Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakho and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Zakho: $723 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Zakho
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Zakho Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Zakho

🇮🇶 Iraq

$723

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $723 in Zakho versus $1,779 in Athens.

Zakho $723
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,149 in Zakho versus $2,721 in Athens.

Zakho $1,149
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,574 in Zakho versus $3,663 in Athens.

Zakho $1,574
Athens $3,663

Living in Zakho costs roughly 59% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zakho is 47% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 IQD 6,161

$16.83 €14.99

-75.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.99 IQD 54.4K

$66.0 €58.8

-45.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 IQD 11.0K

$11.21 €9.99

-35.06%

Cappuccino

$3.33 IQD 5,038

$4.08 €3.64

-18.38%

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

$0.90 IQD 1,364

$2.77 €2.47

-67.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 IQD 545

$0.54 €0.48

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 IQD 8,269

$5.70 €5.08

-4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 IQD 6,106

$6.26 €5.58

-35.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 IQD 1,596

$1.84 €1.64

-42.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,031

$1.43 €1.27

-52.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 IQD 2,201

$2.67 €2.38

-45.32%

Eggs

$1.53 IQD 2,308

$4.95 €4.41

-69.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 IQD 10.8K

$15.09 €13.45

-52.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 IQD 6,486

$10.99 €9.79

-60.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 IQD 19.5K

$19.77 €17.61

-34.65%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 IQD 1,417

$2.12 €1.89

-55.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 IQD 1,501

$1.98 €1.76

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,526

$1.33 €1.19

-24.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,046

$2.16 €1.92

-68.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 IQD 901

$1.06 €0.94

-43.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 877

$1.15 €1.02

-49.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 IQD 973

$1.08 €0.97

-40.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 IQD 789

$0.85 €0.75

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.10 IQD 3,180

$5.46 €4.86

-61.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.75 IQD 16.2K

$10.03 €8.93

7.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 IQD 2,126

$2.04 €1.82

-30.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 IQD 2,695

$2.38 €2.12

-25.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 IQD 478

$1.35 €1.20

-76.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 IQD 2,430

$3.81 €3.39

-57.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 IQD 2,321

$1.03 €0.92

49.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 IQD 8,398

$16.49 €14.68

-66.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.57 IQD 867

$2.34 €2.09

-75.64%

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

$16.6K IQD 25.0M

$27.8K €24.7K

-40.30%

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

$17.4K IQD 26.4M

$26.6K €23.7K

-34.45%

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

$111 IQD 168.2K

$202 €180

-44.97%

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

$12.02 IQD 18.2K

$26.81 €23.88

-55.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.34 IQD 36.8K

$30.49 €27.16

-20.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.93 IQD 55.8K

$54.1 €48.17

-31.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 IQD 14.8K

$10.44 €9.30

-5.84%

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

$290 IQD 438.5K

$568 €506

-48.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,723 IQD 4.1M

$15.2K €13.5K

-82.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.94 IQD 40.7K

$90.7 €80.8

-70.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.67 IQD 29.7K

$39.32 €35.03

-49.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.7 IQD 76.6K

$105 €93.7

-51.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.33 IQD 59.4K

$129 €115

-69.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 IQD 315.7K

$742 €661

-71.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 IQD 210.0K

$648 €578

-78.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 IQD 556.5K

$1,271 €1,132

-71.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 IQD 472.6K

$1,122 €999

-72.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$847 IQD 1.3M

$3,999 €3,562

-78.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$500 IQD 756.2K

$3,281 €2,923

-84.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 IQD 985.8K

$1,245 €1,109

-47.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.53

4.44

-43.02%

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

Last update for Zakho: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zakho

$173 23.9%

Athens

$316 17.8% 82.9% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zakho

$148 20.4%

Athens

$260 14.6% 75.8% $112

Accommodation & Living

Zakho

$139 19.2%

Athens

$648 36.4% 367% $509

Eating Out

Zakho

$135 18.7%

Athens

$272 15.3% 101% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Zakho

$61 8.5%

Athens

$164 9.2% 167% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Zakho

$57 7.8%

Athens

$75 4.2% 32.4% $18

Getting Around

Zakho

$11 * 1.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 325% $34

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 $209 in Zakho and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 91% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $36 in Zakho vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $316 per month, with Zakho cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Zakho

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

1 h behind Zakho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,163

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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to IQD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Zakho
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

Zakho vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zakho wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zakho the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Zakho. 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: $209 in Zakho versus $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $290 in Zakho 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 Zakho – a meal for two runs $36 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $723 in Zakho versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zakho but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zakho 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, Zakho and Athens are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Zakho wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.