Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehran and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $617 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$617

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $617 in Tehran versus $1,779 in Athens.

Tehran $617
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,064 in Tehran versus $2,721 in Athens.

Tehran $1,064
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,511 in Tehran versus $3,663 in Athens.

Tehran $1,511
Athens $3,663

Living in Tehran costs roughly 65% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tehran is 54% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 $3.45

$16.83 €14.99

-79.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.20 $16.20

$66.0 €58.8

-75.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.91 $3.91

$11.21 €9.99

-65.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$1.40 $1.40

$4.08 €3.64

-65.69%

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

$0.50 $0.50

$2.77 €2.47

-81.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.54 €0.48

216.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 $0.67

$1.84 €1.64

-63.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.43 €1.27

-58.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.67 €2.38

29.59%

Eggs

$1.26 $1.26

$4.95 €4.41

-74.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$15.09 €13.45

-71.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$10.99 €9.79

-69.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 $10.44

$19.77 €17.61

-47.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$2.12 €1.89

-30.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.98 €1.76

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.33 €1.19

-4.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$2.16 €1.92

-70.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.06 €0.94

-48.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.15 €1.02

-59.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.08 €0.97

-51.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.85 €0.75

-68.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

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)

$0.11 $0.11

$1.35 €1.20

-91.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.61 $5.61

$30.52 €27.19

-81.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$3.81 €3.39

-86.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$1.03 €0.92

-71.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$16.49 €14.68

-81.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$2.34 €2.09

-95.73%

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

$49.6K $49.6K

$27.8K €24.7K

78.59%

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

$45.6K $45.6K

$26.6K €23.7K

71.26%

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

$13.23 $13.23

$202 €180

-93.46%

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

$1.60 $1.60

$26.81 €23.88

-94.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.85 $3.85

$30.49 €27.16

-87.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.30 $24.30

$54.1 €48.17

-55.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 $13.26

$27.40 €24.41

-51.61%

Cinema Ticket

$2.02 $2.02

$10.44 €9.30

-80.65%

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

$108 $108

$568 €506

-81.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,533 $2,533

$15.2K €13.5K

-83.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.03 $26.03

$90.7 €80.8

-71.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.33 $38.33

$39.32 €35.03

-2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$105 €93.7

9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.9 $72.9

$129 €115

-43.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 $419

$742 €661

-43.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 $256

$648 €578

-60.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 $940

$1,271 €1,132

-26.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 $632

$1,122 €999

-43.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,293 $1,293

$3,999 €3,562

-67.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$727 $727

$3,281 €2,923

-77.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$210 $210

$1,245 €1,109

-83.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

4.44

458.33%

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

Last update for Tehran: 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

Tehran

$256 41.4%

Athens

$648 36.4% 154% $393

Groceries & Markets

Tehran

$128 20.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 148% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Tehran

$114 18.4%

Athens

$164 9.2% 44.1% $50

Eating Out

Tehran

$65 10.5%

Athens

$272 15.3% 318% $207

Sport & Entertainment

Tehran

$28 4.6%

Athens

$75 4.2% 165% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tehran

$19 3%

Athens

$260 14.6% 1289% $241

Getting Around

Tehran

$8 1.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 460% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $419 in Tehran and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Tehran vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $128 vs $316 per month, with Tehran cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Tehran

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

20:13 8:13 PM

1 h 30 min behind Tehran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000,000 Capital

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

On the map

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Between locations

Tehran Athens 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tehran
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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

Tehran vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tehran wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tehran the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Tehran. 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: $419 in Tehran versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Tehran – 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 $617 per month in Tehran versus $1,779 in Athens – Tehran is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $617 in Tehran versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tehran but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Tehran 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 Tehran gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.