Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Gampaha

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $450 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
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Gampaha Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Gampaha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $450 in Gampaha.

Athens $1,775
Gampaha $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $765 in Gampaha.

Athens $2,721
Gampaha $765

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,079 in Gampaha.

Athens $3,666
Gampaha $1,079

Living in Athens is roughly 295% more expensive than in Gampaha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Gampaha is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$1.81 LKR 600

822.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$18.00 LKR 5,961

276.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$5.20 LKR 1,723

114.23%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.25 LKR 414

222.40%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.54 LKR 178

412.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.27 LKR 89.7

103.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.13 LKR 705

169.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.04 LKR 1,007

79.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.62 LKR 538

12.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.43 LKR 144

220.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.73 LKR 241

283.56%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.72 LKR 569

180.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.52 LKR 4,480

11.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$3.96 LKR 1,312

168.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.23 LKR 2,394

154.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$5.92 LKR 1,961

-62.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.81 LKR 269

134.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.41 LKR 1,461

-68.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.27 LKR 420

65.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.96 LKR 318

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.78 LKR 257

43.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.29 LKR 95.7

286.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.32 LKR 104

175.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$9.94 LKR 3,294

-44.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$12.77 LKR 4,231

-20.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.38 LKR 457

54.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.37 LKR 784

-5.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.31 LKR 103

338.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.29 LKR 95.8

1434.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.36 LKR 120

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$0.90 LKR 297

1780.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.18 LKR 390

90.68%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$29.9K LKR 9.9M

-6.19%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

-29.75%

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

$205 €182

$27.63 LKR 9,153

640.50%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$2.98 LKR 985

794.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$10.84 LKR 3,591

180.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$7.56 LKR 2,504

620.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.44 LKR 1,472

134.68%

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

$569 €506

$15.07 LKR 4,991

3676.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$122 LKR 40.4K

10230.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$17.88 LKR 5,924

395.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$8.90 LKR 2,948

354.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$61.4 LKR 20.3K

70.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$24.29 LKR 8,044

399.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$89.4 LKR 29.6K

728.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$55.5 LKR 18.4K

1079.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$301 LKR 99.8K

331.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$167 LKR 55.4K

586.70%

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

$225 LKR 74.4K

452.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-55.20%

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

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Last update for Gampaha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Gampaha

$55 12.3% 91.5% $599

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Gampaha

$217 48.4% 29.9% $93

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Gampaha

$65 14.5% 75.7% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Gampaha

$41 9.2% 84.2% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Gampaha

$51 11.3% 68.4% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Gampaha

$16 3.7% 78.2% $59

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Gampaha

$3.3 * 0.7% 92.6% $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 $89.4 in Gampaha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 453% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $18.00 in Gampaha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $217 per month, with Gampaha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

20,000

💱 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 Gampaha 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Gampaha

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 Gampaha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gampaha wins on cost – living expenses run 295% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gampaha the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 453% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $741 in Athens versus $89.4 in Gampaha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $15.07 in Gampaha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gampaha – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $450 in Gampaha versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gampaha but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Gampaha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gampaha delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $450 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gampaha hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Gampaha 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 Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 295% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.