Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Lulea

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Lulea: $1,806 and $1,823 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
Learn more

Lulea Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Lulea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,823 in Lulea.

Athens $1,806
Lulea $1,823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,920 in Lulea.

Athens $2,731
Lulea $2,920

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $4,016 in Lulea.

Athens $3,656
Lulea $4,016

Living in Athens costs roughly 1% less than in Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Lulea 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$11.72 SEK 117

42.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$95.5 SEK 955

-30.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$10.95 SEK 109

1.00%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.36 SEK 43.52

-5.05%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.51 SEK 25.10

11.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.87 SEK 18.66

-69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$8.58 SEK 85.8

-34.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$9.49 SEK 94.8

-42.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.77 SEK 17.71

10.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.26 SEK 32.60

-56.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$4.94 SEK 49.41

-42.71%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$4.65 SEK 46.43

8.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$12.25 SEK 122

25.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$13.21 SEK 132

-21.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$26.18 SEK 262

-27.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.55 SEK 25.47

-14.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.65 SEK 26.53

-27.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.49 SEK 24.87

-44.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-46.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.04 SEK 20.39

-46.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.54 SEK 15.43

-26.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$3.36 SEK 33.58

-67.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.29 SEK 12.93

-35.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.68 SEK 66.7

-16.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$12.05 SEK 120

-15.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.78 SEK 17.77

22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.72 SEK 17.15

42.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.32 SEK 33.21

-58.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$55.4 SEK 554

-44.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$9.04 SEK 90.3

-51.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.05 SEK 20.52

-49.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$70.6 SEK 706

-75.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.77 SEK 17.65

30.51%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$31.9K SEK 318.5K

-12.18%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$33.5K SEK 334.6K

-16.34%

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

$210 €187

$160 SEK 1,603

30.75%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$31.51 SEK 315

-15.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$26.96 SEK 269

11.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$46.15 SEK 461

18.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$35.47 SEK 354

-26.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$12.94 SEK 129

-16.69%

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

$575 €513

$153 SEK 1,528

275.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$5,466 SEK 54.6K

140.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$117 SEK 1,168

-20.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$31.97 SEK 320

27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$120 SEK 1,202

-13.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$161 SEK 1,611

-20.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$778 SEK 7,773

-2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$581 SEK 5,811

12.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,418 SEK 14.2K

-8.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,098 SEK 11.0K

5.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$3,049 SEK 30.5K

31.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$2,254 SEK 22.5K

53.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$2,595 SEK 25.9K

-52.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.85

16.36%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lulea: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Lulea

$581 32% 10.9% $71

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Lulea

$404 22.2% 28.3% $89

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Lulea

$258 14.2% 3.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Lulea

$219 12.1% 17.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Lulea

$194 10.7% 17.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Lulea

$72 4% 5.4% $4.1

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Lulea

$88 4.9% 91.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $778 in Lulea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lulea pays 109% 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 $96.0 in Lulea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $404 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

73,864

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Lulea 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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 Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 1% lower than in Lulea. 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 109% lower in Lulea. 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 $778 in Lulea. 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 $96.0 in Lulea. 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 $1,823 in Lulea – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $1,823 in Lulea, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Lulea. 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 Lulea 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 1% less than in Lulea. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.