Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,806 a month against $2,548 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,548 in Stockholm versus $1,806 in Athens.

Stockholm $2,548
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,806 in Stockholm versus $2,731 in Athens.

Stockholm $3,806
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,064 in Stockholm versus $3,656 in Athens.

Stockholm $5,064
Athens $3,656

Living in Stockholm is roughly 41% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stockholm 90% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 SEK 182

$16.66 €14.87

9.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.8 SEK 978

$66.2 €59.1

47.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 SEK 117

$11.06 €9.87

5.88%

Cappuccino

$4.89 SEK 48.92

$4.14 €3.69

18.12%

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

$3.72 SEK 37.15

$2.80 €2.50

32.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 SEK 30.29

$0.57 €0.51

431.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 SEK 81.5

$5.64 €5.03

44.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 SEK 89.5

$5.46 €4.87

64.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.05

$1.96 €1.75

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 SEK 38.41

$1.41 €1.26

172.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 37.52

$2.83 €2.53

32.51%

Eggs

$5.04 SEK 50.4

$5.04 €4.50

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 SEK 129

$15.35 €13.70

-15.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.70 SEK 127

$10.34 €9.23

22.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 SEK 217

$18.97 €16.93

14.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 36.03

$2.17 €1.93

66.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 SEK 27.97

$1.91 €1.70

46.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 SEK 31.36

$1.38 €1.23

127.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 SEK 43.52

$2.20 €1.96

98.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.99

$1.10 €0.98

54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 SEK 17.83

$1.13 €1.00

57.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 25.06

$1.10 €0.99

128.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 SEK 24.33

$0.83 €0.74

192.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.52 SEK 85.1

$5.60 €4.99

52.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 SEK 118

$10.19 €9.09

16.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.29

$2.18 €1.95

-6.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 SEK 25.49

$2.45 €2.19

4.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.31 SEK 43.11

$1.38 €1.23

212.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 SEK 1,059

$30.87 €27.55

243.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 SEK 58.3

$4.37 €3.90

33.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 SEK 15.09

$1.04 €0.93

45.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.0 SEK 560

$17.11 €15.27

227.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.90

$2.31 €2.07

-22.51%

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

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

$28.0K €25.0K

19.01%

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

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

$28.0K €25.0K

21.58%

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

$248 SEK 2,479

$210 €187

18.26%

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

$21.17 SEK 212

$26.70 €23.83

-20.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.91 SEK 399

$30.13 €26.89

32.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 SEK 475

$54.6 €48.72

-12.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.80 SEK 388

$26.03 €23.23

49.06%

Cinema Ticket

$19.19 SEK 192

$10.78 €9.62

78.01%

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

$159 SEK 1,585

$575 €513

-72.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

$13.1K €11.7K

24.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 SEK 1,119

$93.2 €83.1

20.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 SEK 574

$40.68 €36.30

41.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 SEK 1,340

$104 €92.9

28.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$181 SEK 1,809

$128 €115

41.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

$756 €674

124.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

$652 €582

66.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

$1,294 €1,154

130.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

$1,163 €1,038

53.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

$4,008 €3,577

178.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

$3,452 €3,081

83.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

$1,243 €1,110

181.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

4.48

-24.78%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2%

Athens

$652 36.5% 40% $436

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$415 16.1%

Athens

$315 17.6% 24.1% $100

Eating Out

Stockholm

$326 12.6%

Athens

$269 15% 17.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$309 12%

Athens

$267 14.9% 13.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$218 8.5%

Athens

$165 9.2% 24.4% $53

Getting Around

Stockholm

$137 5.3%

Athens

$46 2.6% 66.4% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$86 3.3%

Athens

$76 4.3% 11.3% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,694 in Stockholm and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stockholm pays 182% 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: $98.0 in Stockholm vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $315 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

1 h ahead of Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.93 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 = 11.2 SEK (100 SEK = 8.93 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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Between locations

Stockholm Athens 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
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

Stockholm vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Stockholm. 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 182% higher in Stockholm, 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: $1,694 in Stockholm versus $756 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 $66.0 versus $98.0 in Stockholm. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,548 per month in Stockholm versus $1,806 in Athens – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,806 in Athens versus $2,548 in Stockholm, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Stockholm. 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 $1,806 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Athens hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Stockholm 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 41% less than in Stockholm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.