Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $3,790 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
Learn more

Lausanne Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lausanne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $3,790 in Lausanne.

Athens $1,806
Lausanne $3,790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $5,672 in Lausanne.

Athens $2,731
Lausanne $5,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $7,554 in Lausanne.

Athens $3,656
Lausanne $7,554

Living in Athens costs roughly 52% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Lausanne 183% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$29.72 CHF 24.67

-43.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$117 CHF 96.9

-43.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$17.81 CHF 14.78

-37.90%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$6.03 CHF 5.00

-31.34%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$4.99 CHF 4.14

-43.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$4.10 CHF 3.40

-86.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$10.12 CHF 8.40

-44.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$9.39 CHF 7.80

-41.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.96 CHF 3.29

-64.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.33 CHF 2.77

-15.02%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$7.05 CHF 5.85

-28.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$24.14 CHF 20.04

-36.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$27.93 CHF 23.19

-62.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$39.52 CHF 32.81

-52.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.47 CHF 2.88

-37.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.14 CHF 1.78

-10.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.56 CHF 2.12

-46.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.65 CHF 3.86

-52.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.78 CHF 1.48

-38.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.97 CHF 1.64

-42.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-44.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.73 CHF 1.44

-52.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$10.68 CHF 8.86

-47.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$15.21 CHF 12.63

-33.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.70 CHF 2.24

-19.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-22.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$4.45 CHF 3.69

-68.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$94.3 CHF 78.3

-67.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$7.89 CHF 6.55

-44.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$4.50 CHF 3.74

-76.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$83.4 CHF 69.2

-79.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.30 CHF 1.91

0.43%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$43.5K CHF 36.1K

-35.72%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-29.20%

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

$210 €187

$288 CHF 239

-27.20%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$37.56 CHF 31.17

-28.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$52.2 CHF 43.35

-42.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$72.2 CHF 60.0

-24.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$48.87 CHF 40.56

-46.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$23.88 CHF 19.82

-54.86%

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

$575 €513

$2,913 CHF 2,418

-80.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$36.7K CHF 30.5K

-64.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$142 CHF 118

-34.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$77.0 CHF 63.9

-47.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$142 CHF 118

-26.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$212 CHF 176

-39.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$2,280 CHF 1,892

-66.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$1,814 CHF 1,505

-64.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$4,204 CHF 3,489

-69.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$3,202 CHF 2,657

-63.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

-78.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-74.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$6,565 CHF 5,449

-81.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.95

129.74%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.2% 178% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Lausanne

$586 15.6% 86.2% $271

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Lausanne

$469 12.5% 74.6% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Lausanne

$378 10% 41.8% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Lausanne

$257 6.8% 56.2% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Lausanne

$120 3.2% 57.5% $44

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Lausanne

$143 3.8% 210% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $2,280 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 428% 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: $66.0 in Athens vs $117 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $586 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

133,521

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Lausanne 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Lausanne

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 Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Lausanne. 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 428% lower in Lausanne. 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 $2,280 in Lausanne. 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 $66.0 versus $117 in Lausanne. 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 $3,790 in Lausanne – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $3,790 in Lausanne, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Lausanne 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 110% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.