Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $1,775 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$774

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bentota 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 Bentota and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Bentota versus $1,775 in Athens.

Bentota $774
Athens $1,775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $896 in Bentota versus $2,721 in Athens.

Bentota $896
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Bentota versus $3,666 in Athens.

Bentota $1,018
Athens $3,666

Living in Bentota costs roughly 56% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bentota is 43% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.29 LKR 1,421

$16.69 €14.84

-74.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.97 LKR 3,965

$67.8 €60.3

-82.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 LKR 2,560

$11.14 €9.91

-30.61%

Cappuccino

$2.46 LKR 815

$4.03 €3.58

-38.96%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$2.77 €2.46

-75.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.2

$0.55 €0.49

-54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 LKR 742

$5.74 €5.10

-60.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,016

$5.45 €4.85

-43.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 535

$1.82 €1.62

-10.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$1.38 €1.23

-61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 244

$2.80 €2.49

-73.57%

Eggs

$1.56 LKR 518

$4.83 €4.30

-67.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.03 LKR 4,648

$15.05 €13.39

-6.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 LKR 1,099

$10.63 €9.45

-68.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.62 LKR 1,529

$18.43 €16.39

-74.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.81 LKR 2,257

$2.20 €1.96

209.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 241

$1.90 €1.69

-61.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 LKR 1,519

$1.37 €1.22

235.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 LKR 297

$2.10 €1.87

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 331

$1.08 €0.96

-7.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$1.12 €1.00

-29.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 LKR 312

$1.12 €1.00

-16.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 143

$0.88 €0.79

-51.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 LKR 3,356

$5.48 €4.88

84.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 LKR 4,424

$10.13 €9.01

31.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 645

$2.13 €1.89

-8.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 LKR 963

$2.25 €2.00

29.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 61.0

$1.36 €1.21

-86.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.89 €26.59

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$4.45 €3.96

-91.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 103

$1.02 €0.90

-69.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 289

$16.92 €15.05

-94.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 LKR 461

$2.25 €2.00

-38.22%

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

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

$28.0K €24.9K

32.58%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$28.2K €25.1K

42.13%

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

$54.0 LKR 17.9K

$205 €182

-73.59%

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

$2.23 LKR 739

$26.65 €23.71

-91.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.03 LKR 2,990

$30.38 €27.02

-70.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.47

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.88 €23.02

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 LKR 1,417

$10.42 €9.27

-58.93%

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

$38.08 LKR 12.6K

$569 €506

-93.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,230 LKR 407.3K

$12.6K €11.2K

-90.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.80 LKR 5,897

$88.7 €78.9

-79.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.82 LKR 5,573

$40.46 €35.99

-58.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

$105 €93.3

-23.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.09 LKR 13.9K

$121 €108

-65.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 LKR 179.2K

$741 €659

-26.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 LKR 98.7K

$655 €582

-54.47%

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 %)

12.69

4.48

183.26%

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

Last update for Bentota: October 11, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentota

$298 38.5%

Athens

$655 36.9% 120% $357

Groceries & Markets

Bentota

$220 28.5%

Athens

$310 17.5% 40.9% $90

Eating Out

Bentota

$108 14%

Athens

$268 15.1% 148% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Bentota

$71 9.1%

Athens

$160 9% 126% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentota

$65 8.4%

Athens

$262 14.7% 301% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Bentota

$8.6 * 1.1%

Athens

$75 4.2% 780% $67

Getting Around

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4%

Athens

$45 2.5% 1562% $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 $541 in Bentota and $741 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Bentota vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $310 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bentota

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

2 h 30 min behind Bentota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,000

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

Bentota Athens 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bentota
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

Bentota vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota wins on cost – living expenses run 129% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bentota the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,160 in Bentota and $2,662 in Athens 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: $541 in Bentota versus $741 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38.08 in Bentota 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 Bentota – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $774 in Bentota versus $1,775 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bentota delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $774 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bentota hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bentota 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 Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.