Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iraq and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $756 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇶 Iraq

$756

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Mashhad versus $1,779 in Athens.

Mashhad $756
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,119 in Mashhad versus $2,721 in Athens.

Mashhad $1,119
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Mashhad versus $3,663 in Athens.

Mashhad $1,481
Athens $3,663

Living in Mashhad costs roughly 58% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mashhad is 44% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.49 IQD 6,781

$16.83 €14.99

-73.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.73 IQD 40.4K

$66.0 €58.8

-59.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

$11.21 €9.98

-39.96%

Cappuccino

$2.71 IQD 4,100

$4.08 €3.64

-33.58%

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

$0.36 IQD 542

$2.77 €2.47

-87.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$0.54 €0.48

-62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 IQD 5,090

$5.70 €5.07

-40.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 IQD 5,126

$6.26 €5.58

-45.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 IQD 1,368

$1.84 €1.64

-50.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 IQD 1,106

$1.43 €1.27

-48.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 IQD 1,997

$2.67 €2.38

-50.56%

Eggs

$0.82 IQD 1,242

$4.95 €4.41

-83.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 IQD 5,157

$15.09 €13.44

-77.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.98 IQD 2,985

$10.99 €9.79

-81.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.95 IQD 4,463

$19.77 €17.60

-85.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 IQD 1,556

$2.12 €1.89

-51.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 IQD 1,377

$1.98 €1.76

-54.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 IQD 1,321

$1.33 €1.18

-34.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 IQD 971

$2.16 €1.92

-70.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 IQD 898

$1.06 €0.94

-44.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 840

$1.15 €1.02

-51.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.31 IQD 474

$1.08 €0.96

-71.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 321

$0.85 €0.75

-75.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.77 IQD 1,168

$5.46 €4.86

-85.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 IQD 17.9K

$10.03 €8.93

17.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 IQD 2,898

$2.04 €1.82

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 IQD 2,832

$2.38 €2.12

-21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 IQD 520

$1.35 €1.20

-74.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 IQD 2,965

$3.81 €3.39

-48.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 IQD 1,972

$1.03 €0.92

27.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.42 IQD 9,699

$16.49 €14.68

-61.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 IQD 810

$2.34 €2.09

-76.92%

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

$16.8K IQD 25.4M

$27.8K €24.7K

-39.52%

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

$16.5K IQD 25.0M

$26.6K €23.7K

-37.89%

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

$191 IQD 288.5K

$202 €180

-5.57%

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

$19.44 IQD 29.4K

$26.81 €23.87

-27.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.59 IQD 58.3K

$30.49 €27.14

26.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 IQD 55.6K

$54.1 €48.14

-31.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 IQD 14.6K

$10.44 €9.30

-7.18%

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

$143 IQD 215.6K

$568 €505

-74.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,191 IQD 4.8M

$15.2K €13.5K

-78.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.57 IQD 38.6K

$90.7 €80.7

-71.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 IQD 51.4K

$39.32 €35.01

-13.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.7 IQD 88.8K

$105 €93.7

-44.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.44 IQD 64.1K

$129 €115

-67.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$212 IQD 319.9K

$742 €661

-71.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.6K

$648 €577

-78.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 IQD 571.7K

$1,271 €1,132

-70.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 482.6K

$1,122 €999

-71.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$862 IQD 1.3M

$3,999 €3,561

-78.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 IQD 742.5K

$3,281 €2,921

-85.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

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 Mashhad: October 31, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$249 32.9%

Athens

$260 14.6% 4.2% $11

Accommodation & Living

Mashhad

$139 18.4%

Athens

$648 36.4% 365% $509

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$115 15.2%

Athens

$316 17.8% 175% $201

Eating Out

Mashhad

$115 15.1%

Athens

$272 15.3% 137% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$72 9.6%

Athens

$164 9.2% 127% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$56 7.4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 33.5% $19

Getting Around

Mashhad

$9.9 * 1.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 355% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $212 in Mashhad and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Mashhad vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $115 vs $316 per month, with Mashhad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Mashhad

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

1 h behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.9 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 6, 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Athens 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mashhad wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mashhad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,134 in Mashhad and $2,669 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $212 in Mashhad versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $143 in Mashhad versus $568 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mashhad – a meal for two runs $27 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Mashhad versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mashhad but tight or insufficient in Athens. 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, Mashhad and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.