Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Anuradhapura

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

A single person spends $1,775 per month in Athens vs $509 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Athens $1,775
Anuradhapura $509

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Athens vs $825 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Athens $2,721
Anuradhapura $825

A family of three spends $3,666 per month in Athens vs $1,140 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Athens $3,666
Anuradhapura $1,140

Athens costs about 249% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Athens sits 31% above the global median, while Anuradhapura is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$4.35 LKR 1,442

283.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$23.76 LKR 7,870

185.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.63 LKR 2,529

46.00%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.41 LKR 798

67.22%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.72 LKR 237

284.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.25 LKR 82.6

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.27 LKR 753

152.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.12 LKR 1,032

74.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.64 LKR 542

10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.53 LKR 175

160.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.80 LKR 263

250.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.58 LKR 522

205.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.03 LKR 4,648

7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.79 LKR 1,588

121.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.37 LKR 2,440

150.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$6.89 LKR 2,283

-68.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.83 LKR 275

128.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.51 LKR 1,495

-69.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.21 LKR 402

73.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.03 LKR 341

4.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.76 LKR 251

47.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.92 LKR 306

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.47 LKR 155

87.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.30 LKR 3,412

-46.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$13.58 LKR 4,498

-25.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.97 LKR 651

8.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.93 LKR 969

-23.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.38 LKR 125

1071.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.34 LKR 114

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$0.95 LKR 314

1681.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.37 LKR 455

64.23%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

-23.50%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-31.71%

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

$205 €182

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

275.21%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$4.33 LKR 1,436

515.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$21.17 LKR 7,013

43.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.31 LKR 1,428

141.76%

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

$569 €506

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

1378.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

923.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$17.84 LKR 5,910

396.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$16.82 LKR 5,572

140.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

31.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

183.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,570

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,078

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

12.69

-64.70%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1% 22.8% $71

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2% 59.7% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7% 69.4% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9% 55.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7% 88.6% $67

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4% 95.3% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Athens versus $24.00 in Anuradhapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $240 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

63,200

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Anuradhapura 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Athens
Anuradhapura

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

Athens vs Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,775 in Athens, $509 in Anuradhapura – roughly 249% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,662 per month in Athens and $764 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Athens and $24.00 in Anuradhapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Athens, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Athens at $1,775. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Athens it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Athens has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $509 in Anuradhapura to $1,775 in Athens. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Anuradhapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Athens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.