Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 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 Polonnaruwa
Learn more

Polonnaruwa Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Istanbul and in Polonnaruwa

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

A single person spends $1,550 per month in Istanbul vs $506 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Istanbul $1,550
Polonnaruwa $506

A couple spends around $2,415 per month in Istanbul vs $821 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Istanbul $2,415
Polonnaruwa $821

A family of three spends $3,281 per month in Istanbul vs $1,136 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Istanbul $3,281
Polonnaruwa $1,136

Istanbul costs about 206% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 ₺609

$4.44 LKR 1,472

177.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 ₺2,708

$24.02 LKR 7,957

127.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 ₺456

$7.53 LKR 2,495

22.44%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₺218

$2.39 LKR 792

84.10%

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

$1.68 ₺83.1

$0.68 LKR 226

147.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.40

$0.25 LKR 82.6

136.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 ₺233

$2.17 LKR 718

116.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₺292

$3.10 LKR 1,026

90.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 ₺60.0

$1.56 LKR 516

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₺44.10

$0.57 LKR 190

56.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺108

$0.76 LKR 250

188.16%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺116

$1.59 LKR 526

47.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.42 ₺516

$13.60 LKR 4,505

-23.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 ₺280

$4.88 LKR 1,618

15.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.94 ₺1,037

$7.63 LKR 2,527

174.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ₺94.1

$6.68 LKR 2,213

-71.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$0.79 LKR 260

192.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$4.58 LKR 1,517

-72.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₺89.0

$1.21 LKR 402

48.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 ₺32.16

$1.04 LKR 343

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 ₺31.91

$0.82 LKR 271

-21.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₺62.1

$0.87 LKR 288

43.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₺27.58

$0.43 LKR 143

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₺118

$10.41 LKR 3,447

-77.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.42 ₺664

$13.63 LKR 4,515

-1.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₺119

$1.98 LKR 657

21.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 ₺172

$3.06 LKR 1,014

13.73%

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

$0.40 LKR 133

222.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺45.70

$0.37 LKR 123

148.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.96 ₺542

$0.87 LKR 288

1159.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.9

$1.37 LKR 455

7.30%

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

$50.8K ₺2.5M

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

39.81%

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

$44.5K ₺2.2M

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

8.31%

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

$88.6 ₺4,387

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

64.52%

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

$11.59 ₺574

$4.26 LKR 1,412

172.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.81 ₺783

$20.44 LKR 6,770

-22.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 ₺403

$4.48 LKR 1,485

81.70%

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

$1,008 ₺49.9K

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

2552.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.6K ₺1.3M

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

2044.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ₺2,671

$17.97 LKR 5,953

200.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.83 ₺2,021

$16.63 LKR 5,508

145.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 ₺4,895

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

23.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,783

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

129.29%

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 Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$260 16.8%

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1% 8.4% $22

Eating Out

Istanbul

$223 14.4%

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3% 51.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.4%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9% 46.1% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$116 7.5%

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5% 32.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$93 6%

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8% 90.4% $84

Getting Around

Istanbul

$77 5%

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5% 97.1% $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 Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $238 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

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 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 Polonnaruwa 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 206%, 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 $759 in Polonnaruwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Istanbul and $24.00 in Polonnaruwa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Istanbul, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Istanbul at $1,550. In Polonnaruwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polonnaruwa – 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 Polonnaruwa. 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.