Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Hikkaduwa

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

Hikkaduwa Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Hikkaduwa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $509 in Hikkaduwa.

Istanbul $1,550
Hikkaduwa $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $826 in Hikkaduwa.

Istanbul $2,415
Hikkaduwa $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,144 in Hikkaduwa.

Istanbul $3,281
Hikkaduwa $1,144

Living in Istanbul is roughly 205% more expensive than in Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Hikkaduwa is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.45 LKR 1,475

176.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$24.59 LKR 8,144

122.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.57 LKR 2,507

21.80%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.50 LKR 827

76.00%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.72 LKR 238

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.27 LKR 90.1

118.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.16 LKR 716

117.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺293

$3.01 LKR 998

96.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.57 LKR 520

-22.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.53 LKR 175

67.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.80 LKR 266

173.75%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.60 LKR 530

46.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$14.00 LKR 4,636

-25.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.88 LKR 1,618

15.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.26 LKR 2,405

188.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$6.84 LKR 2,265

-72.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.85 LKR 281

171.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.2

$4.46 LKR 1,478

-71.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.23 LKR 406

46.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.17

$1.02 LKR 339

-36.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.92

$0.82 LKR 270

-21.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.92 LKR 306

35.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.59

$0.44 LKR 145

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.32 LKR 3,418

-77.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$13.70 LKR 4,536

-2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.89 LKR 625

26.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.01 LKR 998

15.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,339

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.38 LKR 126

239.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.37 LKR 123

148.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺543

$0.88 LKR 293

1145.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.33 LKR 441

10.53%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$37.8K LKR 12.5M

34.52%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

8.86%

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

$88.6 ₺4,388

$54.8 LKR 18.2K

61.64%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$4.14 LKR 1,371

179.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$21.01 LKR 6,959

-24.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,821

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.45 LKR 1,474

82.92%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$37.63 LKR 12.5K

2578.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,227 LKR 406.4K

1983.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$18.35 LKR 6,077

194.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$16.80 LKR 5,564

143.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,896

$77.6 LKR 25.7K

27.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$42.92 LKR 14.2K

125.07%

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 Hikkaduwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Hikkaduwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Hikkaduwa

$239 46.9% 8.1% $21

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Hikkaduwa

$109 21.4% 51.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Hikkaduwa

$70 13.8% 46.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Hikkaduwa

$80 15.7% 31.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Hikkaduwa

$8.9 * 1.8% 90.5% $85

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Hikkaduwa

$2.2 * 0.4% 97.1% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $55.0 in Istanbul vs $25.00 in Hikkaduwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $239 per month, with Hikkaduwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

101,342

💱 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.53 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Hikkaduwa 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Hikkaduwa

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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hikkaduwa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 205% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,325 in Istanbul and $763 in Hikkaduwa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,550 per month in Istanbul versus $509 in Hikkaduwa – a 205% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hikkaduwa 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 Hikkaduwa 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 Hikkaduwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 205% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.