Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bålsta

For one person, living is cheaper in Bålsta: $1,547 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
Learn more

Bålsta Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bålsta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Bålsta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,547 in Bålsta.

Athens $1,775
Bålsta $1,547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,416 in Bålsta.

Athens $2,721
Bålsta $2,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,286 in Bålsta.

Athens $3,666
Bålsta $3,286

Living in Athens is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bålsta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Bålsta 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.80 SEK 137

20.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$65.1 SEK 645

4.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$8.62 SEK 85.5

29.23%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.89 SEK 38.56

3.60%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.65 SEK 26.21

4.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.22 SEK 22.00

-75.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$6.90 SEK 68.4

-16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.82 SEK 67.6

-20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.53 SEK 15.16

18.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.02 SEK 20.04

-31.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.56 SEK 35.31

-21.35%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.62 SEK 35.86

33.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.93 SEK 108

37.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.00 SEK 119

-11.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$10.92 SEK 108

68.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.44 SEK 24.15

-9.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.55 SEK 25.30

-25.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.93 SEK 19.13

-29.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.73 SEK 27.06

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.46 SEK 14.42

-26.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.22 SEK 12.07

-8.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.51 SEK 14.94

-25.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.98 SEK 9.70

-10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$7.18 SEK 71.2

-23.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$9.74 SEK 96.5

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.53 SEK 15.16

39.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.01 SEK 19.88

11.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.19 SEK 31.62

-57.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$78.0 SEK 773

-61.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.81 SEK 57.6

-23.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.51 SEK 15.00

-32.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$78.0 SEK 773

-78.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.75 SEK 17.37

28.57%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$32.9K SEK 325.8K

-14.75%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.0K SEK 317.3K

-11.85%

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

$205 €182

$49.58 SEK 491

312.67%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$20.01 SEK 198

33.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$39.64 SEK 393

-23.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$38.01 SEK 377

43.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$25.77 SEK 255

0.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$12.98 SEK 129

-19.72%

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

$569 €506

$121 SEK 1,194

372.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$4,908 SEK 48.6K

156.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$70.8 SEK 701

25.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$10.12 SEK 100

299.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$81.0 SEK 803

29.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$110 SEK 1,087

10.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$794 SEK 7,862

-6.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$602 SEK 5,966

8.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,359 SEK 13.5K

-4.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$1,014 SEK 10.1K

13.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,972 SEK 39.4K

1.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,805 SEK 27.8K

23.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,866 SEK 38.3K

-67.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.8

60.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bålsta: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Bålsta

$602 38.9% 8% $52

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Bålsta

$294 19% 5.2% $16

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Bålsta

$251 16.2% 6.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Bålsta

$109 7.1% 58.3% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Bålsta

$122 7.9% 23.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Bålsta

$64 4.1% 15.1% $11

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Bålsta

$104 6.7% 132% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $794 in Bålsta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays 211% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $65.0 in Bålsta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $294 per month, with Bålsta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

13,138

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Bålsta 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Bålsta

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

Athens vs Bålsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bålsta wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bålsta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 211% lower in Bålsta. 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: $741 in Athens versus $794 in Bålsta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bålsta – a meal for two runs $65.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,775 per month in Athens versus $1,547 in Bålsta – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,547 in Bålsta versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bålsta but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bålsta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bålsta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,547 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bålsta hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bålsta 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 Bålsta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.