Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $3,419 in Lachen, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
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Lachen Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,419

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lachen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $3,419 in Lachen.

Athens $1,771
Lachen $3,419

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $5,218 in Lachen.

Athens $2,736
Lachen $5,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $7,017 in Lachen.

Athens $3,701
Lachen $7,017

Living in Athens costs roughly 48% less than in Lachen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Lachen 152% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$33.00 CHF 27.18

-49.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$121 CHF 99.4

-43.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$16.33 CHF 13.45

-30.01%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-34.41%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$5.68 CHF 4.68

-51.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$5.11 CHF 4.20

-89.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$8.44 CHF 6.95

-32.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$9.62 CHF 7.92

-40.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-14.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.39 CHF 2.79

-57.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$4.33 CHF 3.57

-34.87%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-38.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$26.48 CHF 21.81

-42.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$26.44 CHF 21.77

-60.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$39.73 CHF 32.72

-51.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$3.49 CHF 2.87

-36.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-10.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.63 CHF 2.17

-46.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$4.78 CHF 3.94

-57.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$2.01 CHF 1.65

-47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-48.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-55.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.42 CHF 1.17

-40.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$11.07 CHF 9.12

-50.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$13.22 CHF 10.89

-23.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.29 CHF 1.88

-6.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-31.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$3.85 CHF 3.17

-64.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$110 CHF 90.7

-73.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$7.70 CHF 6.34

-42.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$4.95 CHF 4.07

-79.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$86.9 CHF 71.6

-80.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.29 CHF 1.89

3.93%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-27.38%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-31.70%

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

$203 €181

$231 CHF 190

-11.78%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$31.78 CHF 26.18

-15.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$65.5 CHF 53.9

-53.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$88.5 CHF 72.9

-39.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$47.80 CHF 39.37

-44.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$21.69 CHF 17.86

-51.18%

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

$566 €504

$2,846 CHF 2,344

-80.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

-71.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$139 CHF 114

-35.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$88.1 CHF 72.6

-54.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$147 CHF 121

-29.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$172 CHF 142

-27.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$1,745 CHF 1,437

-58.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$1,482 CHF 1,221

-56.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$2,930 CHF 2,413

-54.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$2,496 CHF 2,056

-53.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

-75.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

-72.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$9,670 CHF 7,965

-87.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.72

160.47%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lachen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Lachen

$1.5K 43.4% 129% $835

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Lachen

$582 17% 86.2% $269

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Lachen

$492 14.4% 81.7% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Lachen

$328 9.6% 25.9% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Lachen

$246 7.2% 52.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Lachen

$132 3.9% 76.2% $57

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Lachen

$158 4.6% 254% $113

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $1,745 in Lachen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lachen pays 680% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $121 in Lachen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $582 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Lachen

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

9,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Lachen 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Lachen

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 Lachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 93% lower than in Lachen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 680% lower in Lachen. 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: $729 in Athens versus $1,745 in Lachen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $121 in Lachen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $3,419 in Lachen – a 93% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $3,419 in Lachen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Lachen. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lachen 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Lachen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.