Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Karlstad

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Karlstad: $1,775 and $1,713 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Karlstad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,713 in Karlstad.

Athens $1,775
Karlstad $1,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,643 in Karlstad.

Athens $2,721
Karlstad $2,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $3,572 in Karlstad.

Athens $3,666
Karlstad $3,572

Living in Athens is roughly 4% more expensive than in Karlstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Karlstad 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$14.97 SEK 148

11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$78.2 SEK 775

-13.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.66 SEK 95.7

15.32%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.80 SEK 47.60

-16.04%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$2.54 SEK 25.21

9.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.12 SEK 20.98

-74.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$7.69 SEK 76.2

-25.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.45 SEK 63.9

-15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.51 SEK 15.00

20.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.89 SEK 28.64

-52.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.68 SEK 36.48

-23.91%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$4.50 SEK 44.60

7.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$9.84 SEK 97.5

52.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$14.17 SEK 140

-24.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$17.97 SEK 178

2.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.82 SEK 27.95

-21.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.64 SEK 26.12

-28.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.09 SEK 30.57

-55.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$5.09 SEK 50.4

-58.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.91 SEK 18.88

-43.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.67 SEK 16.58

-32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.61 SEK 25.90

-57.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.31 SEK 12.95

-32.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.89 SEK 68.3

-20.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$9.86 SEK 97.7

2.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$2.37 SEK 23.46

-10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.09 SEK 20.69

7.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.16 SEK 31.32

-56.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$79.9 SEK 792

-62.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.42 SEK 53.7

-17.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.33 SEK 13.16

-23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$61.5 SEK 609

-72.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.77 SEK 17.50

27.12%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$32.2K SEK 319.4K

-13.04%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$32.7K SEK 323.8K

-13.63%

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

$205 €182

$101 SEK 1,001

102.47%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$15.82 SEK 157

68.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$44.59 SEK 442

-31.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$44.52 SEK 441

22.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$16.95 SEK 168

52.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$13.91 SEK 138

-25.09%

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

$569 €506

$123 SEK 1,223

361.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$105 SEK 1,039

-15.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$38.98 SEK 386

3.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$73.5 SEK 728

42.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$142 SEK 1,403

-14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$834 SEK 8,264

-11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$567 SEK 5,617

15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$1,154 SEK 11.4K

12.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$861 SEK 8,528

33.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$3,710 SEK 36.8K

8.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,794 SEK 27.7K

23.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$3,220 SEK 31.9K

-61.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.8

17.89%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karlstad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Karlstad

$567 33.1% 13.4% $88

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Karlstad

$370 21.6% 19.1% $59

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Karlstad

$276 16.1% 3.1% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Karlstad

$161 9.4% 38.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Karlstad

$161 9.4% 1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Karlstad

$72 4.2% 4% $3

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Karlstad

$105 6.1% 133% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $834 in Karlstad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlstad pays 159% 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 $78.0 in Karlstad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $370 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

62,797

💱 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 Karlstad 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlstad wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Karlstad the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 159% lower in Karlstad. 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 $834 in Karlstad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karlstad – a meal for two runs $78.0 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 $1,713 in Karlstad – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,713 in Karlstad versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Karlstad but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Karlstad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Karlstad delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,713 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Karlstad hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Karlstad 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 Karlstad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.