Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Kegalle

For one person, living is cheaper in Kegalle: $601 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ankara, Turkey
Kegalle, Sri Lanka
Ankara
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,389
/mo nomad
Kegalle
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$601
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Kegalle

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $601 in Kegalle, rent included.

  • Ankara $1,389
  • Kegalle $601

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $876 in Kegalle, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,087
  • Kegalle $876

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,151 in Kegalle, rent included.

  • Ankara $2,785
  • Kegalle $1,151

Ankara costs about 131% more than Kegalle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Kegalle is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.10 ₺507
$3.10 LKR 1,031
225.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.81 ₺2,197
$24.26 LKR 8,068
80.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.78 ₺490
$7.32 LKR 2,436
33.61%
Cappuccino
$4.12 ₺207
$2.55 LKR 847
61.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 ₺84.3
$0.47 LKR 156
257.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ₺36.05
$0.25 LKR 82.4
188.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.02 ₺252
$2.14 LKR 713
134.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.60 ₺331
$3.09 LKR 1,029
113.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 ₺58.4
$1.65 LKR 548
-29.70%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 ₺48.39
$0.47 LKR 155
104.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 ₺113
$0.68 LKR 227
230.88%
Eggs
$2.66 ₺134
$1.67 LKR 555
59.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.09 ₺506
$15.22 LKR 5,062
-33.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 ₺272
$4.88 LKR 1,622
11.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.99 ₺1,003
$7.73 LKR 2,571
158.60%
Apples (1kg)
$1.91 ₺95.8
$6.06 LKR 2,014
-68.48%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 ₺109
$0.88 LKR 294
147.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.26 ₺63.3
$4.17 LKR 1,386
-69.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 ₺82.6
$1.21 LKR 403
36.36%
Potato (1kg)
$0.65 ₺32.69
$0.92 LKR 305
-29.35%
Onion (1kg)
$0.55 ₺27.40
$0.82 LKR 274
-32.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ₺49.75
$0.38 LKR 125
160.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 ₺32.90
$0.42 LKR 140
57.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.25 ₺113
$9.81 LKR 3,264
-77.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.37 ₺620
$13.80 LKR 4,590
-10.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₺106
$1.97 LKR 654
7.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 ₺161
$2.68 LKR 892
19.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 ₺38.86
$0.59 LKR 195
30.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.85 ₺595
$7.33 LKR 2,439
61.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 ₺64.3
$0.35 LKR 115
265.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 ₺42.02
$0.31 LKR 103
170.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.22 ₺412
$0.92 LKR 307
793.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₺69.5
$1.38 LKR 458
0.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$48.4K ₺2.4M
$43.2K LKR 14.4M
12.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.2K ₺2.0M
$35.4K LKR 11.8M
13.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.9 ₺5,011
$57.2 LKR 19.0K
74.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.15 ₺559
$4.32 LKR 1,438
158.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.94 ₺900
$21.06 LKR 7,003
-14.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.0 ₺3,611
$19.40 LKR 6,452
271.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.80 ₺742
$14.94 LKR 4,967
-0.94%
Cinema Ticket
$7.77 ₺390
$4.57 LKR 1,521
70.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,084 ₺54.3K
$40.04 LKR 13.3K
2606.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K ₺1.1M
$17.2K LKR 5.7M
31.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ₺2,677
$17.76 LKR 5,907
200.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.87 ₺2,401
$15.22 LKR 5,062
214.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 ₺5,229
$44.38 LKR 14.8K
134.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.8 ₺4,905
$41.55 LKR 13.8K
135.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ankara
Kegalle
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$748 ₺37.5K
$122 LKR 40.7K
511.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$557 ₺27.9K
$91.5 LKR 30.4K
508.77%
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
Kegalle
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,058 ₺53.1K
$178 LKR 59.1K
495.85%
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 Kegalle: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ankara
$557
Kegalle
$91 83.6% $465
Groceries & Markets
Ankara
$251
Kegalle
$236 6% $15
Eating Out
Ankara
$208
Kegalle
$97 53.2% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Ankara
$136
Kegalle
$54 60.8% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ankara
$129
Kegalle
$83 36% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Ankara
$88
Kegalle
$29 67.4% $59
Getting Around
Ankara
$20
Kegalle
$12 43.3% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $748 in Ankara versus $122 in Kegalle. 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 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara versus $24 in Kegalle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $236 – making Kegalle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Ankara
🇱🇰 Kegalle
🕒 Local time
00:11 12:11 AM
02:41 2:41 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,864,049 Capital
17,900
💱 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 Kegalle 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ankara
  • Kegalle

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 Kegalle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ankara or Kegalle?
Ankara costs about 131% more than Kegalle, 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 Kegalle?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,083 per month in Ankara and $901 in Kegalle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ankara or Kegalle?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kegalle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $748 in Ankara.
How do childcare costs compare in Ankara and in Kegalle?
Kindergarten costs $1,084 per month in Ankara and $40 in Kegalle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Ankara or in Kegalle?
Groceries cost about 6% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Ankara or in Kegalle?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kegalle, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Kegalle 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 Kegalle – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Ankara compared to Kegalle?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Ankara or to Kegalle?
If budget matters most, go with Kegalle. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ankara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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