Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Mbabane

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbabane: $747 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Mbabane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $747 in Mbabane.

Athens $1,806
Mbabane $747

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,223 in Mbabane.

Athens $2,731
Mbabane $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,700 in Mbabane.

Athens $3,656
Mbabane $1,700

Living in Athens is roughly 142% more expensive than in Mbabane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Mbabane is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$10.27 SZL 169

62.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$34.04 SZL 561

94.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$5.74 SZL 94.6

92.68%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$2.62 SZL 43.16

58.02%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$1.12 SZL 18.41

150.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.62 SZL 10.21

-8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$2.16 SZL 35.58

161.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$2.45 SZL 40.46

122.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.53 SZL 25.29

28.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.81 SZL 13.34

74.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.75 SZL 28.82

61.71%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$1.78 SZL 29.32

183.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$11.01 SZL 181

39.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$5.60 SZL 92.3

84.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$4.98 SZL 82.0

280.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.74 SZL 28.72

24.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$0.63 SZL 10.38

203.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.25 SZL 20.56

10.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.41 SZL 23.18

56.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.25 SZL 20.57

-12.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.49 SZL 24.48

-24.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.71 SZL 11.74

54.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.76 SZL 12.56

9.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$2.85 SZL 46.91

96.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$5.93 SZL 97.8

71.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.52 SZL 25.10

43.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.67 SZL 27.59

46.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.74 SZL 12.18

86.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.38 SZL 22.80

-24.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$3.03 SZL 50.0

464.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.27 SZL 20.98

81.89%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

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

$28.0K €25.0K

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

$210 €187

$64.0 SZL 1,056

227.53%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$38.40 SZL 633

-30.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$26.97 SZL 445

11.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$22.61 SZL 373

141.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$3.04 SZL 50.1

756.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$3.65 SZL 60.1

195.34%

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

$575 €513

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$6,330 SZL 104.3K

107.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$35.21 SZL 580

164.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$14.80 SZL 244

174.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$69.1 SZL 1,139

50.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$53.2 SZL 877

141.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$267 SZL 4,406

182.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$179 SZL 2,950

264.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$445 SZL 7,332

190.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$347 SZL 5,720

235.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$473 SZL 7,794

747.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$359 SZL 5,915

862.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

7.25

-38.21%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Mbabane: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Mbabane

$179 23.6% 72.6% $473

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Mbabane

$180 23.7% 43% $135

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Mbabane

$153 20.2% 42.9% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Mbabane

$129 17.1% 51.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Mbabane

$78 10.2% 52.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Mbabane

$30 3.9% 60.7% $46

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Mbabane

$9.9 * 1.3% 78.5% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $267 in Mbabane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $34.00 in Mbabane for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $180 per month, with Mbabane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

94,874 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Mbabane 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Mbabane

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 Mbabane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbabane wins on cost – living expenses run 142% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mbabane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,709 in Athens and $1,121 in Mbabane to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $267 in Mbabane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $747 in Mbabane – a 142% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $747 in Mbabane versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mbabane but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mbabane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mbabane delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $747 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mbabane hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Mbabane 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 Mbabane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 142% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.