Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Dambulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
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Dambulla Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,393

/mo nomad

Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Dambulla

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

A single person spends $1,393 per month in Ankara vs $505 in Dambulla, rent included.

Ankara $1,393
Dambulla $505

A couple spends around $2,079 per month in Ankara vs $818 in Dambulla, rent included.

Ankara $2,079
Dambulla $818

A family of three spends $2,765 per month in Ankara vs $1,131 in Dambulla, rent included.

Ankara $2,765
Dambulla $1,131

Ankara costs about 176% more than Dambulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 2% above the global median, while Dambulla is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₺493

$3.85 LKR 1,281

157.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.89 ₺2,137

$25.00 LKR 8,311

71.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 ₺464

$7.66 LKR 2,546

21.54%

Cappuccino

$4.15 ₺207

$2.47 LKR 821

68.02%

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

$1.66 ₺82.6

$0.67 LKR 224

147.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.94

$0.27 LKR 89.9

181.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 ₺257

$2.27 LKR 753

126.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ₺292

$2.93 LKR 975

99.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.63 LKR 543

-26.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₺49.46

$0.56 LKR 188

76.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₺107

$0.77 LKR 254

179.22%

Eggs

$2.69 ₺134

$1.63 LKR 542

65.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 ₺510

$13.55 LKR 4,504

-24.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ₺272

$4.92 LKR 1,635

10.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.32 ₺1,013

$7.30 LKR 2,428

178.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.0

$6.47 LKR 2,152

-70.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$0.87 LKR 289

162.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.2

$4.33 LKR 1,441

-70.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₺81.7

$1.32 LKR 440

24.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺33.28

$1.01 LKR 336

-33.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₺28.55

$0.79 LKR 262

-27.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₺51.3

$0.87 LKR 289

18.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₺31.69

$0.43 LKR 142

48.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 ₺109

$10.35 LKR 3,440

-78.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₺621

$12.67 LKR 4,214

-1.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.89 LKR 627

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₺155

$2.93 LKR 974

6.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.87

$0.07 LKR 23.76

1071.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 ₺591

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺63.8

$0.38 LKR 126

236.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₺40.61

$0.38 LKR 125

113.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 ₺322

$0.87 LKR 289

642.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₺69.7

$1.37 LKR 456

2.19%

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

$47.9K ₺2.4M

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

9.58%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-1.53%

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

$93.1 ₺4,639

$59.8 LKR 19.9K

55.77%

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

$10.72 ₺534

$4.30 LKR 1,431

149.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.87 ₺891

$20.98 LKR 6,976

-14.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₺3,597

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 ₺765

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 ₺401

$4.57 LKR 1,520

75.93%

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

$1,032 ₺51.4K

$37.27 LKR 12.4K

2667.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₺955.7K

$1,199 LKR 398.5K

1499.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,659

$18.35 LKR 6,102

190.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 ₺2,407

$16.43 LKR 5,462

193.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,196

$78.1 LKR 26.0K

33.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 ₺4,786

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

134.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 ₺38.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ₺28.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 ₺56.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 ₺44.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,678 ₺83.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 ₺57.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

12.69

243.34%

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

Last update for Ankara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$569 40.9%

Dambulla

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$254 18.2%

Dambulla

$234 46.4% 7.8% $20

Eating Out

Ankara

$204 14.7%

Dambulla

$104 20.7% 48.8% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Dambulla

$69 13.7% 49% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$122 8.7%

Dambulla

$85 16.9% 30.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Dambulla

$9.2 * 1.8% 89.6% $79

Getting Around

Ankara

$21 1.5%

Dambulla

$2.5 * 0.5% 87.6% $18

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 $43 in Ankara versus $25 in Dambulla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $234 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

68,800

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ankara Dambulla 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Dambulla

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 Dambulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 176% more than Dambulla, 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 $2,090 per month in Ankara and $757 in Dambulla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ankara and $25 in Dambulla. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Ankara at $1,393. In Dambulla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ankara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $505 in Dambulla to $1,393 in Ankara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.