Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hatton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hatton: $505 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 Hatton
Learn more

Hatton Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Hatton

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hatton

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $505 in Hatton, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Hatton $505

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $820 in Hatton, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Hatton $820

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,134 in Hatton, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Hatton $1,134

Istanbul costs about 207% more than Hatton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 15% above the global median, while Hatton is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.37 LKR 1,448

181.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$24.07 LKR 7,973

127.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.37 LKR 2,442

25.10%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.50 LKR 829

76.00%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.71 LKR 236

136.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.27 LKR 89.5

118.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.15 LKR 711

118.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$2.99 LKR 990

97.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.61 LKR 533

-24.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.57 LKR 188

56.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.75 LKR 249

192.00%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.64 LKR 544

43.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.55 LKR 4,487

-23.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.89 LKR 1,618

15.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.24 LKR 2,399

189.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$6.86 LKR 2,271

-72.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.78 LKR 259

196.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$4.43 LKR 1,467

-71.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.22 LKR 404

47.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$0.99 LKR 329

-34.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.75 LKR 250

-14.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.95 LKR 316

31.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.46 LKR 154

21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.17 LKR 3,367

-76.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$13.84 LKR 4,584

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.95 LKR 647

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.94 LKR 974

18.37%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

248.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.35 LKR 115

162.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$0.88 LKR 290

1145.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.33 LKR 440

10.53%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.5K LKR 12.4M

35.51%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

7.79%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

64.46%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$4.26 LKR 1,410

172.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.53 LKR 6,800

-22.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.30 LKR 1,424

89.30%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$37.99 LKR 12.6K

2553.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,192 LKR 394.7K

2045.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$17.84 LKR 5,908

202.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$16.93 LKR 5,607

141.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

27.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$42.88 LKR 14.2K

125.28%

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 Hatton: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Hatton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Hatton

$238 47.1% 8.3% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Hatton

$108 21.3% 51.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Hatton

$70 13.9% 46.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Hatton

$79 15.6% 32.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Hatton

$8.6 * 1.7% 90.8% $85

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Hatton

$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 Hatton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $238 – making Hatton the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Hatton

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

16,200

💱 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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Between locations

Istanbul Hatton 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hatton

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 Hatton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 207%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,325 per month in Istanbul and $758 in Hatton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,550 in Istanbul and $505 in Hatton. That's a gap of about 207%.

Kindergarten costs $1,008 per month in Istanbul and $37.99 in Hatton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hatton, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Hatton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hatton – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Hatton. 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.