Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahabad and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahabad: $528 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mahabad
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Mahabad Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Mahabad

🇮🇷 Iran

$528

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $528 in Mahabad versus $1,779 in Athens.

Mahabad $528
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $831 in Mahabad versus $2,721 in Athens.

Mahabad $831
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,135 in Mahabad versus $3,663 in Athens.

Mahabad $1,135
Athens $3,663

Living in Mahabad costs roughly 70% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mahabad is 61% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 $2.92

$16.83 €14.99

-82.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.31 $16.31

$66.0 €58.8

-75.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 $3.99

$11.21 €9.99

-64.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$1.13 $1.13

$4.08 €3.64

-72.30%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$2.77 €2.47

-81.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.54 €0.48

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.84 €1.64

-63.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.43 €1.27

-64.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.67 €2.38

-21.72%

Eggs

$1.24 $1.24

$4.95 €4.41

-74.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$15.09 €13.45

-70.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$10.99 €9.79

-69.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 $7.85

$19.77 €17.61

-60.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.12 €1.89

-51.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.98 €1.76

-19.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.33 €1.19

-35.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$2.16 €1.92

-73.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.06 €0.94

-46.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.15 €1.02

-59.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.08 €0.97

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.85 €0.75

-71.76%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 $0.50

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 $1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 $2.46

$5.46 €4.86

-54.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 $0.14

$1.35 €1.20

-89.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.67 $9.67

$30.52 €27.19

-68.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 $0.44

$3.81 €3.39

-88.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$1.03 €0.92

-69.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 $2.63

$16.49 €14.68

-84.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$2.34 €2.09

-95.73%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

$27.8K €24.7K

79.98%

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

$45.4K $45.4K

$26.6K €23.7K

70.73%

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

$12.98 $12.98

$202 €180

-93.58%

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

$1.57 $1.57

$26.81 €23.88

-94.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.81 $3.81

$30.49 €27.16

-87.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.40 $18.40

$54.1 €48.17

-65.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.52 $13.52

$27.40 €24.41

-50.66%

Cinema Ticket

$2.04 $2.04

$10.44 €9.30

-80.46%

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

$107 $107

$568 €506

-81.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,442 $2,442

$15.2K €13.5K

-83.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.95 $22.95

$90.7 €80.8

-74.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.82 $27.82

$39.32 €35.03

-29.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 $98.5

$105 €93.7

-6.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 $73.7

$129 €115

-42.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 $290

$742 €661

-60.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 $212

$648 €578

-67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 $806

$1,271 €1,132

-36.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 $356

$1,122 €999

-68.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 $1,134

$3,999 €3,562

-71.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$541 $541

$3,281 €2,923

-83.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 $254

$1,245 €1,109

-79.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

4.44

447.30%

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

Last update for Mahabad: 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

Mahabad

$212 40.2%

Athens

$648 36.4% 206% $436

Groceries & Markets

Mahabad

$108 20.4%

Athens

$316 17.8% 194% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Mahabad

$100 19%

Athens

$164 9.2% 63.3% $64

Eating Out

Mahabad

$55 10.4%

Athens

$272 15.3% 394% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Mahabad

$22 4.3%

Athens

$75 4.2% 233% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahabad

$18 3.5%

Athens

$260 14.6% 1313% $241

Getting Around

Mahabad

$12 2.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 268% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Mahabad and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Mahabad vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $316 per month, with Mahabad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mahabad

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

1 h 30 min behind Mahabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,541

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

USD USD

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mahabad Athens 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mahabad
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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

Mahabad vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahabad wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mahabad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Mahabad. 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: $290 in Mahabad versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahabad – a meal for two runs $16 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $528 per month in Mahabad versus $1,779 in Athens – Mahabad is about 70% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $528 in Mahabad versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mahabad but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mahabad 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 Mahabad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.