Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Homagama

For one person, living is cheaper in Homagama: $487 a month against $1,550 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Homagama
Learn more

Homagama Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Homagama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Homagama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,550 in Istanbul versus $487 in Homagama.

Istanbul $1,550
Homagama $487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,415 in Istanbul versus $744 in Homagama.

Istanbul $2,415
Homagama $744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,281 in Istanbul versus $1,000 in Homagama.

Istanbul $3,281
Homagama $1,000

Living in Istanbul is roughly 218% more expensive than in Homagama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 15% above, Homagama is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.36 LKR 1,444

182.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$24.11 LKR 7,985

126.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.76 LKR 2,572

18.81%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.42 LKR 801

81.82%

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

$0.25 LKR 82.1

136.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.27 LKR 752

107.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.09 LKR 1,023

91.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$0.88 LKR 291

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.56 LKR 187

58.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.52 LKR 172

321.15%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.60 LKR 530

46.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.94 LKR 4,619

-25.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$3.33 LKR 1,103

69.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.32 LKR 2,425

186.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$6.65 LKR 2,202

-71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.78 LKR 259

196.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$4.44 LKR 1,470

-71.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.22 LKR 406

47.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.02 LKR 339

-36.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.74 LKR 246

-13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.93 LKR 307

34.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.44 LKR 145

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.15 LKR 3,363

-76.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$12.30 LKR 4,074

9.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.83 LKR 606

31.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$2.17 LKR 720

60.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

$0.47 LKR 154

89.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.1

$0.35 LKR 115

268.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.35 LKR 115

162.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$0.87 LKR 288

1159.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.13 LKR 375

30.09%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$13.8K LKR 4.6M

266.96%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$21.2K LKR 7.0M

110.42%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$20.90 LKR 6,922

323.97%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$3.10 LKR 1,027

273.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.63 LKR 6,833

-23.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

$7.48 LKR 2,477

931.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.46 LKR 1,478

82.51%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$37.86 LKR 12.5K

2562.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,189 LKR 393.8K

2050.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$17.98 LKR 5,954

200.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$12.20 LKR 4,041

234.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$24.40 LKR 8,082

305.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$27.53 LKR 9,117

250.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ₺48.7K

$136 LKR 45.1K

623.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 ₺32.2K

$60.0 LKR 19.9K

983.85%

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

$150 LKR 49.6K

704.20%

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 Homagama: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Homagama

$60 12.3% 90.8% $590

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Homagama

$217 44.5% 16.5% $43

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Homagama

$109 22.3% 51.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Homagama

$37 7.6% 71.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Homagama

$45 9.2% 61.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Homagama

$16 3.4% 82.4% $77

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Homagama

$4 * 0.8% 94.9% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Istanbul and $136 in Homagama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 704% 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 Homagama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $217 per month, with Homagama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Homagama

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

25,000

💱 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 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 Homagama 6,300 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Homagama

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 Homagama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Homagama is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 218% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 704% higher in Istanbul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $985 in Istanbul versus $136 in Homagama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,008 in Istanbul versus $37.86 in Homagama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Homagama – 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 $487 in Homagama versus $1,550 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Homagama but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Homagama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Homagama 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 Homagama 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 Homagama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 218% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.