Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Bentota

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 Bentota actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $774 in Bentota.

Athens $1,775
Bentota $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $896 in Bentota.

Athens $2,721
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,018 in Bentota.

Athens $3,666
Bentota $1,018

Living in Athens is roughly 129% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Bentota is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$4.29 LKR 1,421

289.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$11.97 LKR 3,965

466.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.73 LKR 2,560

44.11%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.46 LKR 815

63.82%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.68 LKR 225

307.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.25 LKR 82.2

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.24 LKR 742

156.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.07 LKR 1,016

77.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.62 LKR 535

12.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.53 LKR 176

160.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.74 LKR 244

278.38%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.56 LKR 518

209.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$14.03 LKR 4,648

7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$3.32 LKR 1,099

220.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$4.62 LKR 1,529

298.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$6.81 LKR 2,257

-67.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.73 LKR 241

160.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.59 LKR 1,519

-70.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.90 LKR 297

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.00 LKR 331

8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.79 LKR 263

41.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.94 LKR 312

19.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.43 LKR 143

104.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.13 LKR 3,356

-45.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$13.36 LKR 4,424

-24.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.95 LKR 645

9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.91 LKR 963

-22.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.18 LKR 61.0

655.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.40 LKR 133

1012.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.31 LKR 103

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$0.87 LKR 289

1844.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.39 LKR 461

61.87%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

-24.57%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-29.64%

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

$205 €182

$54.0 LKR 17.9K

278.61%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$2.23 LKR 739

1095.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$9.03 LKR 2,990

236.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.28 LKR 1,417

143.46%

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

$569 €506

$38.08 LKR 12.6K

1394.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,230 LKR 407.3K

923.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$17.80 LKR 5,897

398.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$16.82 LKR 5,573

140.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

30.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$42.09 LKR 13.9K

188.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$541 LKR 179.2K

36.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$298 LKR 98.7K

119.65%

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 Bentota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Bentota

$298 38.5% 54.5% $357

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Bentota

$220 28.5% 29% $90

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Bentota

$108 14% 59.7% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Bentota

$65 8.4% 75% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Bentota

$71 9.1% 55.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Bentota

$8.6 * 1.1% 88.6% $67

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4% 94% $42

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 $741 in Athens and $541 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $12.00 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $220 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

37,000

💱 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Bentota 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota wins on cost – living expenses run 129% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bentota the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $1,160 in Bentota 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: $741 in Athens versus $541 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $38.08 in Bentota. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bentota – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $774 in Bentota versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bentota delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $774 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bentota hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Bentota are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.