Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urmia and Mashhad

For one person, living is cheaper in Urmia: $419 a month against $475 in Mashhad, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Urmia
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Urmia Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index

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Urmia

🇮🇷 Iran

$419

/mo nomad

Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$475

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $419 per month in Urmia vs $475 in Mashhad, rent included.

Urmia $419
Mashhad $475

A couple spends around $725 per month in Urmia vs $767 in Mashhad, rent included.

Urmia $725
Mashhad $767

A family of three spends $1,030 per month in Urmia vs $1,059 in Mashhad, rent included.

Urmia $1,030
Mashhad $1,059

Urmia is about 12% cheaper than Mashhad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Urmia and Mashhad are more affordable than the global median – Urmia 69% lower, Mashhad 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.06 $5.06

$2.94 $2.94

72.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.78 $23.78

$18.49 $18.49

28.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.97 $2.97

$5.11 $5.11

-41.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.60 $0.60

110.00%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$0.89 $0.89

76.40%

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

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

$0.74 $0.74

$0.39 $0.39

89.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.28 $0.28

75.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$0.60 $0.60

3.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 $0.44

$0.18 $0.18

144.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.95 $1.95

20.51%

Eggs

$1.22 $1.22

$1.16 $1.16

5.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.06 $2.06

108.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.72 $2.72

-6.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 $6.37

$10.45 $10.45

-39.04%

Apples (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$0.96 $0.96

-8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.51 $1.51

-3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 $0.74

$0.80 $0.80

-7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 $0.67

$0.58 $0.58

15.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$0.45 $0.45

24.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$0.49 $0.49

8.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.27 $0.27

-3.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

$0.94 $0.94

-17.02%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

$0.72 $0.72

-23.61%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.97 $0.97

41.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.13 $1.13

$3.04 $3.04

-62.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 $0.16

$0.02 $0.02

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.65 $9.65

$3.60 $3.60

168.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 $0.39

$0.20 $0.20

95.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.51 $0.51

-39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.02 $2.02

26.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$0.83 $0.83

-87.95%

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

$49.6K $49.6K

$60.4K $60.4K

-17.86%

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

$44.0K $44.0K

$66.4K $66.4K

-33.79%

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

$12.79 $12.79

$13.76 $13.76

-7.05%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$2.71 $2.71

-41.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.65 $3.65

$27.97 $27.97

-86.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.38 $9.38

$19.27 $19.27

-51.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.16 $13.16

$14.99 $14.99

-12.21%

Cinema Ticket

$2.02 $2.02

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

$106 $106

$40.45 $40.45

161.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,393 $2,393

$612 $612

290.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.69 $22.69

$19.68 $19.68

15.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.94 $27.94

$38.40 $38.40

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$93.2 $93.2

4.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.75 $32.75

$67.8 $67.8

-51.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 $175

$212 $212

-17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 $130

$149 $149

-12.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 $326

$396 $396

-17.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 $271

$272 $272

-0.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$712 $712

$1,127 $1,127

-36.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$594 $594

$684 $684

-13.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 $277

$252 $252

9.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

21.5

13.02%

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

Last update for Urmia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mashhad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urmia

$130 31%

Mashhad

$149 31.4% 14.6% $19

Groceries & Markets

Urmia

$97 23.1%

Mashhad

$99 20.8% 2.1% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Urmia

$81 19.4%

Mashhad

$99 20.7% 21% $17

Eating Out

Urmia

$67 16.1%

Mashhad

$55 11.5% 18.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urmia

$18 4.3%

Mashhad

$44 9.4% 147% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Urmia

$13 3.2%

Mashhad

$23 4.9% 73.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Urmia

$12 2.9%

Mashhad

$6.4 1.4% 47.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $175 in Urmia versus $212 in Mashhad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 10% higher in Urmia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Urmia versus $18.00 in Mashhad. Groceries tell a different story – $97.0 in Urmia vs $99.0 in Mashhad – so Urmia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Urmia

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

Same time as Urmia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

736,224

3,001,184

💱 Currency

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Urmia Mashhad 1,300 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Urmia
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

Urmia vs Mashhad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mashhad costs about 13% more than Urmia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $629 per month in Urmia and $713 in Mashhad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Urmia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $419 in Urmia and $475 in Mashhad. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 168% less in Urmia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $419 in Urmia and $475 in Mashhad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Urmia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Urmia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mashhad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.