Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ankara, Turkey
Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
Ankara
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,389
/mo nomad
Anuradhapura
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$509
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Anuradhapura

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $509 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

  • Ankara $1,389
  • Anuradhapura $509

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $826 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,087
  • Anuradhapura $826

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,143 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,785
  • Anuradhapura $1,143

Ankara costs about 173% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Anuradhapura is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.10 ₺507
$3.75 LKR 1,247
169.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.81 ₺2,197
$24.80 LKR 8,248
76.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.78 ₺490
$7.69 LKR 2,556
27.18%
Cappuccino
$4.12 ₺207
$2.47 LKR 821
66.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺84.3
$0.68 LKR 226
147.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₺36.05
$0.25 LKR 83.0
188.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.02 ₺252
$2.14 LKR 711
134.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.60 ₺331
$2.98 LKR 990
121.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 ₺58.4
$1.58 LKR 524
-26.58%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 ₺48.39
$0.53 LKR 176
81.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 ₺113
$0.79 LKR 264
184.81%
Eggs
$2.66 ₺134
$1.69 LKR 562
57.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.09 ₺506
$15.24 LKR 5,068
-33.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 ₺272
$5.02 LKR 1,670
8.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.99 ₺1,003
$7.62 LKR 2,534
162.34%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 ₺95.8
$6.40 LKR 2,129
-70.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ₺109
$0.84 LKR 278
159.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 ₺63.3
$4.29 LKR 1,426
-70.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 ₺82.6
$1.33 LKR 442
24.06%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.69
$1.04 LKR 346
-37.50%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₺27.40
$0.82 LKR 274
-32.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ₺49.75
$1.25 LKR 416
-20.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 ₺32.90
$0.42 LKR 140
57.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.25 ₺113
$10.40 LKR 3,459
-78.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.37 ₺620
$13.63 LKR 4,531
-9.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₺106
$1.96 LKR 653
8.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 ₺161
$2.93 LKR 973
9.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 ₺38.86
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.85 ₺595
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.3
$0.37 LKR 124
245.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 ₺42.02
$0.31 LKR 102
170.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.22 ₺412
$0.94 LKR 311
774.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₺69.5
$1.36 LKR 454
2.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.4K ₺2.4M
$44.4K LKR 14.7M
9.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.2K ₺2.0M
$45.9K LKR 15.3M
-12.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.9 ₺5,011
$56.0 LKR 18.6K
78.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.15 ₺559
$4.09 LKR 1,360
172.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.94 ₺900
$20.96 LKR 6,970
-14.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.0 ₺3,611
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.80 ₺742
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.77 ₺390
$4.58 LKR 1,522
69.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,084 ₺54.3K
$39.98 LKR 13.3K
2610.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K ₺1.1M
$17.4K LKR 5.8M
29.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ₺2,677
$17.76 LKR 5,905
200.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.87 ₺2,401
$17.49 LKR 5,817
173.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 ₺5,229
$79.7 LKR 26.5K
30.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.8 ₺4,905
$41.12 LKR 13.7K
137.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$748 ₺37.5K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$557 ₺27.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,142 ₺57.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$902 ₺45.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,644 ₺82.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,142 ₺57.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ankara
Anuradhapura
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,058 ₺53.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
43.85
12.5
250.80%

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

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ankara
$557
Anuradhapura
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Ankara
$251
Anuradhapura
$243 3.1% $7.7
Eating Out
Ankara
$208
Anuradhapura
$103 50.4% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
$136
Anuradhapura
$70 48.6% $66
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
$129
Anuradhapura
$81 37.2% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
$88
Anuradhapura
$9.2 * 89.5% $78
Getting Around
Ankara
$20
Anuradhapura
$1.9 * 90.6% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $25 in Anuradhapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $243 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Ankara
🇱🇰 Anuradhapura
🕒 Local time
02:20 2:20 AM
04:50 4:50 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,864,049 Capital
63,200
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ankara Anuradhapura 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ankara
  • Anuradhapura

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
Ankara vs Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ankara or Anuradhapura?
Ankara costs about 173% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ankara and in Anuradhapura?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $763 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Ankara and in Anuradhapura?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara and $25 in Anuradhapura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Ankara or in Anuradhapura?
Groceries cost about 3% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Ankara or in Anuradhapura?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Ankara vs other spots: cost of living compared

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