Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Umea and Zakynthos

For one person, living costs are similar in Umea and in Zakynthos: $1,633 and $1,686 a month, rent and utilities included.

Umea
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,633
/mo nomad
Zakynthos
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,686
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Umea and in Zakynthos

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Umea and in Zakynthos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,633 per month in Umea vs $1,686 in Zakynthos, rent included.

  • Umea $1,633
  • Zakynthos $1,686

A couple spends around $2,596 per month in Umea vs $2,543 in Zakynthos, rent included.

  • Umea $2,596
  • Zakynthos $2,543

A family of three spends $3,558 per month in Umea vs $3,400 in Zakynthos, rent included.

  • Umea $3,558
  • Zakynthos $3,400

Umea is about 3% cheaper than Zakynthos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Umea and Zakynthos sit above the global median – Umea by 21%, Zakynthos by 25%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.23 SEK 151
$28.04 €24.94
-45.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 SEK 782
$56.4 €50.1
40.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 SEK 117
$11.05 €9.83
6.61%
Cappuccino
$4.02 SEK 39.79
$4.78 €4.25
-15.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.12 SEK 30.86
$5.61 €4.99
-44.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 SEK 23.31
$0.62 €0.55
280.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.71 SEK 86.2
$4.92 €4.38
77.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.33 SEK 72.6
$6.75 €6.00
8.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 SEK 16.16
$2.28 €2.03
-28.51%
White Bread (500g)
$3.30 SEK 32.61
$1.92 €1.71
71.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.00 SEK 39.60
$2.56 €2.28
56.25%
Eggs
$3.86 SEK 38.17
$4.72 €4.19
-18.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.16 SEK 110
$14.78 €13.14
-24.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.65 SEK 105
$14.79 €13.15
-27.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.95 SEK 168
$12.29 €10.93
37.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.54 SEK 25.09
$3.55 €3.15
-28.45%
Banana (1kg)
$2.16 SEK 21.42
$2.09 €1.86
3.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 SEK 27.93
$1.36 €1.21
107.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.15 SEK 41.06
$1.91 €1.69
117.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 SEK 15.92
$1.17 €1.04
37.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.66 SEK 16.46
$1.17 €1.04
41.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.48 SEK 24.53
$1.11 €0.99
123.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 SEK 12.44
$1.96 €1.75
-35.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.02 SEK 69.5
$5.23 €4.65
34.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.76 SEK 96.6
$7.11 €6.32
37.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 SEK 22.61
$1.76 €1.56
29.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 SEK 23.10
$2.61 €2.32
-10.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.98 SEK 29.45
$2.00 €1.78
49.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.0 SEK 555
$44.72 €39.77
25.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.80 SEK 67.3
$4.27 €3.80
59.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.86 SEK 48.11
$1.13 €1.00
330.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$17.48 €15.55
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 SEK 16.42
$1.95 €1.74
-14.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K SEK 327.8K
$23.9K €21.2K
38.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K SEK 332.1K
$21.8K €19.4K
54.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.2 SEK 823
$201 €179
-58.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.84 SEK 325
$42.62 €37.91
-22.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.82 SEK 265
$30.11 €26.78
-10.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.77 SEK 483
$50.1 €44.52
-2.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.57 SEK 342
$26.47 €23.55
30.60%
Cinema Ticket
$16.39 SEK 162
$9.50 €8.45
72.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$137 SEK 1,354
$428 €380
-68.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$8,273 €7,358
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 SEK 992
$89.3 €79.4
12.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.16 SEK 358
$39.12 €34.79
-7.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 SEK 1,166
$123 €109
-4.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 SEK 1,393
$137 €122
2.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$758 SEK 7,503
$384 €341
97.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$502 SEK 4,968
$394 €351
27.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,107 SEK 11.0K
$781 €695
41.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$834 SEK 8,255
$562 €500
48.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,556 SEK 45.1K
$2,621 €2,331
73.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,965 SEK 29.3K
$2,228 €1,981
33.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Umea
Zakynthos
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,654 SEK 26.3K
$1,311 €1,166
102.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.65
4.46
-18.16%

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

Last update for Umea: October 10, 2026

Last update for Zakynthos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Umea
$502
Zakynthos
$394 21.4% $108
Groceries & Markets
Umea
$345
Zakynthos
$334 3.2% $11
Eating Out
Umea
$286
Zakynthos
$378 32.3% $92
Clothing & Footwear
Umea
$178
Zakynthos
$175 1.6% $2.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Umea
$143
Zakynthos
$274 91.9% $131
Getting Around
Umea
$99
Zakynthos
$63 36.7% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Umea
$82
Zakynthos
$69 15.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $758 in Umea versus $384 in Zakynthos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 102% higher in Umea, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Umea versus $56.0 in Zakynthos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $334 – making Zakynthos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Umea
🇬🇷 Zakynthos
🕒 Local time
13:32 1:32 PM
14:32 2:32 PM
1 h ahead of Umea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,594
39,015
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.9 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.13 SEK (100 SEK = 8.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Umea Zakynthos 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Umea
  • Zakynthos

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
Umea vs Zakynthos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zakynthos cheaper than Umea?
Yes – Zakynthos is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,450 per month in Umea and $2,530 in Zakynthos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Umea, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $137 per month in Umea and $428 in Zakynthos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Umea and in Zakynthos?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Zakynthos – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Umea or in Zakynthos?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Umea, where all-in costs run around $1,633, than in Zakynthos at $1,686. In Umea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zakynthos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Umea or Zakynthos more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Umea – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Umea or Zakynthos?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Umea. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zakynthos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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