Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karaj and Mashhad, Iran

Name: Mashhad
Address: Mashhad, IR

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $478 a month against $823 in Karaj, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Karaj
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Karaj Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Karaj

🇮🇷 Iran

$823

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karaj and in Mashhad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $823 in Karaj versus $478 in Mashhad.

Karaj $823
Mashhad $478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,058 in Karaj versus $766 in Mashhad.

Karaj $1,058
Mashhad $766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,293 in Karaj versus $1,055 in Mashhad.

Karaj $1,293
Mashhad $1,055

Living in Karaj is roughly 72% more expensive than in Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Karaj 40% lower, Mashhad 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.54 $3.54

$2.94 $2.94

20.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 $16.19

$18.29 $18.29

-11.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 $3.97

$4.97 $4.97

-20.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.56 $0.56

-14.29%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

$0.95 $0.95

11.58%

Cappuccino

$1.06 $1.06

$1.10 $1.10

-3.64%

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

$0.43 $0.43

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.26 $0.26

534.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.70 $0.70

$0.61 $0.61

14.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.21 $0.21

147.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.94 $1.94

6.70%

Eggs

$1.03 $1.03

$1.12 $1.12

-8.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.08 $2.08

115.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.73 $2.73

21.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.43 $10.43

$10.34 $10.34

0.87%

Apples (1kg)

$0.89 $0.89

$0.94 $0.94

-5.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.55 $1.55

9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 $0.80

$0.83 $0.83

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.61 $0.61

-19.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 $0.46

$0.52 $0.52

-11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.44 $0.44

6.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 $0.54

$0.52 $0.52

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 $0.21

$0.29 $0.29

-27.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

$0.91 $0.91

-8.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

$0.77 $0.77

-33.77%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

$0.90 $0.90

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.03 $3.03

-18.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 $0.20

$0.02 $0.02

900.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.11 $13.11

$3.58 $3.58

266.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.20 $0.20

45.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.52 $0.52

-40.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.99 $1.99

32.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$0.81 $0.81

-90.12%

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

$49.5K $49.5K

$59.3K $59.3K

-16.58%

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

$45.6K $45.6K

$68.1K $68.1K

-33.01%

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

$13.24 $13.24

$13.66 $13.66

-3.07%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$2.63 $2.63

-41.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.81 $3.81

$26.95 $26.95

-85.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.04 $23.04

$19.25 $19.25

19.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.08 $10.08

$15.14 $15.14

-33.42%

Cinema Ticket

$1.06 $1.06

$2.05 $2.05

-48.29%

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

$108 $108

$41.46 $41.46

159.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$839 $839

$613 $613

36.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.32 $25.32

$20.34 $20.34

24.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.83 $27.83

$38.31 $38.31

-27.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 $97.8

$93.2 $93.2

5.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 $73.3

$69.8 $69.8

5.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 $298

$209 $209

42.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 $488

$151 $151

223.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 $798

$392 $392

103.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$476 $476

$266 $266

78.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,274 $1,274

$1,153 $1,153

10.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$527 $527

$683 $683

-22.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 $239

$250 $250

-4.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.5

6.98%

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

Last update for Karaj: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karaj

$488 59.3%

Mashhad

$151 31.6% 69.1% $337

Groceries & Markets

Karaj

$113 13.8%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 11.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Karaj

$101 12.3%

Mashhad

$100 20.9% 1.2% $1.2

Eating Out

Karaj

$61 7.5%

Mashhad

$54 11.4% 11.3% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Karaj

$25 3.1%

Mashhad

$23 4.9% 7.2% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karaj

$19 2.3%

Mashhad

$43 9.1% 133% $25

Getting Around

Karaj

$16 1.9%

Mashhad

$6.5 1.4% 58.9% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $298 in Karaj and $209 in Mashhad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mashhad pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Karaj vs $18 in Mashhad. Groceries flip the comparison at $113 vs $100, with Mashhad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Karaj

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

Same time as Karaj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,712,000

3,001,184

💱 Currency

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karaj Mashhad 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karaj
Mashhad

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Karaj vs Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $823 in Karaj and $478 in Mashhad, so Mashhad is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Karaj. 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: $298 in Karaj versus $209 in Mashhad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Karaj. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Karaj – a meal for two runs $16 versus $18 in Mashhad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $478 in Mashhad versus $823 in Karaj, a $800 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Karaj. The gap between the two cities makes Mashhad 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, Karaj and Mashhad are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.