Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Malmo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $2,046 in Malmo.

Athens $1,806
Malmo $2,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $3,083 in Malmo.

Athens $2,731
Malmo $3,083

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $4,121 in Malmo.

Athens $3,656
Malmo $4,121

Living in Athens costs roughly 12% less than in Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Malmo 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$14.90 SEK 149

11.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$74.0 SEK 740

-10.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$12.18 SEK 122

-9.20%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$4.83 SEK 48.23

-14.29%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$3.35 SEK 33.52

-16.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-78.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.73 SEK 17.26

13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.87 SEK 28.67

-50.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-14.76%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$4.11 SEK 41.10

22.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$12.74 SEK 127

20.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$11.86 SEK 119

-12.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$21.61 SEK 216

-12.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.99 SEK 29.93

-27.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-25.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.96 SEK 29.61

-53.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.15 SEK 41.43

-46.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.66 SEK 16.62

-33.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.53 SEK 15.29

-26.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-55.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.23 SEK 12.24

-32.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$7.72 SEK 77.1

-27.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$11.53 SEK 115

-11.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.01 SEK 20.05

8.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.34 SEK 23.43

4.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-56.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$63.5 SEK 635

-51.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-27.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-56.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$49.13 SEK 491

-65.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.74 SEK 17.36

32.76%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

-13.30%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

-15.53%

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

$210 €187

$138 SEK 1,380

51.85%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$26.21 SEK 262

1.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$36.07 SEK 361

-16.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$39.93 SEK 399

36.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$28.69 SEK 287

-9.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$17.17 SEK 172

-37.22%

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

$575 €513

$167 SEK 1,666

244.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

296.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$98.0 SEK 979

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$44.19 SEK 442

-7.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$113 SEK 1,125

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$152 SEK 1,520

-15.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

-28.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$818 SEK 8,173

-20.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

-24.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

-14.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

-0.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

9.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

-59.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.05

46.89%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 25.4% $165

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 18.1% $57

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 11% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 24.8% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Malmo

$183 9% 11.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 105% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $1,063 in Malmo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Malmo pays 145% 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 $74.0 in Malmo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $372 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

08:13 8:13 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

316,588

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Malmo 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Malmo

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 Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Malmo. 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 145% lower in Malmo. 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 $1,063 in Malmo. 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 $74.0 in Malmo. 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 $2,046 in Malmo – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,046 in Malmo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Malmo. 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 Malmo 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 13% less than in Malmo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.