Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Helsingborg

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Helsingborg: $1,806 and $1,723 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Helsingborg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,723 in Helsingborg.

Athens $1,806
Helsingborg $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,599 in Helsingborg.

Athens $2,731
Helsingborg $2,599

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,474 in Helsingborg.

Athens $3,656
Helsingborg $3,474

Living in Athens is roughly 5% more expensive than in Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Helsingborg 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$12.83 SEK 128

29.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$69.0 SEK 689

-3.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$12.36 SEK 124

-10.52%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.61 SEK 46.08

-10.20%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.91 SEK 29.10

-3.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.32 SEK 23.17

-75.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$6.77 SEK 67.7

-16.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$6.09 SEK 60.9

-10.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.43 SEK 14.28

37.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.70 SEK 27.00

-47.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.01 SEK 30.05

-5.98%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.86 SEK 38.60

30.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$11.17 SEK 112

37.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$10.95 SEK 109

-5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$14.75 SEK 147

28.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.01 SEK 30.06

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.44 SEK 24.37

-21.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.02 SEK 30.14

-54.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.41 SEK 44.11

-50.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.63 SEK 16.28

-32.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.52 SEK 15.19

-25.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.81 SEK 18.08

-39.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.65 SEK 16.45

-49.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$8.19 SEK 81.8

-31.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$9.30 SEK 92.9

9.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.03 SEK 20.33

7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.16 SEK 21.59

13.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.13 SEK 31.24

-55.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$62.6 SEK 626

-50.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$6.20 SEK 62.0

-29.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.69 SEK 16.94

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$59.5 SEK 594

-71.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.75 SEK 17.53

32.00%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$32.2K SEK 322.2K

-13.19%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$33.0K SEK 329.7K

-15.09%

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

$210 €187

$104 SEK 1,041

101.30%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$19.28 SEK 193

38.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$33.29 SEK 333

-9.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$37.67 SEK 377

44.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$21.86 SEK 218

19.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$14.85 SEK 148

-27.41%

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

$575 €513

$172 SEK 1,721

234.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$78.7 SEK 786

18.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$33.25 SEK 332

22.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$85.8 SEK 858

21.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$109 SEK 1,091

17.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$830 SEK 8,294

-8.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$632 SEK 6,315

3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,362 SEK 13.6K

-5.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,061 SEK 10.6K

9.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$3,047 SEK 30.5K

31.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,288 SEK 22.9K

50.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$2,855 SEK 28.5K

-56.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.06

46.41%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Helsingborg

$632 37.6% 3.1% $21

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Helsingborg

$333 19.8% 5.8% $18

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Helsingborg

$262 15.6% 2.5% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Helsingborg

$157 9.3% 41.2% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Helsingborg

$138 8.2% 16.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Helsingborg

$67 4% 11.5% $8.8

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Helsingborg

$90 5.4% 95.4% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $830 in Helsingborg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helsingborg pays 130% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $69.0 in Helsingborg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $333 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

07:24 7:24 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

93,838

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Helsingborg 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helsingborg wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Helsingborg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 130% lower in Helsingborg. 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: $756 in Athens versus $830 in Helsingborg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Helsingborg – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,723 in Helsingborg – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,723 in Helsingborg versus $1,806 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Helsingborg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Helsingborg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Helsingborg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,723 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Helsingborg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Helsingborg 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 Helsingborg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.