Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sala and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Sala: $1,530 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
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Sala Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

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Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,530

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Sala versus $1,775 in Athens.

Sala $1,530
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,260 in Sala versus $2,721 in Athens.

Sala $2,260
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,989 in Sala versus $3,666 in Athens.

Sala $2,989
Athens $3,666

Living in Sala costs roughly 14% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sala 13% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.75 SEK 116

$16.69 €14.84

-29.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 SEK 581

$67.8 €60.3

-13.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 SEK 93.6

$11.14 €9.91

-15.17%

Cappuccino

$3.17 SEK 31.39

$4.03 €3.58

-21.34%

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

$1.75 SEK 17.38

$2.77 €2.46

-36.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SEK 21.35

$0.55 €0.49

290.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 SEK 68.7

$5.74 €5.10

20.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 SEK 68.7

$5.45 €4.85

27.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.45

$1.82 €1.62

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 SEK 25.16

$1.38 €1.23

84.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 SEK 34.45

$2.80 €2.49

24.29%

Eggs

$5.29 SEK 52.5

$4.83 €4.30

9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 SEK 110

$15.05 €13.39

-26.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.95 SEK 128

$10.63 €9.45

21.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.02 SEK 218

$18.43 €16.39

19.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 SEK 28.42

$2.20 €1.96

30.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 SEK 26.39

$1.90 €1.69

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 SEK 25.65

$1.37 €1.22

89.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 SEK 47.50

$2.10 €1.87

128.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 SEK 14.46

$1.08 €0.96

35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 SEK 11.29

$1.12 €1.00

1.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.51

$1.12 €1.00

129.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 SEK 10.02

$0.88 €0.79

14.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 SEK 68.2

$5.48 €4.88

25.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 SEK 60.5

$10.13 €9.01

-39.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 SEK 18.76

$2.13 €1.89

-11.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.47

$2.25 €2.00

-21.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 SEK 28.75

$1.36 €1.21

113.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.18 SEK 210

$29.89 €26.59

-29.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 SEK 58.5

$4.45 €3.96

32.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.73

$1.02 €0.90

65.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$79.0 SEK 782

$16.92 €15.05

366.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.13

$2.25 €2.00

-23.11%

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

$32.5K SEK 322.3K

$28.0K €24.9K

16.05%

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

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

$28.2K €25.1K

17.23%

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

$177 SEK 1,752

$205 €182

-13.59%

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

$19.96 SEK 198

$26.65 €23.71

-25.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 SEK 384

$30.38 €27.02

27.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.97 SEK 456

$54.5 €48.47

-15.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.24 SEK 201

$25.88 €23.02

-21.79%

Cinema Ticket

$16.13 SEK 160

$10.42 €9.27

54.80%

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

$213 SEK 2,111

$569 €506

-62.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,194 SEK 11.8K

$12.6K €11.2K

-90.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.45 SEK 440

$88.7 €78.9

-49.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.80 SEK 345

$40.46 €35.99

-13.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 SEK 514

$105 €93.3

-50.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 SEK 535

$121 €108

-55.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$705 SEK 6,989

$741 €659

-4.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 SEK 4,966

$655 €582

-23.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$930 SEK 9,217

$1,300 €1,156

-28.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 SEK 6,782

$1,148 €1,021

-40.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,018 SEK 39.8K

$4,014 €3,570

0.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,838 SEK 28.1K

$3,460 €3,078

-17.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,422 SEK 24.0K

$1,242 €1,105

95.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

4.48

-37.50%

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

Last update for Sala: October 12, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sala

$501 32.8%

Athens

$655 36.9% 30.6% $153

Groceries & Markets

Sala

$360 23.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 13.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sala

$236 15.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 11.1% $26

Eating Out

Sala

$225 14.7%

Athens

$268 15.1% 19.4% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Sala

$83 5.4%

Athens

$160 9% 92% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Sala

$78 5.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 3.7% $2.9

Getting Around

Sala

$47 3.1%

Athens

$45 2.5% 4.8% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $705 in Sala and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sala pays 95% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Sala vs $68.0 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $360 vs $310, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Sala

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

1 h ahead of Sala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,994

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sala Athens 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sala
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

Sala vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sala wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 95% higher in Sala, 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: $705 in Sala versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sala – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,530 per month in Sala versus $1,775 in Athens – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,530 in Sala versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Sala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,530 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sala 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 Sala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.