Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Umea: $1,608 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
Learn more

Umea Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Umea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,608 in Umea.

Athens $1,806
Umea $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,579 in Umea.

Athens $2,731
Umea $2,579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,550 in Umea.

Athens $3,656
Umea $3,550

Living in Athens is roughly 12% more expensive than in Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Umea 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$15.02 SEK 150

10.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$79.3 SEK 793

-16.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$12.00 SEK 120

-7.83%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$3.99 SEK 39.90

3.76%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$3.20 SEK 31.99

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$2.36 SEK 23.59

-75.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$8.30 SEK 83.0

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$7.40 SEK 74.0

-26.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.63 SEK 16.29

20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$3.44 SEK 34.42

-59.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$4.07 SEK 40.68

-30.47%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$3.90 SEK 38.95

29.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$11.24 SEK 112

36.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$10.73 SEK 107

-3.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$17.23 SEK 172

10.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.46 SEK 24.57

-11.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.26 SEK 22.63

-15.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.82 SEK 28.16

-51.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.30 SEK 43.00

-48.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.64 SEK 16.35

-32.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.66 SEK 16.60

-31.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$2.49 SEK 24.90

-55.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.28 SEK 12.83

-35.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$6.89 SEK 68.9

-18.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$9.89 SEK 98.9

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.27 SEK 22.66

-3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.44 SEK 24.40

0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.92 SEK 29.16

-52.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$56.9 SEK 568

-45.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$6.80 SEK 68.0

-35.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$5.02 SEK 50.2

-79.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.74 SEK 17.37

32.76%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

-15.26%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

-16.74%

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

$210 €187

$86.0 SEK 860

143.78%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$32.39 SEK 324

-17.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$27.15 SEK 271

10.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$48.96 SEK 489

11.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$35.34 SEK 353

-26.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$16.17 SEK 162

-33.33%

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

$575 €513

$137 SEK 1,368

320.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$99.5 SEK 995

-6.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$36.44 SEK 364

11.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$117 SEK 1,166

-10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$141 SEK 1,405

-8.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$736 SEK 7,357

2.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$504 SEK 5,040

29.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

17.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$823 SEK 8,227

41.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

-11.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

13.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

-53.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.65

22.74%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Umea

$504 30.7% 22.7% $148

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Umea

$350 21.3% 11.2% $35

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Umea

$283 17.2% 5.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Umea

$146 8.9% 45.4% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Umea

$177 10.8% 7.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Umea

$81 5% 6.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Umea

$100 6.1% 119% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $736 in Umea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Umea pays 115% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $79.0 in Umea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $350 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

79,594

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Umea 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens and Umea differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,806 vs $1,608 including rent). Umea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 115% lower in Umea. 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 $736 in Umea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Umea – a meal for two runs $79.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. 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 $1,608 in Umea – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,608 in Umea versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Umea but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Umea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Umea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Umea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Umea 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 Umea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.