Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ankara, Turkey
Bentota, Sri Lanka
Ankara
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,389
/mo nomad
Bentota
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$777
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Bentota

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $777 in Bentota, rent included.

  • Ankara $1,389
  • Bentota $777

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $896 in Bentota, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,087
  • Bentota $896

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,014 in Bentota, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,785
  • Bentota $1,014

Ankara costs about 79% more than Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Bentota is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.10 ₺507
$3.78 LKR 1,257
167.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.81 ₺2,197
$12.00 LKR 3,991
265.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.78 ₺490
$7.36 LKR 2,447
32.88%
Cappuccino
$4.12 ₺207
$2.47 LKR 822
66.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺84.3
$0.71 LKR 236
136.62%
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
$2.19 LKR 728
129.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.60 ₺331
$3.10 LKR 1,030
112.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 ₺58.4
$1.57 LKR 523
-26.11%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 ₺48.39
$0.52 LKR 174
84.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 ₺113
$0.80 LKR 267
181.25%
Eggs
$2.66 ₺134
$1.65 LKR 549
61.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.09 ₺506
$15.18 LKR 5,047
-33.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 ₺272
$3.36 LKR 1,119
61.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.99 ₺1,003
$4.47 LKR 1,488
347.20%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 ₺95.8
$6.76 LKR 2,247
-71.75%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ₺109
$0.76 LKR 254
186.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 ₺63.3
$4.08 LKR 1,356
-69.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 ₺82.6
$0.86 LKR 287
91.86%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.69
$1.07 LKR 357
-39.25%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₺27.40
$0.82 LKR 274
-32.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ₺49.75
$1.21 LKR 402
-18.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 ₺32.90
$0.42 LKR 139
57.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.25 ₺113
$10.06 LKR 3,347
-77.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.37 ₺620
$13.69 LKR 4,552
-9.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₺106
$1.90 LKR 630
11.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 ₺161
$2.87 LKR 956
11.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 ₺38.86
$0.19 LKR 62.4
305.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.85 ₺595
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.3
$0.38 LKR 126
236.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 ₺42.02
$0.29 LKR 96.3
189.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.22 ₺412
$0.93 LKR 308
783.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₺69.5
$1.39 LKR 461
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.4K ₺2.4M
$44.0K LKR 14.6M
10.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.2K ₺2.0M
$45.0K LKR 15.0M
-10.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.9 ₺5,011
$57.4 LKR 19.1K
74.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.15 ₺559
$2.32 LKR 770
380.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.94 ₺900
$8.88 LKR 2,952
102.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.0 ₺3,611
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.80 ₺742
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.77 ₺390
$4.59 LKR 1,525
69.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,084 ₺54.3K
$40.65 LKR 13.5K
2565.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K ₺1.1M
$17.4K LKR 5.8M
29.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ₺2,677
$18.34 LKR 6,100
191.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.87 ₺2,401
$17.33 LKR 5,761
176.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 ₺5,229
$77.6 LKR 25.8K
34.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.8 ₺4,905
$41.51 LKR 13.8K
135.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ankara
Bentota
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$748 ₺37.5K
$546 LKR 181.6K
36.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$557 ₺27.9K
$302 LKR 100.3K
84.53%
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
Bentota
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 Bentota: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ankara
$557
Bentota
$302 45.8% $255
Groceries & Markets
Ankara
$251
Bentota
$223 11.2% $28
Eating Out
Ankara
$208
Bentota
$103 50.4% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
$136
Bentota
$70 49% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
$129
Bentota
$69 46.9% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
$88
Bentota
$9.2 * 89.5% $78
Getting Around
Ankara
$20
Bentota
$2.6 * 87.4% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $546 in Bentota. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $12 in Bentota. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $223 – making Bentota the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Ankara
🇱🇰 Bentota
🕒 Local time
05:22 5:22 AM
07:52 7:52 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,864,049 Capital
37,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 7, 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 7, 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 Bentota 5,990 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ankara
  • Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ankara or Bentota?
Ankara costs about 79% more than Bentota, 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 Bentota?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $1,166 in Bentota. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ankara or Bentota?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bentota, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $546 there versus $748 in Ankara.
How do dining costs compare in Ankara and in Bentota?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara and $12 in Bentota. 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 Bentota?
Groceries cost about 13% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ankara or in Bentota?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bentota, where all-in costs run around $777, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Bentota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Bentota – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Ankara vs other spots: cost of living compared

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