Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,422 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Gavle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,422 in Gavle.

Athens $1,775
Gavle $1,422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,261 in Gavle.

Athens $2,721
Gavle $2,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,101 in Gavle.

Athens $3,666
Gavle $3,101

Living in Athens is roughly 25% more expensive than in Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Gavle 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$13.57 SEK 134

22.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$78.8 SEK 781

-13.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.47 SEK 93.8

17.63%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.43 SEK 43.85

-9.03%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.96 SEK 19.45

41.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.95 SEK 19.36

-71.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$7.79 SEK 77.2

-26.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$7.86 SEK 77.9

-30.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.67 SEK 16.56

8.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.60 SEK 25.75

-46.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.80 SEK 37.61

-26.32%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$3.81 SEK 37.79

26.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$9.46 SEK 93.7

59.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$10.38 SEK 103

2.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$18.60 SEK 184

-0.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.11 SEK 30.78

-29.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.84 SEK 28.13

-33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.19 SEK 31.61

-57.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.45 SEK 44.08

-52.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.74 SEK 17.21

-37.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.71 SEK 16.99

-34.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.47 SEK 24.49

-54.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.94 SEK 19.21

-54.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$8.03 SEK 79.5

-31.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$11.16 SEK 111

-9.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.56 SEK 15.50

36.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.53 SEK 15.14

47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.17 SEK 31.38

-57.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$58.4 SEK 578

-48.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$4.44 SEK 43.98

0.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.45 SEK 14.41

-29.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$33.41 SEK 331

-49.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.79 SEK 17.71

25.70%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$26.3K SEK 260.5K

6.61%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$28.3K SEK 280.4K

-0.23%

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

$205 €182

$54.0 SEK 535

278.68%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$21.30 SEK 211

25.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$39.32 SEK 390

-22.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$47.80 SEK 474

14.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$15.06 SEK 149

-30.81%

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

$569 €506

$130 SEK 1,289

337.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$14.9K SEK 147.4K

-15.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$68.5 SEK 679

29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$58.6 SEK 580

-30.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$50.1 SEK 497

109.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$88.6 SEK 878

36.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$560 SEK 5,547

32.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$415 SEK 4,109

57.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$767 SEK 7,600

69.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$647 SEK 6,411

77.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$1,875 SEK 18.6K

114.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$1,327 SEK 13.1K

160.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,114 SEK 30.9K

-60.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.37

32.94%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gavle: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Gavle

$415 29.2% 36.6% $240

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Gavle

$352 24.7% 13.3% $41

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Gavle

$260 18.3% 2.8% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Gavle

$115 8.1% 56.2% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Gavle

$120 8.4% 25.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Gavle

$78 5.5% 3.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Gavle

$83 5.8% 84.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $560 in Gavle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gavle pays 151% 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 $79.0 in Gavle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $352 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

13:44 1:44 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

100,000

💱 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 Gavle 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Athens
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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 Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gavle wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gavle the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 151% lower in Gavle. 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 $560 in Gavle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gavle – a meal for two runs $79.0 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 $1,422 in Gavle – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,422 in Gavle versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gavle but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gavle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gavle delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,422 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gavle hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Gavle 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 Gavle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.