Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katunayaka and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $506 a month against $1,516 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Katunayaka
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Katunayaka Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Katunayaka and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Katunayaka and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $506 per month in Katunayaka vs $1,516 in Istanbul, rent included.

Katunayaka $506
Istanbul $1,516

A couple spends around $822 per month in Katunayaka vs $2,356 in Istanbul, rent included.

Katunayaka $822
Istanbul $2,356

A family of three spends $1,138 per month in Katunayaka vs $3,197 in Istanbul, rent included.

Katunayaka $1,138
Istanbul $3,197

Katunayaka is about 67% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Katunayaka sits 63% below the global median, while Istanbul is 11% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 LKR 1,278

$11.59 ₺577

-66.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.36 LKR 8,429

$54.7 ₺2,725

-53.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 LKR 2,491

$9.39 ₺468

-20.23%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 848

$4.23 ₺211

-39.72%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.72 ₺85.6

-58.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.57 ₺28.26

-52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 727

$4.65 ₺232

-52.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 LKR 1,023

$6.84 ₺341

-54.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 544

$1.20 ₺60.0

36.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$0.94 ₺46.97

-39.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$2.24 ₺112

-66.07%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 573

$2.42 ₺121

-28.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 LKR 4,503

$10.24 ₺510

32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 LKR 1,627

$5.38 ₺268

-9.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

$21.19 ₺1,056

-64.79%

Apples (1kg)

$6.50 LKR 2,162

$1.89 ₺94.3

243.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 281

$2.22 ₺111

-62.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 LKR 1,464

$1.26 ₺62.7

249.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 428

$1.81 ₺90.0

-28.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$0.70 ₺34.84

41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 253

$0.64 ₺32.13

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 316

$1.22 ₺60.9

-22.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.55 ₺27.35

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 LKR 3,409

$2.32 ₺116

341.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.79 LKR 4,251

$13.31 ₺663

-3.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 636

$2.33 ₺116

-18.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 LKR 979

$3.46 ₺172

-14.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ₺45.18

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 ₺3,306

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 135

$1.29 ₺64.2

-68.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.86 ₺42.66

-56.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 310

$11.09 ₺553

-91.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 LKR 464

$1.42 ₺70.8

-1.41%

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

$44.7K LKR 14.8M

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-9.19%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.6M

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-4.41%

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

$58.3 LKR 19.4K

$87.7 ₺4,373

-33.53%

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

$4.33 LKR 1,441

$11.28 ₺562

-61.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.11 LKR 7,019

$15.89 ₺792

32.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.9 ₺3,783

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 LKR 1,462

$8.20 ₺409

-46.34%

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

$38.35 LKR 12.8K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-96.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,203 LKR 399.9K

$26.0K ₺1.3M

-95.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,138

$53.3 ₺2,658

-65.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.89 LKR 5,616

$39.69 ₺1,978

-57.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

$99.8 ₺4,972

-20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.36 LKR 13.7K

$93.5 ₺4,661

-55.78%

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 %)

12.69

40.69

-68.81%

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

Last update for Katunayaka: October 27, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Katunayaka

$236 46.6%

Istanbul

$258 17% 9.4% $22

Eating Out

Katunayaka

$105 20.7%

Istanbul

$218 14.4% 108% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katunayaka

$84 16.6%

Istanbul

$115 7.6% 37.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Katunayaka

$70 13.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 83.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Katunayaka

$8.8 * 1.7%

Istanbul

$92 6.1% 950% $84

Getting Around

Katunayaka

$2.3 * 0.5%

Istanbul

$76 5% 3242% $73

Accommodation & Living

Katunayaka

- * 0%

Istanbul

$628 41.5%

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 $25 in Katunayaka versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $258 – making Katunayaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

03:11 3:11 AM

2 h 30 min behind Katunayaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,643

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Katunayaka Istanbul 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Katunayaka
Istanbul

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

Katunayaka vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Istanbul is pricier by about 200%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $759 per month in Katunayaka and $2,274 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Katunayaka and $55 in Istanbul. 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 the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Katunayaka, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Istanbul at $1,516. In Katunayaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Katunayaka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Katunayaka to $1,516 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.