Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Horana

For one person, living is cheaper in Horana: $456 a month against $1,525 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Horana
Learn more

Horana Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,525

/mo nomad

Horana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Horana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,525 in Istanbul versus $456 in Horana.

Istanbul $1,525
Horana $456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,390 in Istanbul versus $736 in Horana.

Istanbul $2,390
Horana $736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Istanbul versus $1,016 in Horana.

Istanbul $3,256
Horana $1,016

Living in Istanbul is roughly 235% more expensive than in Horana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Istanbul is 13% above, Horana is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 ₺592

$1.83 LKR 605

553.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ₺2,834

$24.89 LKR 8,246

129.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 ₺471

$7.46 LKR 2,472

27.48%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.46 LKR 815

78.86%

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

$1.75 ₺86.6

$0.59 LKR 195

196.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.57

$0.22 LKR 72.9

154.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.71 ₺233

$2.16 LKR 716

118.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₺304

$3.06 LKR 1,015

100.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₺61.6

$1.58 LKR 522

-21.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺47.25

$0.40 LKR 134

137.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$0.65 LKR 217

250.77%

Eggs

$2.45 ₺121

$1.69 LKR 560

44.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₺523

$13.82 LKR 4,579

-23.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.50 ₺272

$4.19 LKR 1,387

31.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.65 ₺1,072

$7.58 LKR 2,511

185.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 ₺90.6

$2.47 LKR 819

-25.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$0.37 LKR 124

518.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.4

$4.47 LKR 1,481

-71.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.1

$1.32 LKR 437

37.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 ₺32.74

$0.69 LKR 228

-4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ₺31.14

$0.68 LKR 226

-7.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ₺62.8

$0.88 LKR 291

44.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.62

$0.46 LKR 153

21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 ₺117

$10.37 LKR 3,434

-77.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.98 ₺642

$12.82 LKR 4,248

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₺123

$1.95 LKR 647

27.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₺174

$3.05 LKR 1,011

14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.77

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.2 ₺3,228

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₺65.7

$0.37 LKR 123

259.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 ₺44.60

$0.35 LKR 115

157.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.91 ₺540

$0.94 LKR 313

1060.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₺70.7

$1.40 LKR 464

2.14%

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

$49.6K ₺2.5M

$43.3K LKR 14.3M

14.48%

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

$43.2K ₺2.1M

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

7.13%

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

$88.8 ₺4,395

$57.7 LKR 19.1K

53.98%

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

$11.69 ₺579

$2.96 LKR 982

294.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.09 ₺797

$20.58 LKR 6,815

-21.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.3 ₺3,776

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.72 ₺1,125

Cinema Ticket

$8.26 ₺409

$4.43 LKR 1,466

86.46%

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

$1,015 ₺50.2K

$37.37 LKR 12.4K

2615.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$1,212 LKR 401.4K

2032.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,636

$17.81 LKR 5,898

198.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 ₺2,008

$16.63 LKR 5,507

143.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₺4,956

$78.1 LKR 25.9K

28.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,630

$41.45 LKR 13.7K

125.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 ₺48.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₺31.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 ₺98.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ₺56.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,095 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,787 ₺88.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,213 ₺60.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.69

12.69

220.65%

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

Last update for Istanbul: October 19, 2026

Last update for Horana: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$627 41.1%

Horana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$263 17.2%

Horana

$207 45.5% 21% $55

Eating Out

Istanbul

$222 14.6%

Horana

$87 19% 61% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Horana

$69 15.2% 46.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.6%

Horana

$81 17.8% 30.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6.1%

Horana

$8.9 * 1.9% 90.5% $84

Getting Around

Istanbul

$74 4.9%

Horana

$2.1 * 0.5% 97.2% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $57.0 in Istanbul vs $25.00 in Horana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $263 vs $207 per month, with Horana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Horana

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

15,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Horana 6,320 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Horana

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 Horana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Horana is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 235% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,287 in Istanbul and $683 in Horana 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.

Childcare runs $1,015 in Istanbul versus $37.37 in Horana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Horana – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $57.0 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $456 in Horana versus $1,525 in Istanbul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Horana but tight or insufficient in Istanbul. The gap between the two cities makes Horana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Horana 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 Horana 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 Horana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 235% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.