Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $503 a month against $1,771 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Ragama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,771 in Athens versus $503 in Ragama.

Athens $1,771
Ragama $503

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,736 in Athens versus $814 in Ragama.

Athens $2,736
Ragama $814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,701 in Athens versus $1,125 in Ragama.

Athens $3,701
Ragama $1,125

Living in Athens is roughly 252% more expensive than in Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Ragama is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$3.73 LKR 1,237

351.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$24.62 LKR 8,154

177.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.17

$7.63 LKR 2,528

49.80%

Cappuccino

$4.06 €3.61

$2.50 LKR 828

62.40%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$0.72 LKR 239

280.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$0.25 LKR 82.7

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 €5.06

$2.15 LKR 711

164.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.06

$2.99 LKR 990

89.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.42 LKR 470

30.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.47 LKR 155

206.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$0.68 LKR 226

314.71%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.32

$1.73 LKR 573

180.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.58

$13.87 LKR 4,593

10.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 €9.21

$4.74 LKR 1,571

118.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.10 €16.99

$7.33 LKR 2,428

160.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$6.69 LKR 2,217

-66.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.81 LKR 268

137.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$4.27 LKR 1,414

-66.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.28 LKR 423

59.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.03 LKR 341

1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.77 LKR 254

51.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.89 LKR 296

21.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.45 LKR 149

86.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.89

$10.11 LKR 3,350

-45.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.05

$13.09 LKR 4,336

-22.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.97 LKR 653

8.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.94 LKR 974

-22.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.22

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 €3.90

$0.37 LKR 123

1086.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.35 LKR 115

185.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 €14.79

$0.93 LKR 308

1688.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.11

$1.38 LKR 459

72.46%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$44.6K LKR 14.8M

-36.27%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-32.06%

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

$203 €181

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

241.77%

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

$26.79 €23.83

$4.28 LKR 1,416

525.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.16 €26.82

$21.08 LKR 6,982

43.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 €47.74

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.40 €23.48

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.42

$4.45 LKR 1,474

137.98%

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

$566 €504

$37.59 LKR 12.5K

1406.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.4K

$1,188 LKR 393.5K

982.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$18.21 LKR 6,030

389.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.48 €36.01

$16.89 LKR 5,595

139.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.3

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$41.92 LKR 13.9K

196.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 €648

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 €1,181

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,024 €3,579

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,483 €3,098

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,240 €1,103

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 20, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$647 36.5%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$312 17.6%

Ragama

$233 46.4% 25.4% $79

Eating Out

Athens

$271 15.3%

Ragama

$103 20.6% 61.8% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.7%

Ragama

$85 16.9% 67.4% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$161 9.1%

Ragama

$71 14% 56.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 88.1% $66

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 95.3% $42

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 Ragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $233 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

04:55 4:55 AM

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 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 Ragama 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ragama wins on cost – living expenses run 252% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ragama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,657 in Athens and $754 in Ragama 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 $566 in Athens versus $37.59 in Ragama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ragama – 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 $503 in Ragama versus $1,771 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ragama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $503 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ragama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Ragama 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 Ragama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 252% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.