Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Badulla and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $543 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$543

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Badulla and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Badulla and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $543 in Badulla versus $1,775 in Athens.

Badulla $543
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $877 in Badulla versus $2,721 in Athens.

Badulla $877
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,211 in Badulla versus $3,666 in Athens.

Badulla $1,211
Athens $3,666

Living in Badulla costs roughly 69% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Badulla is 60% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 LKR 1,287

$16.69 €14.84

-76.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.05 LKR 8,298

$67.8 €60.3

-63.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,442

$11.14 €9.91

-33.84%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 844

$4.03 €3.58

-36.72%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$2.77 €2.46

-74.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.5

$0.55 €0.49

-50.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 735

$5.74 €5.10

-61.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,015

$5.45 €4.85

-43.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 LKR 514

$1.82 €1.62

-14.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$1.38 €1.23

-61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 LKR 199

$2.80 €2.49

-78.57%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$4.83 €4.30

-65.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 LKR 4,627

$15.05 €13.39

-7.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 LKR 1,178

$10.63 €9.45

-66.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 LKR 2,522

$18.43 €16.39

-58.65%

Apples (1kg)

$6.65 LKR 2,202

$2.20 €1.96

202.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.90 €1.69

-54.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 LKR 1,440

$1.37 €1.22

217.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 439

$2.10 €1.87

-36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$1.08 €0.96

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.12 €1.00

-31.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 287

$1.12 €1.00

-22.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.88 €0.79

-48.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 LKR 3,354

$5.48 €4.88

84.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 LKR 4,221

$10.13 €9.01

25.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 628

$2.13 €1.89

-10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 971

$2.25 €2.00

30.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$4.45 €3.96

-91.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$1.02 €0.90

-63.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 293

$16.92 €15.05

-94.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 456

$2.25 €2.00

-38.67%

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

$36.5K LKR 12.1M

$28.0K €24.9K

30.27%

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

$40.7K LKR 13.5M

$28.2K €25.1K

44.24%

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

$57.9 LKR 19.2K

$205 €182

-71.73%

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

$4.31 LKR 1,429

$26.65 €23.71

-83.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 LKR 6,998

$30.38 €27.02

-30.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 LKR 1,488

$10.42 €9.27

-56.91%

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

$38.34 LKR 12.7K

$569 €506

-93.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,205 LKR 399.2K

$12.6K €11.2K

-90.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.44 LKR 6,108

$88.7 €78.9

-79.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.32 LKR 5,405

$40.46 €35.99

-59.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 LKR 26.6K

$105 €93.3

-23.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.30 LKR 13.7K

$121 €108

-65.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.2K

$741 €659

-89.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$44.45 LKR 14.7K

$655 €582

-93.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,156

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.9 LKR 29.8K

$1,148 €1,021

-92.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,542 LKR 1.5M

$4,014 €3,570

13.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 LKR 245.8K

$3,460 €3,078

-78.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$224 LKR 74.3K

$1,242 €1,105

-81.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

4.48

183.26%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Badulla: October 10, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Badulla

$229 42.2%

Athens

$310 17.5% 35.5% $81

Eating Out

Badulla

$105 19.3%

Athens

$268 15.1% 156% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Badulla

$83 15.3%

Athens

$262 14.7% 214% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Badulla

$70 12.9%

Athens

$160 9% 127% $90

Accommodation & Living

Badulla

$44 8.2%

Athens

$655 36.9% 1373% $610

Sport & Entertainment

Badulla

$9 * 1.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 739% $66

Getting Around

Badulla

$2.2 * 0.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 1904% $43

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 $76.1 in Badulla and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 454% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Badulla vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $229 vs $310 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Badulla

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

2 h 30 min behind Badulla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Badulla Athens 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Badulla
Athens

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

Badulla vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla wins on cost – living expenses run 227% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Badulla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 454% lower in Athens. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $76.1 in Badulla versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38.34 in Badulla versus $569 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – 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 $543 in Badulla versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Badulla delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $543 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Badulla hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Badulla and Athens 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 Badulla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 227% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.