Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Vavuniya

For one person, living is cheaper in Vavuniya: $511 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
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Ankara Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Vavuniya
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Vavuniya Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Vavuniya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ankara and in Vavuniya

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

A single person spends $1,389 per month in Ankara vs $511 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Ankara $1,389
Vavuniya $511

A couple spends around $2,087 per month in Ankara vs $805 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Ankara $2,087
Vavuniya $805

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Ankara vs $1,099 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Ankara $2,785
Vavuniya $1,099

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₺507

$3.87 LKR 1,285

160.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.81 ₺2,197

$14.87 LKR 4,943

194.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.78 ₺490

$7.54 LKR 2,508

29.71%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₺207

$2.53 LKR 840

62.85%

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

$1.68 ₺84.3

$0.40 LKR 132

320.00%

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

$2.18 LKR 725

130.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 ₺331

$2.97 LKR 987

122.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 ₺58.4

$1.64 LKR 546

-29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₺48.39

$0.57 LKR 188

68.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺113

$0.77 LKR 254

192.21%

Eggs

$2.66 ₺134

$1.63 LKR 543

63.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₺506

$15.50 LKR 5,155

-34.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 ₺272

$5.14 LKR 1,710

5.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.99 ₺1,003

$7.39 LKR 2,459

170.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.8

$6.66 LKR 2,213

-71.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ₺109

$0.88 LKR 293

147.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺63.3

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-70.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.6

$1.31 LKR 436

25.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.69

$1.08 LKR 358

-39.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 ₺27.40

$0.76 LKR 254

-27.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₺49.75

$1.24 LKR 413

-20.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₺32.90

$0.43 LKR 143

53.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 ₺113

$10.16 LKR 3,377

-77.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 ₺620

$13.31 LKR 4,425

-7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₺106

$1.93 LKR 643

9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺161

$2.85 LKR 948

12.28%

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

$0.41 LKR 135

212.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 ₺42.02

$0.31 LKR 103

170.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 ₺412

$0.88 LKR 293

834.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₺69.5

$1.31 LKR 436

6.11%

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

$48.4K ₺2.4M

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

11.78%

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

$40.2K ₺2.0M

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-11.80%

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

$99.9 ₺5,011

$56.4 LKR 18.7K

77.21%

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

$11.15 ₺559

$4.10 LKR 1,363

171.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ₺900

$20.92 LKR 6,955

-14.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₺3,611

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 ₺742

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 ₺390

$4.56 LKR 1,515

70.39%

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

$1,084 ₺54.3K

$39.87 LKR 13.3K

2617.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₺1.1M

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

28.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,677

$18.42 LKR 6,125

189.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.87 ₺2,401

$17.75 LKR 5,901

169.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,229

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

34.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 ₺4,905

$41.50 LKR 13.8K

135.66%

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 Vavuniya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankara

$557 40.1%

Vavuniya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$251 18.1%

Vavuniya

$245 48% 2.3% $5.7

Eating Out

Ankara

$208 14.9%

Vavuniya

$103 20.2% 50.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Vavuniya

$70 13.7% 48.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$129 9.3%

Vavuniya

$81 15.9% 36.9% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Vavuniya

$9.1 * 1.8% 89.6% $78

Getting Around

Ankara

$20 1.5%

Vavuniya

$2 * 0.4% 90.5% $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 $44 in Ankara versus $15 in Vavuniya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $245 – making Vavuniya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇱🇰 Vavuniya

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

99,600

💱 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 Vavuniya 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
Vavuniya

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 Vavuniya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 172% more than Vavuniya, 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 $766 in Vavuniya. 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 $511 in Vavuniya. That makes Vavuniya about 63% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Ankara and $15 in Vavuniya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Vavuniya, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Ankara at $1,389. In Vavuniya 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 $511 in Vavuniya 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.