Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Athens: $1,759 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,598 in Swords versus $1,759 in Athens.

Swords $2,598
Athens $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,804 in Swords versus $2,696 in Athens.

Swords $3,804
Athens $2,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,010 in Swords versus $3,632 in Athens.

Swords $5,010
Athens $3,632

Living in Swords is roughly 48% more expensive than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Swords 91% above, Athens 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.91

$17.05 €15.32

29.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 €88.6

$65.8 €59.2

49.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.86

$10.96 €9.84

20.44%

Cappuccino

$4.93 €4.43

$4.10 €3.69

20.24%

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

$2.98 €2.68

$2.83 €2.54

5.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.94

$0.59 €0.53

266.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 €7.21

$5.62 €5.05

42.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.74 €6.05

$5.67 €5.09

18.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.90 €1.70

-16.84%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.46 €1.31

60.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 €1.83

$2.71 €2.43

-25.09%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.81

$5.04 €4.53

-15.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 €8.89

$15.08 €13.55

-34.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.86 €9.76

$10.28 €9.23

5.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.94

$19.40 €17.43

-31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$2.12 €1.91

29.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.91 €1.72

18.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.51

$1.41 €1.26

97.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.75

$2.13 €1.91

95.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.04 €0.94

79.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.33

$1.13 €1.02

30.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.13 €1.01

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.81 €0.73

134.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.52 €18.44

$5.52 €4.96

271.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.39 €12.03

$9.99 €8.98

34.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 €3.01

$2.04 €1.83

64.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.10

$2.28 €2.05

51.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.31 €1.18

72.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.67 €27.56

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 €4.49

$4.37 €3.93

14.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.03 €0.92

42.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.35 €33.55

$17.05 €15.32

119.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.94

$2.34 €2.11

-7.69%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$28.3K €25.4K

36.55%

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

$38.0K €34.1K

$26.8K €24.0K

41.95%

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

$246 €221

$200 €180

23.24%

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

$18.68 €16.78

$25.17 €22.62

-25.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.97

$29.65 €26.64

72.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.58 €36.46

$50.4 €45.32

-19.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.94 €23.30

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 €12.07

$10.52 €9.46

27.66%

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

$1,010 €907

$576 €518

75.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,183 €4,656

$12.9K €11.6K

-59.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 €90.0

$89.7 €80.6

11.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.06 €43.18

$39.57 €35.55

21.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.1

$105 €94.7

2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$124 €111

-9.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,556 €1,398

$740 €665

110.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 €1,206

$643 €578

108.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,584 €2,322

$1,305 €1,172

98.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 €1,945

$1,121 €1,007

93.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,721 €4,242

$4,011 €3,604

17.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,447 €3,097

$3,284 €2,951

4.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 €1,099

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

4.48

-17.86%

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

Last update for Swords: 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

Swords

$1.3K 51.7%

Athens

$643 36.5% 52.1% $699

Eating Out

Swords

$350 13.5%

Athens

$272 15.4% 22.4% $79

Groceries & Markets

Swords

$335 12.9%

Athens

$312 17.7% 6.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Swords

$316 12.2%

Athens

$255 14.5% 19.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Swords

$166 6.4%

Athens

$161 9.2% 2.9% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Swords

$67 2.6%

Athens

$71 4.1% 6% $4

Getting Around

Swords

$21 * 0.8%

Athens

$45 2.6% 113% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,556 in Swords and $740 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $99 in Swords vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $312 per month, with Athens cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Swords

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

2 h ahead of Swords

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,776

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Swords Athens 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Swords
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

Swords vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Athens wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Swords. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Athens the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,897 in Swords and $2,639 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,556 in Swords versus $740 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,010 in Swords versus $576 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Athens – a meal for two runs $66 versus $99 in Swords. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,759 in Athens versus $2,598 in Swords, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Athens but tight or insufficient in Swords. The gap between the two cities makes Athens the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Swords 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.