Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlskrona: $1,617 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
Learn more

Karlskrona Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karlskrona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,617 in Karlskrona.

Athens $1,775
Karlskrona $1,617

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,525 in Karlskrona.

Athens $2,721
Karlskrona $2,525

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,434 in Karlskrona.

Athens $3,666
Karlskrona $3,434

Living in Athens is roughly 10% more expensive than in Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Karlskrona 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$12.71 SEK 126

31.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$63.9 SEK 633

6.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$8.79 SEK 87.1

26.73%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.96 SEK 39.23

1.77%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.30 SEK 12.90

113.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.19 SEK 21.71

-74.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$7.04 SEK 69.8

-18.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$5.09 SEK 50.5

7.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.45 SEK 14.36

25.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.78 SEK 27.50

-50.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.60 SEK 35.72

-22.22%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.38 SEK 43.41

10.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$10.82 SEK 107

39.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$13.33 SEK 132

-20.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.14 SEK 170

7.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.98 SEK 29.52

-26.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.43 SEK 24.06

-21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.97 SEK 29.43

-53.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.41 SEK 43.65

-52.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.47 SEK 14.59

-26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.53 SEK 15.20

-26.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.10 SEK 20.82

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.36 SEK 13.43

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$7.19 SEK 71.2

-23.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$12.29 SEK 122

-17.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.99 SEK 19.74

7.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.69 SEK 16.77

33.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.92 SEK 28.94

-53.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$69.8 SEK 691

-57.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$12.92 SEK 128

-65.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.02 SEK 20.00

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$80.5 SEK 798

-78.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.73 SEK 17.18

30.06%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$33.4K SEK 330.6K

-16.00%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

-13.86%

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

$205 €182

$51.5 SEK 510

297.67%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$27.15 SEK 269

-1.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$37.02 SEK 367

-17.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$41.67 SEK 413

30.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$16.12 SEK 160

-35.36%

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

$569 €506

$159 SEK 1,572

258.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$98.3 SEK 973

-9.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$20.03 SEK 198

102.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$79.0 SEK 783

32.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$171 SEK 1,698

-29.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$664 SEK 6,583

11.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$564 SEK 5,585

16.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,078 SEK 10.7K

20.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$946 SEK 9,373

21.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$2,898 SEK 28.7K

38.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,466 SEK 24.4K

40.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,479 SEK 24.6K

-49.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.22

6.16%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Karlskrona

$564 34.9% 13.9% $91

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Karlskrona

$358 22.2% 15.4% $48

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Karlskrona

$235 14.5% 12.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Karlskrona

$116 7.2% 55.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Karlskrona

$166 10.3% 3.7% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Karlskrona

$74 4.6% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Karlskrona

$104 6.5% 133% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $664 in Karlskrona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlskrona pays 100% 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 $64.0 in Karlskrona. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $358, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

05:29 5:29 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

35,212

💱 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 Karlskrona 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlskrona wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karlskrona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 100% lower in Karlskrona. 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 $664 in Karlskrona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karlskrona – a meal for two runs $64.0 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 $1,617 in Karlskrona – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,617 in Karlskrona versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Karlskrona but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Karlskrona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Karlskrona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,617 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Karlskrona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Karlskrona 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 Karlskrona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.