Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Erbil and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Erbil: $960 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Erbil
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Erbil Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Erbil

🇮🇶 Iraq

$960

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $960 in Erbil versus $1,779 in Athens.

Erbil $960
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,439 in Erbil versus $2,721 in Athens.

Erbil $1,439
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,918 in Erbil versus $3,663 in Athens.

Erbil $1,918
Athens $3,663

Living in Erbil costs roughly 46% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Erbil is 29% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.65 IQD 10.1K

$16.83 €14.99

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.28 IQD 56.3K

$66.0 €58.8

-43.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 IQD 11.0K

$11.21 €9.99

-35.15%

Cappuccino

$3.25 IQD 4,914

$4.08 €3.64

-20.34%

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

$0.89 IQD 1,350

$2.77 €2.47

-67.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 545

$0.54 €0.48

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 IQD 8,706

$5.70 €5.08

1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 IQD 6,834

$6.26 €5.58

-27.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 IQD 1,587

$1.84 €1.64

-42.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 IQD 970

$1.43 €1.27

-55.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 IQD 2,180

$2.67 €2.38

-46.07%

Eggs

$1.52 IQD 2,298

$4.95 €4.41

-69.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.04 IQD 10.6K

$15.09 €13.45

-53.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 IQD 6,661

$10.99 €9.79

-59.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 IQD 19.1K

$19.77 €17.61

-36.06%

Apples (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$2.12 €1.89

-53.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,493

$1.98 €1.76

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 IQD 1,612

$1.33 €1.19

-19.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,050

$2.16 €1.92

-68.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 972

$1.06 €0.94

-39.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 IQD 865

$1.15 €1.02

-50.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 IQD 998

$1.08 €0.97

-38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 IQD 770

$0.85 €0.75

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.12 IQD 3,209

$5.46 €4.86

-61.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 IQD 16.0K

$10.03 €8.93

5.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 IQD 2,209

$2.04 €1.82

-28.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 IQD 2,750

$2.38 €2.12

-23.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 IQD 759

$1.35 €1.20

-62.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.67 IQD 59.9K

$30.52 €27.19

29.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 IQD 2,520

$3.81 €3.39

-56.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 IQD 2,325

$1.03 €0.92

49.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 IQD 8,286

$16.49 €14.68

-66.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.58 IQD 884

$2.34 €2.09

-75.21%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$27.8K €24.7K

-39.73%

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

$17.0K IQD 25.7M

$26.6K €23.7K

-36.00%

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

$116 IQD 174.8K

$202 €180

-42.80%

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

$11.96 IQD 18.1K

$26.81 €23.88

-55.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.50 IQD 37.0K

$30.49 €27.16

-19.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 IQD 86.1K

$54.1 €48.17

5.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.43 IQD 20.3K

$27.40 €24.41

-50.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 IQD 15.1K

$10.44 €9.30

-4.31%

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

$297 IQD 448.2K

$568 €506

-47.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,080 IQD 6.2M

$15.2K €13.5K

-73.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.29 IQD 39.7K

$90.7 €80.8

-71.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.72 IQD 58.5K

$39.32 €35.03

-1.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.8 IQD 91.8K

$105 €93.7

-42.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.8 IQD 88.9K

$129 €115

-54.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 IQD 666.1K

$742 €661

-40.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 IQD 404.7K

$648 €578

-58.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 IQD 1.1M

$1,271 €1,132

-45.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 IQD 626.0K

$1,122 €999

-63.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,047 IQD 1.6M

$3,999 €3,562

-73.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$600 IQD 906.7K

$3,281 €2,923

-81.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 IQD 776.4K

$1,245 €1,109

-58.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.44

-43.02%

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

Last update for Erbil: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Erbil

$268 27.9%

Athens

$648 36.4% 142% $381

Groceries & Markets

Erbil

$172 18%

Athens

$316 17.8% 83.5% $144

Eating Out

Erbil

$157 16.3%

Athens

$272 15.3% 73% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Erbil

$152 15.8%

Athens

$260 14.6% 70.6% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Erbil

$83 8.7%

Athens

$164 9.2% 97.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Erbil

$77 8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 2.6% $2

Getting Around

Erbil

$51 5.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 12.1% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $441 in Erbil 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: $37 in Erbil vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $316 per month, with Erbil cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Erbil

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Erbil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,713,461

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 = 1,696 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.9 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

Erbil Athens 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Erbil
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

Erbil vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Erbil wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Erbil the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Erbil. 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: $441 in Erbil versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Erbil – a meal for two runs $37 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $960 per month in Erbil versus $1,779 in Athens – Erbil is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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

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