Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $510 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
Learn more

Ankara Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Nuwara Eliya
Learn more

Nuwara Eliya Living Index

Jump to prices

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Nuwara Eliya

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $510 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Nuwara Eliya $510

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $827 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Nuwara Eliya $827

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,145 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Nuwara Eliya $1,145

Ankara costs about 172% more than Nuwara Eliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 3% above the global median, while Nuwara Eliya is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$3.85 LKR 1,281

162.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$24.56 LKR 8,166

78.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$7.65 LKR 2,544

27.84%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$2.43 LKR 808

69.55%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.37 LKR 122

354.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺36.05

$0.25 LKR 82.5

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

$3.03 LKR 1,008

117.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$1.56 LKR 520

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.53 LKR 175

81.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$0.74 LKR 247

204.05%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$1.70 LKR 564

56.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$15.44 LKR 5,134

-34.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$5.10 LKR 1,695

6.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$7.42 LKR 2,466

169.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$6.74 LKR 2,242

-71.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$0.84 LKR 279

159.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$4.17 LKR 1,388

-69.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$1.27 LKR 422

29.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$1.08 LKR 360

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.83 LKR 276

-33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$1.21 LKR 403

-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

$10.43 LKR 3,470

-78.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$13.78 LKR 4,581

-10.23%

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 989

7.74%

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 124

245.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$0.31 LKR 103

170.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$0.86 LKR 286

855.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$1.33 LKR 441

4.51%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

10.83%

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-11.81%

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

77.15%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$4.13 LKR 1,375

169.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$20.61 LKR 6,852

-12.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$4.50 LKR 1,496

72.67%

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$39.94 LKR 13.3K

2612.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

29.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$18.00 LKR 5,986

196.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$17.55 LKR 5,837

172.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

30.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$41.09 LKR 13.7K

138.01%

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

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 Nuwara Eliya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Nuwara Eliya

$245 48.1% 2.4% $6

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Nuwara Eliya

$102 20.1% 50.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$70 13.8% 48.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Nuwara Eliya

$81 15.9% 37.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 89.7% $79

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Nuwara Eliya

$1.9 * 0.4% 90.6% $19

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 $44 in Ankara versus $25 in Nuwara Eliya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $245 – making Nuwara Eliya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

02:54 2:54 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

27,500

💱 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 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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ankara Nuwara Eliya 6,000 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 172% more than Nuwara Eliya, 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 $764 in Nuwara Eliya. 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 $510 in Nuwara Eliya. That makes Nuwara Eliya about 63% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara and $25 in Nuwara Eliya. 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 Nuwara Eliya, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Nuwara Eliya 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 $510 in Nuwara Eliya 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.