Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Locarno

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $2,905 in Locarno, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
141

Cost of Living Index in Locarno
Learn more

Locarno Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Locarno

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,905

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Locarno

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $2,905 in Locarno.

Athens $1,775
Locarno $2,905

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $4,583 in Locarno.

Athens $2,721
Locarno $4,583

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $6,262 in Locarno.

Athens $3,666
Locarno $6,262

Living in Athens costs roughly 39% less than in Locarno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Locarno 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$27.42 CHF 22.58

-39.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$120 CHF 99.0

-43.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$18.22 CHF 15.00

-38.86%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$4.97 CHF 4.10

-18.91%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$5.24 CHF 4.32

-47.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$4.26 CHF 3.51

-87.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.84

$5.93 CHF 4.88

-8.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-16.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.71 CHF 3.05

-62.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.08 CHF 2.54

-9.09%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$7.05 CHF 5.80

-31.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$26.24 CHF 21.61

-42.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$16.00 CHF 13.18

-33.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$35.33 CHF 29.10

-47.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.04 CHF 2.50

-27.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.65 CHF 1.36

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.08 CHF 1.71

-34.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.70 CHF 3.05

-43.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.27 CHF 1.05

-14.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.83 CHF 1.51

-38.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.95 CHF 1.60

-42.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.20 CHF 0.99

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.68 CHF 8.80

-48.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$12.83 CHF 10.57

-21.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$3.04 CHF 2.50

-29.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.99 CHF 2.46

-24.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-46.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$96.2 CHF 79.3

-68.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$11.78 CHF 9.70

-62.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-58.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$61.1 CHF 50.3

-72.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.16 CHF 1.78

4.17%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$38.4K CHF 31.6K

-26.97%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$38.9K CHF 32.0K

-27.43%

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

$205 €182

$470 CHF 387

-56.46%

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

$26.65 €23.70

$27.00 CHF 22.24

-1.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$55.9 CHF 46.06

-45.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.46

$71.7 CHF 59.1

-24.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$30.19 CHF 24.87

-14.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$19.93 CHF 16.41

-47.72%

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

$569 €506

$1,458 CHF 1,201

-60.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$19.3K CHF 15.9K

-34.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$97.1 CHF 79.9

-8.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$56.7 CHF 46.67

-28.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$96.6 CHF 79.6

8.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$116 CHF 95.8

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$1,035 CHF 852

-28.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$1,027 CHF 846

-36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$2,390 CHF 1,969

-45.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$2,182 CHF 1,797

-47.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$9,417 CHF 7,756

-57.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$7,295 CHF 6,008

-52.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$5,812 CHF 4,786

-78.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.97

127.41%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Locarno: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Locarno

$1K 35.4% 57% $373

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Locarno

$493 17% 58.7% $182

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Locarno

$425 14.6% 58.5% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Locarno

$553 19% 111% $291

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Locarno

$165 5.7% 3.2% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Locarno

$112 3.8% 48.1% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Locarno

$130 4.5% 191% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $1,035 in Locarno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Locarno pays 368% 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 $120 in Locarno for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $493 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇭 Locarno

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

16,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Locarno 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Locarno

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 Locarno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Locarno. 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 368% lower in Locarno. 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 $1,035 in Locarno. 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 $120 in Locarno. 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 $2,905 in Locarno – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $2,905 in Locarno, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Locarno. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Locarno 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 64% less than in Locarno. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.