Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $811 a month against $1,389 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
Learn more

Ankara Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Ankara

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

A single person spends $811 per month in Colombo vs $1,389 in Ankara, rent included.

Colombo $811
Ankara $1,389

A couple spends around $1,298 per month in Colombo vs $2,087 in Ankara, rent included.

Colombo $1,298
Ankara $2,087

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

Colombo $1,785
Ankara $2,785

Colombo is about 42% cheaper than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Colombo sits 40% below the global median, while Ankara is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 LKR 1,304

$10.10 ₺507

-61.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.58 LKR 8,174

$43.81 ₺2,197

-43.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,458

$9.78 ₺490

-24.44%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 813

$4.12 ₺207

-40.78%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$1.68 ₺84.3

-60.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.0

$0.72 ₺36.05

-65.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 710

$5.02 ₺252

-57.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,006

$6.60 ₺331

-54.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 525

$1.16 ₺58.4

36.21%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$0.96 ₺48.39

-44.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$2.25 ₺113

-64.00%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 539

$2.66 ₺134

-39.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 LKR 5,033

$10.09 ₺506

50.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 LKR 1,701

$5.43 ₺272

-5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,546

$19.99 ₺1,003

-61.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,200

$1.91 ₺95.8

246.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 292

$2.18 ₺109

-59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,381

$1.26 ₺63.3

229.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 425

$1.65 ₺82.6

-22.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$0.65 ₺32.69

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.55 ₺27.40

49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 404

$0.99 ₺49.75

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.66 ₺32.90

-31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 LKR 3,337

$2.25 ₺113

346.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,553

$12.37 ₺620

10.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$2.12 ₺106

-8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 987

$3.20 ₺161

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

$0.77 ₺38.86

-76.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,708

$11.85 ₺595

-31.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$1.28 ₺64.3

-71.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 111

$0.84 ₺42.02

-59.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 296

$8.22 ₺412

-89.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 439

$1.39 ₺69.5

-5.04%

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

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

$48.4K ₺2.4M

-10.10%

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

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

$40.2K ₺2.0M

12.05%

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

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

$99.9 ₺5,011

-42.27%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,424

$11.15 ₺559

-61.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$17.94 ₺900

15.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.37 LKR 6,773

$72.0 ₺3,611

-71.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 LKR 2,042

$14.80 ₺742

-58.51%

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 LKR 1,541

$7.77 ₺390

-40.41%

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

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

$1,084 ₺54.3K

-96.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

$22.5K ₺1.1M

-23.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 LKR 6,025

$53.4 ₺2,677

-66.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 LKR 5,766

$47.87 ₺2,401

-63.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$104 ₺5,229

-25.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

$97.8 ₺4,905

-57.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

$748 ₺37.5K

-24.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

$557 ₺27.9K

-51.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.2K

$1,142 ₺57.3K

48.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.0K

$902 ₺45.2K

-36.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

$1,644 ₺82.5K

127.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$1,142 ₺57.3K

1.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

$1,058 ₺53.1K

-76.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

43.85

-71.49%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Ankara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$271 33.4%

Ankara

$557 40.1% 106% $286

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$244 30.1%

Ankara

$251 18.1% 2.7% $6.7

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.7%

Ankara

$208 14.9% 101% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$83 10.2%

Ankara

$129 9.3% 56.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Ankara

$136 9.8% 96.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$30 3.7%

Ankara

$88 6.3% 195% $58

Getting Around

Colombo

$11 1.3%

Ankara

$20 1.5% 87.3% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Colombo versus $748 in Ankara. 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 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Colombo versus $44 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $251 – making Colombo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

17:21 5:21 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

2 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Ankara 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Ankara

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

Colombo vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankara costs about 71% more than Colombo, 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 $1,217 per month in Colombo and $2,083 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Colombo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $748 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $41 per month in Colombo and $1,084 in Ankara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $811 in Colombo and $1,389 in Ankara. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Colombo costs $811 versus $1,389 in Ankara. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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