Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urmia and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Urmia: $419 a month against $547 in Shiraz, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Urmia
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Urmia Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Shiraz
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Shiraz Living Index

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Urmia

🇮🇷 Iran

$419

/mo nomad

Shiraz

🇮🇷 Iran

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $419 in Urmia versus $547 in Shiraz.

Urmia $419
Shiraz $547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $725 in Urmia versus $811 in Shiraz.

Urmia $725
Shiraz $811

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,030 in Urmia versus $1,076 in Shiraz.

Urmia $1,030
Shiraz $1,076

Living in Urmia costs roughly 23% less than in Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Urmia 69% lower, Shiraz 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.06 $5.06

$4.41 $4.41

14.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.78 $23.78

$13.19 $13.19

80.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.97 $2.97

$4.03 $4.03

-26.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.03 $1.03

22.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.71 $1.71

-8.19%

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$1.22 $1.22

-10.66%

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

$0.74 $0.74

$0.62 $0.62

19.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 $0.62

$0.72 $0.72

-13.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 $0.44

$0.42 $0.42

4.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.90 $1.90

23.68%

Eggs

$1.22 $1.22

$1.17 $1.17

4.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.33 $2.33

84.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$3.02 $3.02

-15.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 $6.37

$9.68 $9.68

-34.19%

Apples (1kg)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.06 $1.06

-16.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.62 $1.62

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 $0.74

$0.90 $0.90

-17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 $0.67

$0.55 $0.55

21.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.54 $0.54

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$0.53 $0.53

5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$0.51 $0.51

3.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.19 $0.19

36.84%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

$0.89 $0.89

-12.36%

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)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.74 $1.74

-21.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.13 $1.13

$3.05 $3.05

-62.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 $0.16

$0.10 $0.10

60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.65 $9.65

$2.92 $2.92

230.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 $0.39

$0.41 $0.41

-4.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.22 $0.22

40.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$3.59 $3.59

-28.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

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

$49.6K $49.6K

$66.1K $66.1K

-24.90%

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

$44.0K $44.0K

$53.9K $53.9K

-18.38%

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

$12.79 $12.79

$24.16 $24.16

-47.06%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$2.04 $2.04

-22.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.65 $3.65

$17.09 $17.09

-78.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.38 $9.38

$18.82 $18.82

-50.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.16 $13.16

$13.51 $13.51

-2.59%

Cinema Ticket

$2.02 $2.02

$1.97 $1.97

2.54%

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

$106 $106

$103 $103

3.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,393 $2,393

$2,367 $2,367

1.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.69 $22.69

$22.34 $22.34

1.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.94 $27.94

$18.26 $18.26

53.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$95.4 $95.4

2.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$32.75 $32.75

$56.0 $56.0

-41.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 $175

$291 $291

-39.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$130 $130

$222 $222

-41.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 $326

$540 $540

-39.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 $271

$316 $316

-14.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$712 $712

$1,119 $1,119

-36.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$594 $594

$505 $505

17.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 $277

$237 $237

16.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

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

Last update for Urmia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shiraz: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urmia

$130 31%

Shiraz

$222 40.6% 70.5% $92

Groceries & Markets

Urmia

$97 23.1%

Shiraz

$103 18.9% 6.3% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Urmia

$81 19.4%

Shiraz

$86 15.8% 6% $4.9

Eating Out

Urmia

$67 16.1%

Shiraz

$65 * 11.8% 4.1% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urmia

$18 4.3%

Shiraz

$43 7.9% 140% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Urmia

$13 3.2%

Shiraz

$23 4.2% 69.5% $9.3

Getting Around

Urmia

$12 2.9%

Shiraz

$4.8 0.9% 60.6% $7.4

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 $175 in Urmia and $291 in Shiraz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urmia pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Urmia vs $13.00 in Shiraz. Groceries flip the comparison at $97.0 vs $103, with Urmia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Urmia

🇮🇷 Shiraz

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

Same time as Urmia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

736,224

1,565,572

💱 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 Shiraz 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Urmia
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

Urmia vs Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Urmia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Urmia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $175 in Urmia versus $291 in Shiraz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $106 in Urmia versus $103 in Shiraz. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Shiraz. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Urmia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Urmia and Shiraz are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Urmia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Shiraz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.