Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehran and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $542 a month against $629 in Tehran, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Shiraz
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Shiraz Living Index

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Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$629

/mo nomad

Shiraz

🇮🇷 Iran

$542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tehran and in Shiraz

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 Shiraz actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $629 in Tehran versus $542 in Shiraz.

Tehran $629
Shiraz $542

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,066 in Tehran versus $813 in Shiraz.

Tehran $1,066
Shiraz $813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,503 in Tehran versus $1,084 in Shiraz.

Tehran $1,503
Shiraz $1,084

Living in Tehran is roughly 16% more expensive than in Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tehran 54% lower, Shiraz 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 $3.45

$4.63 $4.63

-25.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.28 $16.28

$13.20 $13.20

23.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 $4.09

$4.07 $4.07

0.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 $0.72

$0.98 $0.98

-26.53%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.80 $1.80

-15.56%

Cappuccino

$1.32 $1.32

$1.21 $1.21

9.09%

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

$0.53 $0.53

$0.62 $0.62

-14.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$0.70 $0.70

1.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 $0.62

$0.41 $0.41

51.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.88 $1.88

77.66%

Eggs

$1.26 $1.26

$1.18 $1.18

6.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.27 $2.27

98.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.98 $2.98

12.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 $10.13

$9.58 $9.58

5.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.11 $1.11

24.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.55 $1.55

20.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.89 $0.89

28.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.64 $0.64

$0.60 $0.60

6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$0.57 $0.57

-3.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.52 $0.52

-9.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$0.47 $0.47

12.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 $0.30

$0.21 $0.21

42.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 $0.79

$0.89 $0.89

-11.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

$0.60 $0.60

-8.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.73 $1.73

21.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.04 $3.04

-16.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 $0.10

$0.11 $0.11

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.95 $2.95

85.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.41 $0.41

26.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.20 $0.20

45.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.43 $3.43

-9.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

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

$51.0K $51.0K

$64.9K $64.9K

-21.48%

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

$45.1K $45.1K

$53.3K $53.3K

-15.44%

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

$12.88 $12.88

$23.44 $23.44

-45.05%

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

$1.60 $1.60

$1.98 $1.98

-19.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.85 $3.85

$16.86 $16.86

-77.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.27 $24.27

$18.75 $18.75

29.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.15 $13.15

$13.68 $13.68

-3.87%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 $1.95

$2.02 $2.02

-3.47%

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

$109 $109

$102 $102

6.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,557 $2,557

$2,401 $2,401

6.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.91 $26.91

$22.72 $22.72

18.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.60 $37.60

$18.07 $18.07

108.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 $118

$93.8 $93.8

25.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 $71.7

$55.6 $55.6

29.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 $430

$293 $293

46.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 $269

$218 $218

23.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 $961

$526 $526

82.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 $628

$325 $325

93.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,268 $1,268

$1,127 $1,127

12.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$717 $717

$517 $517

38.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$211 $211

$243 $243

-13.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

24.3

2.02%

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

Last update for Tehran: October 24, 2026

Last update for Shiraz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tehran

$269 42.8%

Shiraz

$218 40.2% 19.1% $51

Groceries & Markets

Tehran

$126 20.1%

Shiraz

$102 18.9% 19% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Tehran

$114 18.2%

Shiraz

$86 15.8% 25.1% $29

Eating Out

Tehran

$65 10.3%

Shiraz

$66 * 12.2% 2.3% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Tehran

$28 4.5%

Shiraz

$23 4.2% 19.1% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tehran

$18 2.9%

Shiraz

$42 7.8% 131% $24

Getting Around

Tehran

$7.8 1.3%

Shiraz

$4.8 0.9% 38.9% $3.1

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 $430 in Tehran and $293 in Shiraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shiraz pays 15% 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 Tehran vs $13 in Shiraz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $126 vs $102 per month, with Shiraz cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Tehran

🇮🇷 Shiraz

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

Same time as Tehran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000,000 Capital

1,565,572

💱 Currency

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tehran Shiraz 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tehran
Shiraz

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 Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shiraz is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 13% 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: $430 in Tehran versus $293 in Shiraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $109 in Tehran versus $102 in Shiraz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Tehran. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Shiraz gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Shiraz is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tehran, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Shiraz gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Tehran. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.