Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Kurunegala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $498 a month against $1,389 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 Kurunegala
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Kurunegala Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Kurunegala

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $498 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Kurunegala $498

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $807 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Kurunegala $807

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,116 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Kurunegala $1,116

Ankara costs about 179% more than Kurunegala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Kurunegala is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$1.83 LKR 609

451.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$24.67 LKR 8,205

77.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$7.47 LKR 2,484

30.92%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$2.56 LKR 853

60.94%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.67 LKR 223

150.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺36.05

$0.27 LKR 89.9

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 ₺252

$2.18 LKR 724

130.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$3.00 LKR 997

120.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$1.58 LKR 526

-26.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.56 LKR 187

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$0.75 LKR 248

200.00%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$1.66 LKR 551

60.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$15.58 LKR 5,180

-35.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$5.09 LKR 1,693

6.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$7.78 LKR 2,588

156.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$6.54 LKR 2,176

-70.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$0.87 LKR 291

150.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$4.15 LKR 1,379

-69.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$1.34 LKR 444

23.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$1.08 LKR 358

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.83 LKR 277

-33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$1.20 LKR 400

-17.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.46 LKR 151

43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$10.12 LKR 3,366

-77.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$13.58 LKR 4,516

-8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$1.98 LKR 657

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$2.86 LKR 950

11.89%

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 125

245.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$0.30 LKR 101

180.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$0.94 LKR 314

774.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$0.95 LKR 315

46.32%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$43.1K LKR 14.3M

12.33%

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

-10.18%

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

72.02%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$4.31 LKR 1,434

158.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$20.95 LKR 6,967

-14.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$4.49 LKR 1,492

73.05%

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$39.43 LKR 13.1K

2648.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

$16.9K LKR 5.6M

32.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$18.04 LKR 6,000

195.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$17.71 LKR 5,888

170.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

34.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$40.86 LKR 13.6K

139.35%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₺53.1K

$152 LKR 50.7K

594.67%

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 Kurunegala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Kurunegala

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Kurunegala

$246 49.4% 2.1% $5.2

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Kurunegala

$88 17.8% 57.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Kurunegala

$69 13.9% 49.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Kurunegala

$83 16.7% 35.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.8% 89.8% $79

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Kurunegala

$1.9 * 0.4% 90.7% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Ankara are about 6.9 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 Kurunegala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $246 – making Kurunegala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

30,300

💱 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 = 2.69 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 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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ankara Kurunegala 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Kurunegala

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 Kurunegala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 179% more than Kurunegala, 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 $747 in Kurunegala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,389 in Ankara and $498 in Kurunegala. That makes Kurunegala about 64% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara and $25 in Kurunegala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kurunegala, where all-in costs run around $498, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Kurunegala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kurunegala has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $498 in Kurunegala to $1,389 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.

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