Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Varberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Varberg: $1,648 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Athens outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Varberg
Learn more

Varberg Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Varberg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Varberg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $1,648 in Varberg.

Athens $1,771
Varberg $1,648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $2,641 in Varberg.

Athens $2,736
Varberg $2,641

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $3,635 in Varberg.

Athens $3,701
Varberg $3,635

Living in Athens is roughly 7% more expensive than in Varberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 31% above, Varberg 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$15.26 SEK 151

10.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$75.9 SEK 752

-10.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$10.34 SEK 102

10.54%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$3.80 SEK 37.70

6.84%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$1.13 SEK 11.16

142.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$1.05 SEK 10.40

-49.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$6.17 SEK 61.1

-7.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$7.75 SEK 76.8

-26.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.50 SEK 14.85

23.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.88 SEK 28.58

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.46 SEK 34.30

-18.50%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$4.11 SEK 40.72

18.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$13.20 SEK 131

15.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$11.23 SEK 111

-7.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$20.15 SEK 200

-5.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.93 SEK 28.99

-24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.49 SEK 24.62

-22.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$3.09 SEK 30.60

-54.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$4.23 SEK 41.89

-51.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.55 SEK 15.36

-32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.56 SEK 15.46

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.57 SEK 25.43

-57.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.04 SEK 10.28

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$6.66 SEK 66.0

-17.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$10.21 SEK 101

-0.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.96 SEK 19.46

8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.24 SEK 12.32

83.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.86 SEK 28.38

-52.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

$78.1 SEK 774

-61.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$5.15 SEK 51.0

-14.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.40 SEK 23.75

-58.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$49.91 SEK 495

-66.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.81 SEK 17.94

31.49%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$33.4K SEK 331.0K

-14.97%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$34.4K SEK 341.0K

-20.90%

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

$203 €181

$140 SEK 1,390

45.05%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$19.77 SEK 196

35.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$30.07 SEK 298

0.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

$39.66 SEK 393

35.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

$40.53 SEK 402

-34.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$16.16 SEK 160

-34.47%

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

$566 €504

$152 SEK 1,505

272.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$3,359 SEK 33.3K

282.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$70.7 SEK 700

26.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$40.44 SEK 401

0.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$113 SEK 1,115

-7.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$151 SEK 1,498

-17.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

$791 SEK 7,839

-7.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$500 SEK 4,956

29.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

$1,195 SEK 11.8K

11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$924 SEK 9,152

26.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

$6,614 SEK 65.5K

-39.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

$3,563 SEK 35.3K

-2.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

$3,170 SEK 31.4K

-60.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1.9

135.79%

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

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Last update for Varberg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Varberg

$500 30.4% 22.7% $147

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Varberg

$357 21.6% 14.1% $44

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Varberg

$254 15.4% 6.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Varberg

$190 11.5% 27% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Varberg

$169 10.2% 4.8% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Varberg

$72 4.4% 3.8% $2.9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Varberg

$107 6.5% 139% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Athens and $791 in Varberg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varberg pays 156% 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 $76.0 in Varberg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $357 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇸🇪 Varberg

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

27,602

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athens Varberg 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Varberg

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 Varberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varberg wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Varberg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 156% lower in Varberg. 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: $729 in Athens versus $791 in Varberg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Varberg – a meal for two runs $76.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,771 per month in Athens versus $1,648 in Varberg – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,648 in Varberg versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varberg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Varberg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Varberg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,648 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Varberg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Varberg 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 Varberg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.