Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $464 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Galle
Learn more

Galle Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Galle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $464 in Galle.

Istanbul $1,550
Galle $464

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $756 in Galle.

Istanbul $2,415
Galle $756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,047 in Galle.

Istanbul $3,281
Galle $1,047

Living in Istanbul is roughly 234% more expensive than in Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Galle is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$1.55 LKR 513

693.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$23.95 LKR 7,934

128.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.37 LKR 2,441

25.10%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$1.85 LKR 613

137.84%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.67 LKR 223

150.75%

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

$1.23 LKR 406

282.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$1.48 LKR 489

299.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.64 LKR 545

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.57 LKR 189

56.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.82 LKR 270

167.07%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.67 LKR 552

40.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.59 LKR 4,501

-23.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.85 LKR 1,606

16.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.27 LKR 2,408

188.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$6.46 LKR 2,139

-70.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.78 LKR 258

196.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$4.47 LKR 1,481

-71.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.34 LKR 442

34.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.04 LKR 344

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.83 LKR 274

-22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.95 LKR 314

31.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.42 LKR 139

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.10 LKR 3,346

-76.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$9.07 LKR 3,005

47.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.95 LKR 645

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.01 LKR 997

15.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.15 LKR 48.05

493.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.29 LKR 95.1

344.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.29 LKR 94.8

217.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$0.88 LKR 292

1145.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.32 LKR 438

11.36%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

38.92%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$39.9K LKR 13.2M

11.70%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

49.00%

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

$21.07 LKR 6,978

-24.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.60 LKR 1,523

76.96%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

2549.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,206 LKR 399.3K

2020.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$18.27 LKR 6,052

195.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$16.40 LKR 5,433

148.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$80.5 LKR 26.7K

22.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$41.26 LKR 13.7K

134.13%

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

$305 LKR 101.1K

294.93%

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 Galle: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Galle

$228 49.1% 12.2% $32

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Galle

$69 15% 68.9% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Galle

$70 15.2% 46.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Galle

$85 18.3% 26.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Galle

$9.2 * 2% 90.2% $84

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Galle

$2.3 * 0.5% 97% $75

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Istanbul pays 295% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $24.00 in Galle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $228 per month, with Galle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

100,000

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Galle 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Galle

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 Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galle is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 234% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 295% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $38.04 in Galle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Galle – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $55.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $464 in Galle versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Galle but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Galle the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Galle is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Istanbul, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Istanbul and Galle are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Galle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 234% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.