Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
Learn more

Wattala Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Wattala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $574 in Wattala.

Athens $1,775
Wattala $574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $954 in Wattala.

Athens $2,721
Wattala $954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,334 in Wattala.

Athens $3,666
Wattala $1,334

Living in Athens is roughly 209% more expensive than in Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 31% above, Wattala is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$3.74 LKR 1,239

346.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$24.78 LKR 8,206

173.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.48 LKR 2,479

48.93%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.45 LKR 811

64.49%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.69 LKR 227

301.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.25 LKR 82.5

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.24 LKR 741

156.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.97 LKR 985

83.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.57 LKR 519

15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.57 LKR 190

142.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.75 LKR 250

273.33%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.63 LKR 541

196.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.60 LKR 4,504

10.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$4.79 LKR 1,588

121.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.41 LKR 2,454

148.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$6.46 LKR 2,140

-65.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.85 LKR 283

123.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.45 LKR 1,474

-69.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.28 LKR 423

64.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.99 LKR 329

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.82 LKR 273

36.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.89 LKR 295

25.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.46 LKR 152

91.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.42 LKR 3,450

-47.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$12.64 LKR 4,188

-19.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.92 LKR 636

10.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.05 LKR 1,010

-26.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.20 LKR 66.2

580.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.96

$0.37 LKR 123

1102.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.34 LKR 114

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$0.94 LKR 310

1700.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.19 LKR 395

89.08%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$37.1K LKR 12.3M

-24.44%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-31.21%

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

$205 €182

$58.6 LKR 19.4K

249.21%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$4.23 LKR 1,401

530.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$20.46 LKR 6,775

48.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

$13.64 LKR 4,518

299.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

$4.56 LKR 1,510

467.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$2.99 LKR 990

248.49%

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

$569 €506

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

1396.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

928.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$18.13 LKR 6,006

389.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$16.81 LKR 5,566

140.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

31.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$42.41 LKR 14.0K

186.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$105 LKR 34.9K

602.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 €582

$60.6 LKR 20.1K

980.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

$242 LKR 80.0K

438.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,021

$180 LKR 59.6K

537.50%

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 Wattala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 90.7% $594

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Wattala

$234 40.8% 24.5% $76

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Wattala

$103 17.9% 61.7% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Wattala

$83 14.5% 68.2% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Wattala

$71 12.3% 55.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Wattala

$20 3.4% 74% $56

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 93.6% $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 $105 in Wattala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Athens vs $25.00 in Wattala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $234 per month, with Wattala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

13:46 1:46 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

30,200

💱 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 Wattala 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wattala wins on cost – living expenses run 209% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wattala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $861 in Wattala 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 $105 in Wattala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $569 in Athens versus $38.04 in Wattala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wattala – 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 $574 in Wattala versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wattala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Wattala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wattala delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $574 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wattala hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Wattala 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 Wattala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.