Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Hikkaduwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $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
Learn more

Athens Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Hikkaduwa
Learn more

Hikkaduwa Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Hikkaduwa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $509 in Hikkaduwa.

Athens $1,775
Hikkaduwa $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $826 in Hikkaduwa.

Athens $2,721
Hikkaduwa $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,144 in Hikkaduwa.

Athens $3,666
Hikkaduwa $1,144

Living in Athens is roughly 249% more expensive than in Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Hikkaduwa is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.88

$4.45 LKR 1,475

275.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.4

$24.59 LKR 8,144

175.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.93

$7.57 LKR 2,507

47.16%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.59

$2.50 LKR 827

61.20%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.72 LKR 238

284.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.27 LKR 90.1

103.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.11

$2.16 LKR 716

165.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$3.01 LKR 998

81.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.57 LKR 520

15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.53 LKR 175

160.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$0.80 LKR 266

250.00%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.31

$1.60 LKR 530

201.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.42

$14.00 LKR 4,636

7.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.47

$4.88 LKR 1,618

117.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.43

$7.26 LKR 2,405

153.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$6.84 LKR 2,265

-67.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.85 LKR 281

123.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.46 LKR 1,478

-69.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.23 LKR 406

70.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.02 LKR 339

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.82 LKR 270

36.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.92 LKR 306

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.44 LKR 145

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.89

$10.32 LKR 3,418

-46.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.03

$13.70 LKR 4,536

-26.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.89 LKR 625

12.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$3.01 LKR 998

-25.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.97

$0.38 LKR 126

1071.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.37 LKR 123

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.09

$0.88 LKR 293

1822.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.33 LKR 441

69.17%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$37.8K LKR 12.5M

-25.75%

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

$28.2K €25.2K

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

-30.99%

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

$205 €182

$54.8 LKR 18.2K

273.22%

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

$26.65 €23.76

$4.14 LKR 1,371

543.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.09

$21.01 LKR 6,959

44.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.58

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.07

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.29

$4.45 LKR 1,474

134.16%

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

$569 €507

$37.63 LKR 12.5K

1412.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,227 LKR 406.4K

925.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €79.1

$18.35 LKR 6,077

383.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €36.08

$16.80 LKR 5,564

140.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.5

$77.6 LKR 25.7K

35.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$42.92 LKR 14.2K

182.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €584

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,159

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,023

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,014 €3,579

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,085

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,242 €1,108

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 Hikkaduwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Hikkaduwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Hikkaduwa

$239 46.9% 23.1% $72

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Hikkaduwa

$109 21.4% 59.3% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Hikkaduwa

$80 15.7% 69.4% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Hikkaduwa

$70 13.8% 56.2% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Hikkaduwa

$8.9 * 1.8% 88.2% $66

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Hikkaduwa

$2.2 * 0.4% 95% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $25.00 in Hikkaduwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $239 per month, with Hikkaduwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

101,342

💱 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Hikkaduwa 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hikkaduwa wins on cost – living expenses run 249% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hikkaduwa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $763 in Hikkaduwa 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.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $37.63 in Hikkaduwa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hikkaduwa – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hikkaduwa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $509 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hikkaduwa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Hikkaduwa 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 Hikkaduwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 249% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.