Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dambulla and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dambulla, Sri Lanka
Ankara, Turkey
Dambulla
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$505
/mo nomad
Ankara
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,393
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dambulla 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 Dambulla and in Ankara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $505 per month in Dambulla vs $1,393 in Ankara, rent included.

  • Dambulla $505
  • Ankara $1,393

A couple spends around $818 per month in Dambulla vs $2,079 in Ankara, rent included.

  • Dambulla $818
  • Ankara $2,079

A family of three spends $1,131 per month in Dambulla vs $2,765 in Ankara, rent included.

  • Dambulla $1,131
  • Ankara $2,765

Dambulla is about 64% cheaper than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dambulla sits 63% below the global median, while Ankara is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.85 LKR 1,281
$9.90 ₺493
-61.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.00 LKR 8,311
$42.89 ₺2,137
-41.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.66 LKR 2,546
$9.31 ₺464
-17.72%
Cappuccino
$2.47 LKR 821
$4.15 ₺207
-40.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 LKR 224
$1.66 ₺82.6
-59.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 LKR 89.9
$0.76 ₺37.94
-64.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.27 LKR 753
$5.15 ₺257
-55.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 LKR 975
$5.85 ₺292
-49.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.63 LKR 543
$1.20 ₺59.9
35.83%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 LKR 188
$0.99 ₺49.46
-43.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 LKR 254
$2.15 ₺107
-64.19%
Eggs
$1.63 LKR 542
$2.69 ₺134
-39.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.55 LKR 4,504
$10.22 ₺510
32.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.92 LKR 1,635
$5.45 ₺272
-9.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.30 LKR 2,428
$20.32 ₺1,013
-64.07%
Apples (1kg)
$6.47 LKR 2,152
$1.91 ₺95.0
238.74%
Banana (1kg)
$0.87 LKR 289
$2.28 ₺113
-61.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.33 LKR 1,441
$1.27 ₺63.2
240.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 LKR 440
$1.64 ₺81.7
-19.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 LKR 336
$0.67 ₺33.28
50.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 LKR 262
$0.57 ₺28.55
38.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.87 LKR 289
$1.03 ₺51.3
-15.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKR 142
$0.64 ₺31.69
-32.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.35 LKR 3,440
$2.19 ₺109
372.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.67 LKR 4,214
$12.46 ₺621
1.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 LKR 627
$2.24 ₺112
-15.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 LKR 974
$3.11 ₺155
-5.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.07 LKR 23.76
$0.82 ₺40.87
-91.46%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.86 ₺591
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 LKR 126
$1.28 ₺63.8
-70.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.38 LKR 125
$0.81 ₺40.61
-53.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 LKR 289
$6.46 ₺322
-86.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 LKR 456
$1.40 ₺69.7
-2.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.7K LKR 14.5M
$47.9K ₺2.4M
-8.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K LKR 13.6M
$40.3K ₺2.0M
1.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.8 LKR 19.9K
$93.1 ₺4,639
-35.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.30 LKR 1,431
$10.72 ₺534
-59.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.98 LKR 6,976
$17.87 ₺891
17.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$72.2 ₺3,597
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$15.34 ₺765
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.57 LKR 1,520
$8.04 ₺401
-43.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.27 LKR 12.4K
$1,032 ₺51.4K
-96.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,199 LKR 398.5K
$19.2K ₺955.7K
-93.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.35 LKR 6,102
$53.4 ₺2,659
-65.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.43 LKR 5,462
$48.30 ₺2,407
-65.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.1 LKR 26.0K
$104 ₺5,196
-25.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.03 LKR 13.6K
$96.0 ₺4,786
-57.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$765 ₺38.1K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$569 ₺28.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,127 ₺56.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$893 ₺44.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,678 ₺83.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,158 ₺57.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dambulla
Ankara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,053 ₺52.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
43.57
-70.87%

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

Last update for Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Dambulla
$234
Ankara
$254 8.4% $20
Eating Out
Dambulla
$104
Ankara
$204 95.4% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dambulla
$85
Ankara
$122 43.1% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Dambulla
$69
Ankara
$136 96.2% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Dambulla
$9.2 *
Ankara
$88 865% $79
Getting Around
Dambulla
$2.5 *
Ankara
$21 707% $18
Accommodation & Living
Dambulla
- *
Ankara
$569

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 $25 in Dambulla versus $43 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $254 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Dambulla
🇹🇷 Ankara
🕒 Local time
02:30 2:30 AM
00:00 12:00 AM
2 h 30 min behind Dambulla
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
68,800
5,864,049 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dambulla Ankara 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dambulla
  • 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
Dambulla vs Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Dambulla or Ankara?
Ankara costs about 176% more than Dambulla, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Dambulla and in Ankara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $757 per month in Dambulla and $2,090 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Dambulla and in Ankara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Dambulla and $43 in Ankara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Dambulla or in Ankara?
Groceries cost about 8% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Dambulla or in Ankara?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Ankara at $1,393. In Dambulla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ankara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Dambulla or Ankara?
It depends on your priorities. Ankara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $505 in Dambulla to $1,393 in Ankara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Dambulla compared to Ankara?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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