Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Sala

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,530 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Sala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $1,530 in Sala.

Athens $1,775
Sala $1,530

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $2,260 in Sala.

Athens $2,721
Sala $2,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $2,989 in Sala.

Athens $3,666
Sala $2,989

Living in Athens is roughly 16% more expensive than in Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Sala 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$11.75 SEK 116

42.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$58.6 SEK 581

15.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$9.45 SEK 93.6

17.88%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$3.17 SEK 31.39

27.13%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$1.75 SEK 17.38

58.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$2.15 SEK 21.35

-74.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$6.94 SEK 68.7

-17.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$6.93 SEK 68.7

-21.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.66 SEK 16.45

9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.54 SEK 25.16

-45.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$3.48 SEK 34.45

-19.54%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$5.29 SEK 52.5

-8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$11.10 SEK 110

35.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$12.95 SEK 128

-17.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$22.02 SEK 218

-16.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.87 SEK 28.42

-23.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.66 SEK 26.39

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.59 SEK 25.65

-47.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$4.79 SEK 47.50

-56.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.46 SEK 14.46

-26.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.14 SEK 11.29

-1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.57 SEK 25.51

-56.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.01 SEK 10.02

-12.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$6.10 SEK 60.5

66.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.89 SEK 18.76

12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.76 SEK 17.47

27.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.90 SEK 28.75

-53.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

$21.18 SEK 210

41.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$5.90 SEK 58.5

-24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.69 SEK 16.73

-39.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$79.0 SEK 782

-78.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.73 SEK 17.13

30.06%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$32.5K SEK 322.3K

-13.83%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

-14.69%

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

$205 €182

$177 SEK 1,752

15.73%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$19.96 SEK 198

33.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$38.76 SEK 384

-21.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$45.97 SEK 456

18.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$20.24 SEK 201

27.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$16.13 SEK 160

-35.40%

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

$569 €506

$213 SEK 2,111

167.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,194 SEK 11.8K

954.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$44.45 SEK 440

99.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$34.80 SEK 345

16.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$51.9 SEK 514

102.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$54.0 SEK 535

124.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$705 SEK 6,989

5.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$501 SEK 4,966

30.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$930 SEK 9,217

39.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$684 SEK 6,782

67.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

$4,018 SEK 39.8K

-0.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

$2,838 SEK 28.1K

21.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

$2,422 SEK 24.0K

-48.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

2.8

60.00%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Sala

$501 32.8% 23.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Sala

$360 23.5% 16% $50

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Sala

$225 14.7% 16.2% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Sala

$236 15.4% 10% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Sala

$83 5.4% 47.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Sala

$78 5.1% 3.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Sala

$47 3.1% 5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $741 in Athens and $705 in Sala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sala pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $59.0 in Sala. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $360, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

22,994

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Athens Sala 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Sala. 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 $705 in Sala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sala – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. 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 $1,530 in Sala – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,530 in Sala versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,530 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Sala 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 Sala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.