Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anuradhapura and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
Learn more

Anuradhapura Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anuradhapura and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Anuradhapura and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $509 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,550 in Istanbul, rent included.

Anuradhapura $509
Istanbul $1,550

A couple spends around $825 per month in Anuradhapura vs $2,415 in Istanbul, rent included.

Anuradhapura $825
Istanbul $2,415

A family of three spends $1,140 per month in Anuradhapura vs $3,281 in Istanbul, rent included.

Anuradhapura $1,140
Istanbul $3,281

Anuradhapura is about 67% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Anuradhapura sits 62% below the global median, while Istanbul is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 LKR 1,442

$12.30 ₺609

-64.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.76 LKR 7,870

$54.7 ₺2,708

-56.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 LKR 2,529

$9.22 ₺456

-17.25%

Cappuccino

$2.41 LKR 798

$4.40 ₺218

-45.23%

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

$0.72 LKR 237

$1.68 ₺83.1

-57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.59 ₺29.40

-57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 LKR 753

$4.70 ₺233

-51.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 LKR 1,032

$5.91 ₺292

-47.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 542

$1.21 ₺60.0

35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$0.89 ₺44.10

-40.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 263

$2.19 ₺108

-63.47%

Eggs

$1.58 LKR 522

$2.35 ₺116

-32.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.03 LKR 4,648

$10.42 ₺516

34.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,588

$5.65 ₺280

-15.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,440

$20.94 ₺1,037

-64.80%

Apples (1kg)

$6.89 LKR 2,283

$1.90 ₺94.1

262.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 275

$2.31 ₺114

-64.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 LKR 1,495

$1.28 ₺63.1

252.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.80 ₺89.0

-32.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 341

$0.65 ₺32.16

58.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 251

$0.64 ₺31.91

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.25 ₺62.1

-26.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$0.56 ₺27.58

-16.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 LKR 3,412

$2.37 ₺118

334.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 LKR 4,498

$13.42 ₺664

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 651

$2.40 ₺119

-17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 969

$3.48 ₺172

-15.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.29 ₺64.1

-70.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.92 ₺45.70

-63.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 314

$10.96 ₺542

-91.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$1.47 ₺72.9

-6.80%

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

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-27.85%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-7.17%

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

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

$88.6 ₺4,387

-38.46%

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

$4.33 LKR 1,436

$11.59 ₺574

-62.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.17 LKR 7,013

$15.81 ₺783

33.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 LKR 1,428

$8.14 ₺403

-47.05%

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

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-96.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-95.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.84 LKR 5,910

$54.0 ₺2,671

-66.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.82 LKR 5,572

$40.83 ₺2,021

-58.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

$98.9 ₺4,895

-19.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

$96.6 ₺4,783

-55.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 ₺98.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 ₺58.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,138 ₺155.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,780 ₺88.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 ₺59.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

40.92

-68.99%

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

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 8.4% $20

Eating Out

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 107% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 45% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 84.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$93 6% 984% $85

Getting Around

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4%

Istanbul

$77 5% 3561% $75

Accommodation & Living

Anuradhapura

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

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 $24.00 in Anuradhapura versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $260 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

20:55 8:55 PM

2 h 30 min behind Anuradhapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,200

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Anuradhapura Istanbul 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Anuradhapura
Istanbul

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

Anuradhapura vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $509 in Anuradhapura, $1,550 in Istanbul – roughly 204% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Anuradhapura and $2,325 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Anuradhapura and $55.0 in Istanbul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $509 in Anuradhapura to $1,550 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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