Moving to Greece from Sweden
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Sweden to Greece — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Sweden to Greece, you would find that Greece is 17.9% cheaper than Sweden overall. A SEK750,000 salary in Sweden would need to be roughly €55,000 in Greece to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Greek. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Athens averages 72°F vs 52°F in Stockholm, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Sweden to Greece.
What does your salary buy?
SEK750,000 → €55,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Greece
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 8.5% less
Groceries
pay 25.0% less
Transportation
pay 14.6% less
Housing
pay 24.9% less
Childcare
pay 56.5% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.6% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Greece cost about 16% less than cities in Sweden.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Sweden to Greece, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Sweden and Greece stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Greece leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sweden leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Sweden performs better than Greece across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Sweden generally does better on infrastructure, though Greece leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Sweden generally does better on employment & economy, though Greece leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Sweden performs better than Greece across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Skatteverket (2016), GSIS, Greece (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Stockholm | Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/28°F (2°/-2°C) | 57°/42°F (14°/6°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 61°/45°F (16°/7°C) | 78°/57°F (26°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 69°/56°F (21°/13°C) | 90°/67°F (32°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/36°F (6°/2°C) | 65°/50°F (18°/10°C) |
View all months
| Month | Stockholm | Athens |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34°/27°F (1.0°/-2.9°C) | 54°/41°F (12.5°/5.2°C) |
| Feb | 34°/26°F (1.2°/-3.2°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.4°C) |
| Mar | 40°/30°F (4.7°/-1.1°C) | 60°/44°F (15.7°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 51°/37°F (10.7°/2.6°C) | 68°/49°F (20.2°/9.6°C) |
| May | 62°/45°F (16.5°/7.1°C) | 79°/57°F (26.0°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 69°/53°F (20.8°/11.6°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.2°C) |
| Jul | 74°/59°F (23.6°/14.8°C) | 92°/69°F (33.5°/20.8°C) |
| Aug | 72°/58°F (22.1°/14.2°C) | 92°/69°F (33.2°/20.7°C) |
| Sep | 62°/50°F (16.6°/10.2°C) | 85°/63°F (29.2°/17.3°C) |
| Oct | 50°/42°F (10.1°/5.5°C) | 74°/56°F (23.3°/13.4°C) |
| Nov | 42°/35°F (5.4°/1.9°C) | 65°/50°F (18.1°/9.8°C) |
| Dec | 36°/30°F (2.5°/-1.2°C) | 57°/44°F (14.1°/6.8°C) |
Data:
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI),
Hellenic National Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sweden and Greece. To live, work, or study long-term in Greece, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Greece's immigration authority.
Sweden passport holder visiting Greece
Visa Free
Greece passport holder visiting Sweden
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Greece than Sweden?
Generally yes: Greece runs about 18% cheaper than Sweden on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Greece?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a SEK750,000 comparable salary, that's around €13,750 in Greece for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Greece?
With 44.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Greece can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Sweden and Greece.
Is Greece safe for expats?
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Greece leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Greece is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Sweden.
How is healthcare in Greece compared to Sweden?
Greece generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sweden leads in health coverage index. There are 65.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Greece, compared to 44.1 in Sweden. Greece scores 77 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sweden: 85).
What's the weather like in Greece compared to Sweden?
The average high temperature in Athens is 72°F, compared to 52°F in Stockholm. Athens receives around 16.3 in of rainfall per year, while Stockholm gets 21.5 in.
What language do they speak in Greece?
The official language in Greece is Greek. In Sweden, the official language is Swedish.
