Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $507 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 Kandana
Learn more

Kandana Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$507

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Kandana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $507 in Kandana.

Athens $1,775
Kandana $507

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $823 in Kandana.

Athens $2,721
Kandana $823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,140 in Kandana.

Athens $3,666
Kandana $1,140

Living in Athens is roughly 250% more expensive than in Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$4.48 LKR 1,485

272.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$24.62 LKR 8,154

175.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.37 LKR 2,440

51.15%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.40 LKR 794

67.92%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.71 LKR 236

290.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.27 LKR 90.4

103.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.18 LKR 721

163.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.99 LKR 991

82.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.57 LKR 521

15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.52 LKR 174

165.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.78 LKR 259

258.97%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.65 LKR 547

192.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.93 LKR 4,612

8.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.99 LKR 1,653

113.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.25 LKR 2,401

154.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$6.73 LKR 2,230

-67.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.80 LKR 267

137.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.42 LKR 1,464

-69.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.27 LKR 421

65.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.03 LKR 340

4.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.75 LKR 248

49.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.89 LKR 294

25.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.47 LKR 156

87.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.45 LKR 3,461

-47.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$13.81 LKR 4,573

-26.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.96 LKR 650

8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.91 LKR 965

-22.68%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

175.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$0.90 LKR 297

1780.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.34 LKR 444

67.91%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.7K LKR 12.5M

-25.58%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

-31.51%

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

$205 €182

$54.9 LKR 18.2K

272.95%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$4.26 LKR 1,411

525.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$20.50 LKR 6,789

48.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.35 LKR 1,439

139.54%

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

$569 €506

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

1435.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,230 LKR 407.2K

923.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$17.89 LKR 5,926

395.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$16.37 LKR 5,423

147.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

34.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$42.99 LKR 14.2K

182.18%

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 Kandana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Kandana

$239 47.1% 23.1% $72

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Kandana

$108 21.2% 59.9% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Kandana

$80 15.7% 69.6% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 56.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kandana

$8.7 * 1.7% 88.5% $67

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kandana

$2.3 * 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 Kandana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $239 per month, with Kandana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

15,000

💱 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 Kandana 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandana wins on cost – living expenses run 250% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kandana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $760 in Kandana 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 $37.07 in Kandana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kandana – 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 $507 in Kandana versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kandana but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Kandana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kandana delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $507 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kandana hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Kandana 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 Kandana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 250% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.