Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Anuradhapura

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.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
Learn more

Anuradhapura Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Anuradhapura

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

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

Istanbul $1,550
Anuradhapura $509

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

Istanbul $2,415
Anuradhapura $825

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

Istanbul $3,281
Anuradhapura $1,140

Istanbul costs about 204% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.35 LKR 1,442

182.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$23.76 LKR 7,870

130.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.63 LKR 2,529

20.84%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.41 LKR 798

82.57%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.72 LKR 237

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.25 LKR 82.6

136.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.27 LKR 753

107.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.12 LKR 1,032

89.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.64 LKR 542

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.53 LKR 175

67.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.80 LKR 263

173.75%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.58 LKR 522

48.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.03 LKR 4,648

-25.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.79 LKR 1,588

17.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.37 LKR 2,440

184.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$6.89 LKR 2,283

-72.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.83 LKR 275

178.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$4.51 LKR 1,495

-71.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.21 LKR 402

48.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.03 LKR 341

-36.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.76 LKR 251

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.92 LKR 306

35.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.47 LKR 155

19.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.30 LKR 3,412

-76.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$13.58 LKR 4,498

-1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.97 LKR 651

21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.93 LKR 969

18.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.38 LKR 125

239.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.34 LKR 114

170.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$0.95 LKR 314

1053.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.37 LKR 455

7.30%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

38.60%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

7.72%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

62.50%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$4.33 LKR 1,436

167.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$21.17 LKR 7,013

-25.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.31 LKR 1,428

88.86%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

2518.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

1979.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$17.84 LKR 5,910

202.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$16.82 LKR 5,572

142.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

24.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

126.02%

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 %)

40.92

12.69

222.46%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2% 51.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9% 45.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7% 31% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7% 90.8% $85

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.3% $75

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

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

63,200

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Istanbul Anuradhapura 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Anuradhapura

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

Istanbul vs Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $24.00 in Anuradhapura. 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.