Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sion and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,775 a month against $3,235 in Sion, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sion
Learn more

Sion Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Sion

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,235 in Sion versus $1,775 in Athens.

Sion $3,235
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Sion versus $2,721 in Athens.

Sion $4,857
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,479 in Sion versus $3,666 in Athens.

Sion $6,479
Athens $3,666

Living in Sion is roughly 82% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sion 140% above, Athens 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.97 CHF 23.86

$16.69 €14.84

73.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$67.8 €60.3

32.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.15 CHF 15.77

$11.14 €9.91

71.90%

Cappuccino

$4.60 CHF 3.79

$4.03 €3.58

14.14%

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

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$2.77 €2.46

83.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 CHF 3.52

$0.55 €0.49

678.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.36 CHF 6.06

$5.74 €5.10

28.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CHF 6.00

$5.45 €4.85

33.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$1.82 €1.62

6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$1.38 €1.23

156.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 CHF 3.45

$2.80 €2.49

49.64%

Eggs

$7.13 CHF 5.87

$4.83 €4.30

47.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.01 CHF 21.42

$15.05 €13.39

72.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.69 CHF 18.69

$10.63 €9.45

113.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 33.02

$18.43 €16.39

117.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.59

$2.20 €1.96

43.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$1.90 €1.69

-10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 CHF 2.09

$1.37 €1.22

84.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.20 CHF 5.11

$2.10 €1.87

195.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CHF 1.53

$1.08 €0.96

71.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.12 €1.00

92.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 2.00

$1.12 €1.00

116.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CHF 0.97

$0.88 €0.79

32.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.85 CHF 8.94

$5.48 €4.88

97.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CHF 11.74

$10.13 €9.01

40.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 CHF 1.45

$2.13 €1.89

-17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 CHF 1.57

$2.25 €2.00

-15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.24 CHF 4.32

$1.36 €1.21

285.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 CHF 148

$29.89 €26.59

500.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 CHF 4.89

$4.45 €3.96

33.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$1.02 €0.90

418.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.12 CHF 39.63

$16.92 €15.05

184.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$2.25 €2.00

-1.78%

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

$34.2K CHF 28.2K

$28.0K €24.9K

22.15%

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

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

$28.2K €25.1K

33.28%

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

$308 CHF 254

$205 €182

50.63%

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

$24.86 CHF 20.48

$26.65 €23.71

-6.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.64 CHF 40.89

$30.38 €27.02

63.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$135 CHF 111

$54.5 €48.47

147.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.5 CHF 44.88

$25.88 €23.02

110.55%

Cinema Ticket

$20.28 CHF 16.70

$10.42 €9.27

94.63%

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

$953 CHF 785

$569 €506

67.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.7K CHF 31.1K

$12.6K €11.2K

199.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 CHF 89.7

$88.7 €78.9

22.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.21 CHF 39.71

$40.46 €35.99

19.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$105 €93.3

53.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$121 €108

35.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 CHF 1,005

$741 €659

64.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,021

$655 €582

89.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CHF 1,913

$1,300 €1,156

78.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 CHF 1,707

$1,148 €1,021

80.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,339 CHF 6,045

$4,014 €3,570

82.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,532 CHF 4,556

$3,460 €3,078

59.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,826 CHF 4,798

$1,242 €1,105

368.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.15

4.48

-52.01%

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

Last update for Sion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sion

$1.2K 38.3%

Athens

$655 36.9% 47.2% $585

Groceries & Markets

Sion

$554 17.1%

Athens

$310 17.5% 43.9% $243

Eating Out

Sion

$433 13.4%

Athens

$268 15.1% 38.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sion

$383 11.8%

Athens

$262 14.7% 31.6% $121

Getting Around

Sion

$233 7.2%

Athens

$45 2.5% 80.7% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Sion

$217 6.7%

Athens

$160 9% 26.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Sion

$175 5.4%

Athens

$75 4.2% 57% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,221 in Sion and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sion pays 369% 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: $90.0 in Sion vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $554 vs $310 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Sion

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

1 h ahead of Sion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,599

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sion Athens 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sion
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

Sion vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 82% lower than in Sion. 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 369% higher in Sion, 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: $1,221 in Sion versus $741 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 $90.0 in Sion. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,235 per month in Sion versus $1,775 in Athens – a 82% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,775 in Athens versus $3,235 in Sion, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Sion. 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 $1,775 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sion 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 82% less than in Sion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.