Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Swords

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $2,598 in Swords.

Athens $1,759
Swords $2,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $3,804 in Swords.

Athens $2,696
Swords $3,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $5,010 in Swords.

Athens $3,632
Swords $5,010

Living in Athens costs roughly 32% less than in Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Swords 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.32

$22.16 €19.91

-23.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.2

$98.6 €88.6

-33.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$13.20 €11.86

-16.97%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$4.93 €4.43

-16.84%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.98 €2.68

-5.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$2.16 €1.94

-72.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$8.03 €7.21

-30.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$6.74 €6.05

-15.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.58 €1.42

20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.35 €2.11

-37.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.03 €1.83

33.50%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$4.24 €3.81

18.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.55

$9.89 €8.89

52.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$10.86 €9.76

-5.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.43

$13.29 €11.94

45.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$2.75 €2.47

-22.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$2.27 €2.04

-15.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.79 €2.51

-49.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$4.17 €3.75

-48.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.87 €1.68

-44.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.47 €1.33

-23.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.30 €1.16

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.90 €1.70

-57.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$20.52 €18.44

-73.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.98

$13.39 €12.03

-25.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$3.35 €3.01

-39.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$3.45 €3.10

-33.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$2.26 €2.03

-42.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$5.00 €4.49

-12.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.47 €1.32

-29.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$37.35 €33.55

-54.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.11

$2.16 €1.94

8.33%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$38.6K €34.7K

-26.77%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$38.0K €34.1K

-29.55%

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

$200 €180

$246 €221

-18.85%

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

$25.17 €22.62

$18.68 €16.78

34.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$51.2 €45.97

-42.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.32

$40.58 €36.46

24.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.46

$13.43 €12.07

-21.67%

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

$576 €518

$1,010 €907

-42.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$5,183 €4,656

149.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$100 €90.0

-10.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$48.06 €43.18

-17.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$108 €97.1

-2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$113 €101

9.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$1,556 €1,398

-52.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €578

$1,342 €1,206

-52.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$2,584 €2,322

-49.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$2,165 €1,945

-48.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,604

$4,721 €4,242

-15.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,951

$3,447 €3,097

-4.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.68

21.74%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 109% $699

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Swords

$335 12.9% 7.2% $22

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Swords

$350 13.5% 28.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Swords

$316 12.2% 24.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Swords

$166 6.4% 2.9% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Swords

$67 2.6% 5.7% $4

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 53% $24

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 $740 in Athens and $1,556 in Swords. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $99 in Swords for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $335 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

40,776

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Athens Swords 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Swords. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,639 in Athens and $3,897 in Swords 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: $740 in Athens versus $1,556 in Swords. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Athens versus $1,010 in Swords. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $99 in Swords. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,598 in Swords, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Swords. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Athens and Swords are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.