Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Basra and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Basra: $662 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Basra
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Basra Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Basra

🇮🇶 Iraq

$662

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Basra 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 Basra and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $662 in Basra versus $1,779 in Athens.

Basra $662
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,191 in Basra versus $2,721 in Athens.

Basra $1,191
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,719 in Basra versus $3,663 in Athens.

Basra $1,719
Athens $3,663

Living in Basra costs roughly 63% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Basra is 51% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 IQD 6,082

$16.83 €14.99

-76.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.47 IQD 40.0K

$66.0 €58.8

-59.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

$11.21 €9.99

-40.95%

Cappuccino

$2.17 IQD 3,285

$4.08 €3.64

-46.81%

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

$0.37 IQD 554

$2.77 €2.47

-86.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 IQD 417

$0.54 €0.48

-48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 IQD 4,916

$5.70 €5.08

-42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 IQD 5,393

$6.26 €5.58

-42.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 IQD 1,389

$1.84 €1.64

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 IQD 902

$1.43 €1.27

-58.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 IQD 1,842

$2.67 €2.38

-54.31%

Eggs

$1.62 IQD 2,448

$4.95 €4.41

-67.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 IQD 9,681

$15.09 €13.45

-57.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.58 IQD 8,429

$10.99 €9.79

-49.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.22 IQD 18.5K

$19.77 €17.61

-38.19%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,267

$2.12 €1.89

-60.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 IQD 1,753

$1.98 €1.76

-41.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,342

$1.33 €1.19

-33.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 910

$2.16 €1.92

-72.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,044

$1.06 €0.94

-34.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 846

$1.15 €1.02

-51.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 IQD 1,236

$1.08 €0.97

-24.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 547

$0.85 €0.75

-57.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 IQD 2,790

$5.46 €4.86

-66.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 IQD 16.9K

$10.03 €8.93

11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 IQD 2,365

$2.04 €1.82

-23.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 IQD 2,717

$2.38 €2.12

-24.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 762

$1.35 €1.20

-62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 IQD 25.0K

$30.52 €27.19

-45.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 IQD 3,056

$3.81 €3.39

-46.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 IQD 3,023

$1.03 €0.92

94.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 IQD 9,581

$16.49 €14.68

-61.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.55 IQD 838

$2.34 €2.09

-76.50%

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

$11.7K IQD 17.7M

$27.8K €24.7K

-57.82%

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

$19.9K IQD 30.1M

$26.6K €23.7K

-25.09%

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

$43.26 IQD 65.4K

$202 €180

-78.61%

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

$21.81 IQD 33.0K

$26.81 €23.88

-18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.04 IQD 51.4K

$30.49 €27.16

11.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.25 IQD 47.2K

$54.1 €48.17

-42.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.28 IQD 18.6K

$27.40 €24.41

-55.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 IQD 10.1K

$10.44 €9.30

-35.92%

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

$107 IQD 161.7K

$568 €506

-81.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

$15.2K €13.5K

-78.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.15 IQD 65.2K

$90.7 €80.8

-52.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 IQD 26.2K

$39.32 €35.03

-55.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 IQD 101.2K

$105 €93.7

-36.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.13 IQD 54.6K

$129 €115

-71.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 IQD 612.0K

$742 €661

-45.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 IQD 208.2K

$648 €578

-78.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 IQD 559.6K

$1,271 €1,132

-70.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 IQD 823.8K

$1,122 €999

-51.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,398 IQD 2.1M

$3,999 €3,562

-65.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 IQD 1.1M

$3,281 €2,923

-78.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$672 IQD 1.0M

$1,245 €1,109

-46.03%

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 Basra: November 2, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Basra

$173 26%

Athens

$316 17.8% 83.3% $144

Accommodation & Living

Basra

$138 20.8%

Athens

$648 36.4% 371% $511

Eating Out

Basra

$104 15.7%

Athens

$272 15.3% 161% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Basra

$99 15%

Athens

$260 14.6% 162% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Basra

$74 11.1%

Athens

$164 9.2% 123% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Basra

$45 6.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 67.9% $30

Getting Around

Basra

$31 4.6%

Athens

$45 2.5% 46.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $405 in Basra and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 85% 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: $26 in Basra vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $316 per month, with Basra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Basra

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

20:24 8:24 PM

1 h behind Basra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,150,000

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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,698 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Basra Athens 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Basra
Athens

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

Basra vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Basra wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Basra the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Basra. 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: $405 in Basra versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Basra – 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 $662 per month in Basra versus $1,779 in Athens – Basra is about 63% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $662 in Basra versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Basra but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Basra 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 Basra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.