Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $811 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Colombo

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $811 in Colombo, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Colombo $811

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $1,298 in Colombo, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Colombo $1,298

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

Ankara $2,785
Colombo $1,785

Ankara costs about 71% more than Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Colombo is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$3.92 LKR 1,304

157.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$24.58 LKR 8,174

78.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$7.39 LKR 2,458

32.34%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$2.44 LKR 813

68.85%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.67 LKR 222

150.75%

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 710

134.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$3.03 LKR 1,006

117.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$1.58 LKR 525

-26.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.53 LKR 176

81.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$0.81 LKR 270

177.78%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$1.62 LKR 539

64.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$15.14 LKR 5,033

-33.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$5.12 LKR 1,701

6.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$7.66 LKR 2,546

160.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$6.62 LKR 2,200

-71.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$0.88 LKR 292

147.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$4.15 LKR 1,381

-69.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$1.28 LKR 425

28.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$1.04 LKR 347

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.82 LKR 271

-32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$1.21 LKR 404

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.45 LKR 150

46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$10.04 LKR 3,337

-77.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$13.69 LKR 4,553

-9.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$1.93 LKR 643

9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$2.97 LKR 987

7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₺38.86

$0.18 LKR 58.8

327.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 ₺595

$8.15 LKR 2,708

45.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺64.3

$0.37 LKR 123

245.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$0.34 LKR 111

147.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$0.89 LKR 296

823.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$1.32 LKR 439

5.30%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

11.24%

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

-10.76%

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

73.21%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$4.28 LKR 1,424

160.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$20.66 LKR 6,870

-13.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

$20.37 LKR 6,773

253.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

$6.14 LKR 2,042

141.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$4.63 LKR 1,541

67.82%

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

2553.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

30.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$18.12 LKR 6,025

194.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$17.34 LKR 5,766

176.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

34.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

136.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$748 ₺37.5K

$565 LKR 187.8K

32.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$557 ₺27.9K

$271 LKR 90.1K

105.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$1,691 LKR 562.2K

-32.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$902 ₺45.2K

$574 LKR 191.0K

56.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,644 ₺82.5K

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

-55.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,142 ₺57.3K

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

-1.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₺53.1K

$248 LKR 82.6K

326.03%

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 Colombo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Colombo

$271 33.4% 51.3% $286

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Colombo

$244 30.1% 2.7% $6.7

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Colombo

$103 12.7% 50.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 49.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Colombo

$83 10.2% 35.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Colombo

$30 3.7% 66.1% $58

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Colombo

$11 1.3% 46.6% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $565 in Colombo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ankara are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $25 in Colombo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $244 – making Colombo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

17:21 5:21 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

753,000

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 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 = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ankara Colombo 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 71% more than Colombo, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $1,217 in Colombo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Colombo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $748 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $1,084 per month in Ankara and $41 in Colombo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,389 in Ankara and $811 in Colombo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Colombo costs $811 versus $1,389 in Ankara. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Colombo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.