Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Kolonnawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
Learn more

Kolonnawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Kolonnawa

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

A single person spends $1,516 per month in Istanbul vs $488 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Istanbul $1,516
Kolonnawa $488

A couple spends around $2,356 per month in Istanbul vs $794 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Istanbul $2,356
Kolonnawa $794

A family of three spends $3,197 per month in Istanbul vs $1,100 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Istanbul $3,197
Kolonnawa $1,100

Istanbul costs about 211% more than Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 11% above the global median, while Kolonnawa is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.59 ₺577

$3.87 LKR 1,285

199.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,725

$25.33 LKR 8,422

115.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 ₺468

$7.38 LKR 2,453

27.24%

Cappuccino

$4.23 ₺211

$2.45 LKR 816

72.65%

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

$1.72 ₺85.6

$0.71 LKR 236

142.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₺28.26

$0.25 LKR 82.6

128.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 ₺232

$2.16 LKR 718

115.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 ₺341

$3.06 LKR 1,018

123.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺60.0

$1.56 LKR 519

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ₺46.97

$0.53 LKR 178

77.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₺112

$0.58 LKR 192

286.21%

Eggs

$2.42 ₺121

$1.66 LKR 551

45.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 ₺510

$10.53 LKR 3,502

-2.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.38 ₺268

$4.63 LKR 1,539

16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.19 ₺1,056

$7.32 LKR 2,433

189.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₺94.3

$6.75 LKR 2,243

-72.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 ₺111

$0.85 LKR 281

161.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 ₺62.7

$4.43 LKR 1,472

-71.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ₺90.0

$1.32 LKR 439

37.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ₺34.84

$1.04 LKR 347

-32.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺32.13

$0.77 LKR 255

-16.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ₺60.9

$0.93 LKR 308

31.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₺27.35

$0.43 LKR 142

27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₺116

$10.34 LKR 3,436

-77.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 ₺663

$10.50 LKR 3,489

26.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₺116

$1.77 LKR 588

31.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₺172

$2.22 LKR 738

55.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

$0.16 LKR 53.2

468.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ₺64.2

$0.40 LKR 134

222.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 ₺42.66

$0.35 LKR 116

145.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.09 ₺553

$0.93 LKR 308

1092.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.8

$1.33 LKR 442

6.77%

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

$49.2K ₺2.5M

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

12.15%

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

$42.8K ₺2.1M

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

4.11%

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

$87.7 ₺4,373

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

47.26%

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

$11.28 ₺562

$4.20 LKR 1,397

168.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.89 ₺792

$20.66 LKR 6,870

-23.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$8.20 ₺409

$4.65 LKR 1,546

76.34%

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

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

2652.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ₺1.3M

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

2085.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ₺2,658

$18.07 LKR 6,007

195.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.69 ₺1,978

$16.73 LKR 5,562

137.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 ₺4,972

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

24.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 ₺4,661

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

124.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₺50.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 ₺31.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 ₺97.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 ₺55.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,075 ₺153.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,753 ₺87.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,180 ₺58.8K

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 27, 2026

Last update for Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

Kolonnawa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$258 17%

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6% 15.8% $41

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.4%

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2% 52.6% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$129 8.5%

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5% 45.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$115 7.6%

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3% 26.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$92 6.1%

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9% 89.9% $83

Getting Around

Istanbul

$76 5%

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6% 96.3% $73

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 in Istanbul versus $25 in Kolonnawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $217 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

64,800

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Kolonnawa 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Kolonnawa

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 Kolonnawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 211%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,274 per month in Istanbul and $732 in Kolonnawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Istanbul and $25 in Kolonnawa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Istanbul, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Kolonnawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,516 in Istanbul. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.