Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helsingborg and Athens

For one person, living costs are similar in Helsingborg and in Athens: $1,723 and $1,806 a month, rent and utilities included.

82

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,723

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Helsingborg and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Helsingborg and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,723 in Helsingborg versus $1,806 in Athens.

Helsingborg $1,723
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,599 in Helsingborg versus $2,731 in Athens.

Helsingborg $2,599
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,474 in Helsingborg versus $3,656 in Athens.

Helsingborg $3,474
Athens $3,656

Living in Helsingborg costs roughly 5% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Helsingborg 29% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.83 SEK 128

$16.66 €14.87

-22.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 SEK 689

$66.2 €59.1

4.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 SEK 124

$11.06 €9.87

11.75%

Cappuccino

$4.61 SEK 46.08

$4.14 €3.69

11.35%

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

$2.91 SEK 29.10

$2.80 €2.50

3.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 SEK 23.17

$0.57 €0.51

307.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 SEK 67.7

$5.64 €5.03

20.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 SEK 60.9

$5.46 €4.87

11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.28

$1.96 €1.75

-27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 SEK 27.00

$1.41 €1.26

91.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 30.05

$2.83 €2.53

6.36%

Eggs

$3.86 SEK 38.60

$5.04 €4.50

-23.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 SEK 112

$15.35 €13.70

-27.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 SEK 109

$10.34 €9.23

5.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.75 SEK 147

$18.97 €16.93

-22.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 SEK 30.06

$2.17 €1.93

38.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.37

$1.91 €1.70

27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 SEK 30.14

$1.38 €1.23

118.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 SEK 44.11

$2.20 €1.96

100.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 SEK 16.28

$1.10 €0.98

48.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 SEK 15.19

$1.13 €1.00

34.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 SEK 18.08

$1.10 €0.99

64.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SEK 16.45

$0.83 €0.74

98.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.19 SEK 81.8

$5.60 €4.99

46.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.30 SEK 92.9

$10.19 €9.09

-8.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.33

$2.18 €1.95

-6.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SEK 21.59

$2.45 €2.19

-11.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 SEK 31.24

$1.38 €1.23

126.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.6 SEK 626

$30.87 €27.55

102.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.20 SEK 62.0

$4.37 €3.90

41.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.94

$1.04 €0.93

62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 SEK 594

$17.11 €15.27

247.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 SEK 17.53

$2.31 €2.07

-24.24%

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

$32.2K SEK 322.2K

$28.0K €25.0K

15.20%

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

$33.0K SEK 329.7K

$28.0K €25.0K

17.77%

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

$104 SEK 1,041

$210 €187

-50.32%

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

$19.28 SEK 193

$26.70 €23.83

-27.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.29 SEK 333

$30.13 €26.89

10.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.67 SEK 377

$54.6 €48.72

-31.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.86 SEK 218

$26.03 €23.23

-16.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 SEK 148

$10.78 €9.62

37.76%

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

$172 SEK 1,721

$575 €513

-70.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 SEK 786

$93.2 €83.1

-15.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 SEK 332

$40.68 €36.30

-18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 858

$104 €92.9

-17.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 SEK 1,091

$128 €115

-14.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 SEK 8,294

$756 €674

9.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 SEK 6,315

$652 €582

-3.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 SEK 13.6K

$1,294 €1,154

5.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 SEK 10.6K

$1,163 €1,038

-8.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,047 SEK 30.5K

$4,008 €3,577

-23.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,288 SEK 22.9K

$3,452 €3,081

-33.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,855 SEK 28.5K

$1,243 €1,110

129.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

4.48

-31.70%

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

Last update for Helsingborg: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helsingborg

$632 37.6%

Athens

$652 36.5% 3.2% $21

Groceries & Markets

Helsingborg

$333 19.8%

Athens

$315 17.6% 5.5% $18

Eating Out

Helsingborg

$262 15.6%

Athens

$269 15% 2.6% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helsingborg

$157 9.3%

Athens

$267 14.9% 70% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Helsingborg

$138 8.2%

Athens

$165 9.2% 19.3% $27

Getting Around

Helsingborg

$90 5.4%

Athens

$46 2.6% 48.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Helsingborg

$67 4%

Athens

$76 4.3% 13% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Helsingborg and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helsingborg pays 130% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Helsingborg vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $333 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

06:08 6:08 AM

1 h ahead of Helsingborg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,838

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Helsingborg Athens 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Helsingborg
Athens

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

Helsingborg vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helsingborg wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Helsingborg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 130% higher in Helsingborg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Helsingborg versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Helsingborg – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,723 per month in Helsingborg versus $1,806 in Athens – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,723 in Helsingborg versus $1,806 in Athens, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Helsingborg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Helsingborg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Helsingborg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,723 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Helsingborg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Helsingborg and Athens 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 Helsingborg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.