Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Weligama

For one person, living is cheaper in Weligama: $505 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 Weligama
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Weligama Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Weligama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Weligama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,775 in Athens versus $505 in Weligama.

Athens $1,775
Weligama $505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $819 in Weligama.

Athens $2,721
Weligama $819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Athens versus $1,132 in Weligama.

Athens $3,666
Weligama $1,132

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$3.86 LKR 1,280

332.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.8 €60.3

$24.42 LKR 8,089

177.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 €9.91

$7.42 LKR 2,457

50.13%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$2.44 LKR 807

65.16%

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

$2.77 €2.46

$0.67 LKR 220

313.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.25 LKR 82.4

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

$3.04 LKR 1,008

79.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.57 LKR 519

15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.58 LKR 191

137.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.76 LKR 251

268.42%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.30

$1.65 LKR 547

192.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 €13.39

$13.70 LKR 4,537

9.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 €9.45

$5.00 LKR 1,657

112.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.43 €16.39

$7.40 LKR 2,450

149.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$6.75 LKR 2,235

-67.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.87 LKR 288

118.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$4.36 LKR 1,444

-68.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.31 LKR 435

60.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.00 LKR 330

8.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.83 LKR 273

34.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.87 LKR 288

28.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.43 LKR 141

104.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.48 €4.88

$10.25 LKR 3,394

-46.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.01

$13.09 LKR 4,334

-22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.98 LKR 657

7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.01 LKR 996

-25.25%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

1102.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.35 LKR 115

191.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.92 €15.05

$0.94 LKR 311

1700.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.38 LKR 456

63.04%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

-22.76%

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

$28.2K €25.1K

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

-29.74%

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

$205 €182

$57.9 LKR 19.2K

253.67%

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

$26.65 €23.71

$4.32 LKR 1,432

516.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.02

$20.48 LKR 6,783

48.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$10.42 €9.27

$4.56 LKR 1,511

128.51%

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

$569 €506

$37.79 LKR 12.5K

1406.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K €11.2K

$1,230 LKR 407.4K

923.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$17.77 LKR 5,885

398.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.46 €35.99

$16.70 LKR 5,532

142.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$79.3 LKR 26.3K

32.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$41.75 LKR 13.8K

190.56%

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 Weligama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$655 36.9%

Weligama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$310 17.5%

Weligama

$238 47.1% 23.4% $73

Eating Out

Athens

$268 15.1%

Weligama

$103 20.5% 61.5% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$262 14.7%

Weligama

$83 16.4% 68.4% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$160 9%

Weligama

$70 13.9% 56.2% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Weligama

$9.1 * 1.8% 87.9% $66

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Weligama

$2.1 * 0.4% 95.3% $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 $24.00 in Weligama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $238 per month, with Weligama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇰 Weligama

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

08:55 8:55 AM

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 →

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Between locations

Athens Weligama 6,710 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 Weligama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,662 in Athens and $757 in Weligama 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 $37.79 in Weligama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Weligama – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $505 in Weligama versus $1,775 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Weligama but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Weligama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Weligama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $505 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Weligama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Weligama 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 Weligama 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.