Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swindon and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,768 in Swindon, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Swindon, United Kingdom
Athens, Greece
Swindon
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,768
/mo nomad
Athens
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,759
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,768 in Swindon versus $1,759 in Athens.

  • Swindon $2,768
  • Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,814 in Swindon versus $2,696 in Athens.

  • Swindon $3,814
  • Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,861 in Swindon versus $3,632 in Athens.

  • Swindon $4,861
  • Athens $3,632

Living in Swindon is roughly 57% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swindon 103% above, Athens 29% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Swindon
Athens
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.27 £15.25
$17.05 €15.31
18.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.0 £47.42
$65.8 €59.1
-4.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.72 £8.07
$10.96 €9.84
-2.19%
Cappuccino
$4.79 £3.61
$4.10 €3.69
16.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 £2.35
$2.83 €2.54
10.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.60 £1.21
$0.59 €0.53
171.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.72 £4.30
$5.62 €5.05
1.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.62 £3.48
$5.67 €5.09
-18.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Swindon
Athens
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 £1.26
$1.90 €1.70
-12.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.46 €1.31
34.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.87 £1.41
$2.71 €2.43
-31.00%
Eggs
$4.49 £3.38
$5.04 €4.53
-10.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.48 £7.14
$15.08 €13.54
-37.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.18 £6.91
$10.28 €9.23
-10.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.45 £10.88
$19.40 €17.42
-25.52%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.34
$2.12 €1.91
46.70%
Banana (1kg)
$2.47 £1.86
$1.91 €1.71
29.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.08 £3.07
$1.41 €1.26
189.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 £3.19
$2.13 €1.91
99.06%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 £1.52
$1.04 €0.94
94.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.31
$1.13 €1.02
53.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.97 £1.48
$1.13 €1.01
74.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 £1.29
$0.81 €0.73
112.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.34 £17.57
$5.52 €4.96
322.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.27 £11.49
$9.99 €8.97
52.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.86 £2.91
$2.04 €1.83
89.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.82 £2.88
$2.28 €2.05
67.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Swindon
Athens
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.09 £3.08
$1.31 €1.18
212.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.9 £74.5
$30.67 €27.55
222.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.79 £5.11
$4.37 €3.93
55.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.03 €0.92
64.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.54 £16.21
$17.05 €15.32
26.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 £1.53
$2.34 €2.10
-13.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.0K £29.4K
$28.3K €25.4K
38.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.7K
$26.8K €24.0K
52.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swindon
Athens
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$636 £479
$200 €180
218.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.23 £12.21
$25.17 €22.61
-35.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.50 £33.49
$29.65 €26.64
50.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Swindon
Athens
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.18 £25.73
$50.4 €45.31
-32.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.11 £17.39
$25.94 €23.30
-10.91%
Cinema Ticket
$17.61 £13.25
$10.52 €9.45
67.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Swindon
Athens
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,966 £1,480
$576 €518
241.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,376 £4,046
$12.9K €11.6K
-58.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Swindon
Athens
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.0 £67.0
$89.7 €80.6
-0.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.92 £33.06
$39.57 €35.55
10.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.8 £61.6
$105 €94.7
-22.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.5 £64.4
$124 €111
-30.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Swindon
Athens
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,262 £950
$740 €665
70.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,085 £817
$643 €577
68.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,027 £1,526
$1,305 €1,172
55.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,698 £1,278
$1,121 €1,007
51.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,289 £3,981
$4,011 €3,603
31.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,741 £2,816
$3,284 €2,950
13.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Swindon
Athens
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,969 £2,235
$1,224 €1,099
142.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.59
4.48
24.78%

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

Last update for Swindon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Swindon
$1.1K
Athens
$643 40.8% $442
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Swindon
$697
Athens
$255 63.4% $442
Groceries & Markets
Swindon
$343
Athens
$312 9% $31
Eating Out
Swindon
$309
Athens
$272 12% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Swindon
$135
Athens
$161 19.4% $26
Getting Around
Swindon
$131
Athens
$45 65.2% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Swindon
$69
Athens
$71 3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,262 in Swindon and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Swindon pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Swindon vs $66 in Athens. Groceries flip the comparison at $343 vs $312, with Athens cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Swindon
🇬🇷 Athens
🕒 Local time
20:25 8:25 PM
22:25 10:25 PM
2 h ahead of Swindon
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
183,638
3,090,508 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Swindon Athens 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Swindon
  • 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
Swindon vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Swindon or Athens?
Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Swindon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Swindon or in Athens?
Average pay in Swindon is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Swindon compared to Athens?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,262 in Swindon versus $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Swindon and in Athens?
Dining out is cheaper in Swindon – a meal for two runs $63 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Swindon compared to Athens?
All in, you’ll spend $2,768 per month in Swindon versus $1,759 in Athens – Athens is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Swindon or in Athens?
At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,768 in Swindon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Swindon. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Swindon or Athens?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Should I move to Swindon or to Athens?
It comes down to priorities – Athens wins on affordability, Swindon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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