Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olten and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,771 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Olten 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 Olten and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,049 in Olten versus $1,771 in Athens.

Olten $3,049
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,812 in Olten versus $2,736 in Athens.

Olten $4,812
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,576 in Olten versus $3,701 in Athens.

Olten $6,576
Athens $3,701

Living in Olten is roughly 72% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Olten 125% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.18 CHF 27.33

$16.83 €14.97

97.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 100

$68.2 €60.7

78.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.69 CHF 14.57

$11.43 €10.17

54.77%

Cappuccino

$6.29 CHF 5.18

$4.06 €3.61

54.93%

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

$5.51 CHF 4.54

$2.74 €2.44

101.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.21 CHF 4.29

$0.53 €0.47

883.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.22 CHF 7.59

$5.69 €5.06

62.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.52 CHF 6.19

$5.68 €5.06

32.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 CHF 1.73

$1.85 €1.64

14.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.87 CHF 3.19

$1.44 €1.28

168.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 CHF 3.14

$2.82 €2.51

35.11%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$4.86 €4.32

72.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.10 CHF 21.50

$15.27 €13.58

70.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.77 CHF 22.05

$10.36 €9.21

158.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$46.34 CHF 38.16

$19.10 €16.99

142.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 CHF 3.31

$2.22 €1.98

81.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 CHF 2.22

$1.92 €1.71

40.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$1.41 €1.25

110.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 CHF 3.86

$2.04 €1.82

129.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$1.05 €0.93

137.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.17 €1.04

82.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CHF 2.10

$1.08 €0.96

136.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$0.84 €0.75

53.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.93

$5.49 €4.89

97.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 CHF 11.63

$10.17 €9.05

38.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 CHF 2.30

$2.13 €1.90

30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CHF 2.68

$2.28 €2.03

42.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.30 CHF 4.37

$1.37 €1.22

286.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 88.3

$29.71 €26.43

260.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.39 CHF 6.91

$4.39 €3.90

91.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$1.00 €0.89

353.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$90.2 CHF 74.3

$16.63 €14.79

442.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$2.38 €2.11

-9.24%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$28.4K €25.3K

39.25%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$27.2K €24.2K

44.39%

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

$275 CHF 227

$203 €181

35.37%

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

$32.97 CHF 27.15

$26.79 €23.83

23.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.51 CHF 39.13

$30.16 €26.82

57.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.2 CHF 66.1

$53.7 €47.74

49.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$21.01 CHF 17.30

$10.59 €9.42

98.39%

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

$3,608 CHF 2,971

$566 €504

536.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

$12.9K €11.4K

224.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$89.1 €79.3

60.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 CHF 48.81

$40.48 €36.01

46.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$167 CHF 137

$104 €92.3

60.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$210 CHF 173

$124 €111

69.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CHF 997

$729 €648

66.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 CHF 852

$647 €576

59.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 CHF 1,621

$1,328 €1,181

48.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,948 CHF 1,605

$1,169 €1,040

66.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,837 CHF 4,808

$1,240 €1,103

370.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

4.48

-53.79%

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

Last update for Olten: October 20, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Olten

$1K 34%

Athens

$647 36.5% 37.5% $388

Groceries & Markets

Olten

$617 20.3%

Athens

$312 17.6% 49.4% $305

Eating Out

Olten

$498 16.3%

Athens

$271 15.3% 45.7% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olten

$356 11.7%

Athens

$260 14.7% 26.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Olten

$261 8.6%

Athens

$161 9.1% 38.3% $100

Getting Around

Olten

$160 5.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 72.1% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Olten

$122 4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 38.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,210 in Olten and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olten pays 371% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $122 in Olten vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $617 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Olten

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

1 h ahead of Olten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,280

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Olten Athens 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Olten vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Olten. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 371% higher in Olten, 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: $1,210 in Olten versus $729 in Athens. 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 $68.0 versus $122 in Olten. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,049 per month in Olten versus $1,771 in Athens – a 72% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,771 in Athens versus $3,049 in Olten, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Olten. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Athens delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,771 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Olten 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 Athens gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Olten. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.