Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Varnamo

For one person, living costs are similar in Athens and in Varnamo: $1,759 and $1,692 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
Learn more

Varnamo Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Varnamo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,759 in Athens versus $1,692 in Varnamo.

Athens $1,759
Varnamo $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,696 in Athens versus $2,672 in Varnamo.

Athens $2,696
Varnamo $2,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,632 in Athens versus $3,652 in Varnamo.

Athens $3,632
Varnamo $3,652

Living in Athens is roughly 4% more expensive than in Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 29% above, Varnamo 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.05 €15.31

$13.01 SEK 129

31.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €59.1

$89.7 SEK 891

-26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 €9.84

$12.23 SEK 121

-10.38%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$4.68 SEK 46.47

-12.39%

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

$2.83 €2.54

$2.72 SEK 26.99

4.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$2.13 SEK 21.15

-72.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.05

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-28.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 €5.09

$7.08 SEK 70.3

-19.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.71 SEK 17.03

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$2.50 SEK 24.81

-41.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$3.54 SEK 35.20

-23.45%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.53

$4.63 SEK 45.97

8.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 €13.54

$12.57 SEK 125

19.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.23

$11.73 SEK 116

-12.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 €17.42

$15.69 SEK 156

23.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$3.11 SEK 30.92

-31.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$2.55 SEK 25.31

-25.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.82 SEK 27.99

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$4.52 SEK 44.89

-52.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.94

$1.72 SEK 17.12

-39.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.41 SEK 14.02

-19.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.57 SEK 25.53

-56.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.52 SEK 15.13

-46.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.96

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.99 €8.97

$11.14 SEK 111

-10.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.93 SEK 19.22

5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$2.64 SEK 26.25

-13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$3.19 SEK 31.70

-58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.55

$74.7 SEK 742

-58.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$5.04 SEK 50.1

-13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.08 SEK 10.71

-4.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.05 €15.32

$41.06 SEK 408

-58.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.72 SEK 17.08

36.05%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

-15.85%

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

$26.8K €24.0K

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

-21.84%

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

$200 €180

$77.0 SEK 764

159.74%

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

$25.17 €22.61

$17.22 SEK 171

46.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.64

$30.45 SEK 302

-2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.4 €45.31

$39.03 SEK 388

29.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

$22.33 SEK 222

16.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.45

$15.36 SEK 153

-31.51%

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

$576 €518

$157 SEK 1,558

267.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.6K

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

190.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €80.6

$80.4 SEK 799

11.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.57 €35.55

$56.8 SEK 564

-30.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.7

$99.9 SEK 992

5.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$123 SEK 1,223

0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €665

$794 SEK 7,889

-6.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 €577

$612 SEK 6,075

5.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,172

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

10.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €1,007

$985 SEK 9,780

13.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,011 €3,603

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

-0.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,284 €2,950

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

15.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

-39.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.03

47.85%

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

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$643 36.5%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 4.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.7%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 14.3% $45

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.4%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$255 14.5%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 51.1% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.2%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 0.5% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$71 4.1%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 2.4% $1.7

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.6%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 116% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $740 in Athens and $794 in Varnamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varnamo pays 66% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $90 in Varnamo 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

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

17:36 5:36 PM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

19,778

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Varnamo 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varnamo wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Varnamo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Athens. 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: $740 in Athens versus $794 in Varnamo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $90 in Varnamo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,759 per month in Athens versus $1,692 in Varnamo – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Varnamo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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