

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

$20.02 IQD 30.3K

$26.81 €23.88

-25.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.64 IQD 58.4K

$30.49 €27.16

26.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.72 IQD 60.0K

$54.1 €48.17

-26.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 IQD 27.8K

$27.40 €24.41

-32.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.98 IQD 15.1K

$10.44 €9.30

-4.41%

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

$145 IQD 218.4K

$568 €506

-74.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,369 IQD 8.1M

$15.2K €13.5K

-64.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.76 IQD 37.4K

$90.7 €80.8

-72.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.12 IQD 50.0K

$39.32 €35.03

-15.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.3 IQD 89.6K

$105 €93.7

-43.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.11 IQD 63.6K

$129 €115

-67.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 IQD 800.5K

$742 €661

-28.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 IQD 526.3K

$648 €578

-46.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 IQD 1.5M

$1,271 €1,132

-21.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 IQD 923.3K

$1,122 €999

-45.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,348 IQD 6.6M

$3,999 €3,562

8.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 IQD 2.1M

$3,281 €2,923

-57.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 IQD 780.9K

$1,245 €1,109

-58.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

4.44

-7.21%

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

Last update for Baghdad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baghdad

$348 33.8%

Athens

$648 36.4% 86.1% $300

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baghdad

$250 24.2%

Athens

$260 14.6% 4% $10

Groceries & Markets

Baghdad

$162 15.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 94.9% $154

Eating Out

Baghdad

$111 10.8%

Athens

$272 15.3% 145% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Baghdad

$72 7%

Athens

$164 9.2% 129% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Baghdad

$60 5.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 25.6% $15

Getting Around

Baghdad

$29 2.9%

Athens

$45 2.5% 52.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $530 in Baghdad and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $26 in Baghdad vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $162 vs $316 per month, with Baghdad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Baghdad

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

1 h behind Baghdad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,216,040 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,697 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Baghdad Athens 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Baghdad
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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

Baghdad vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baghdad wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Baghdad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Baghdad. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $530 in Baghdad versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Baghdad – a meal for two runs $26 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,032 per month in Baghdad versus $1,779 in Athens – Baghdad is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Baghdad is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Baghdad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.