Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polonnaruwa and Istanbul

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.

25

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Polonnaruwa $506
Istanbul $1,550

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

Polonnaruwa $821
Istanbul $2,415

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

Polonnaruwa $1,136
Istanbul $3,281

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 LKR 1,472

$12.30 ₺609

-63.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.02 LKR 7,957

$54.7 ₺2,708

-56.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 LKR 2,495

$9.22 ₺456

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$2.39 LKR 792

$4.40 ₺218

-45.68%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$1.68 ₺83.1

-59.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.59 ₺29.40

-57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 718

$4.70 ₺233

-53.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,026

$5.91 ₺292

-47.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 516

$1.21 ₺60.0

28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$0.89 ₺44.10

-35.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 250

$2.19 ₺108

-65.30%

Eggs

$1.59 LKR 526

$2.35 ₺116

-32.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 LKR 4,505

$10.42 ₺516

30.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 LKR 1,618

$5.65 ₺280

-13.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 LKR 2,527

$20.94 ₺1,037

-63.56%

Apples (1kg)

$6.68 LKR 2,213

$1.90 ₺94.1

251.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 260

$2.31 ₺114

-65.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.58 LKR 1,517

$1.28 ₺63.1

257.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.80 ₺89.0

-32.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 343

$0.65 ₺32.16

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.64 ₺31.91

28.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.25 ₺62.1

-30.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 143

$0.56 ₺27.58

-23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.41 LKR 3,447

$2.37 ₺118

339.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 LKR 4,515

$13.42 ₺664

1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$2.40 ₺119

-17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,014

$3.48 ₺172

-12.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ₺43.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 ₺3,338

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$1.29 ₺64.1

-68.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.92 ₺45.70

-59.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$10.96 ₺542

-92.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$1.47 ₺72.9

-6.80%

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

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

$50.8K ₺2.5M

-28.47%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-7.67%

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

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

$88.6 ₺4,387

-39.22%

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

$4.26 LKR 1,412

$11.59 ₺574

-63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.44 LKR 6,770

$15.81 ₺783

29.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 ₺3,820

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 ₺1,126

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,485

$8.14 ₺403

-44.96%

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

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

$1,008 ₺49.9K

-96.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

$25.6K ₺1.3M

-95.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.97 LKR 5,953

$54.0 ₺2,671

-66.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.63 LKR 5,508

$40.83 ₺2,021

-59.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$98.9 ₺4,895

-19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$96.6 ₺4,783

-56.39%

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 %)

12.69

40.92

-68.99%

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

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1%

Istanbul

$260 16.8% 9.1% $22

Eating Out

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3%

Istanbul

$223 14.4% 108% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5%

Istanbul

$116 7.5% 47.7% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9%

Istanbul

$131 8.4% 85.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8%

Istanbul

$93 6% 942% $84

Getting Around

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5%

Istanbul

$77 5% 3302% $75

Accommodation & Living

Polonnaruwa

- * 0%

Istanbul

$650 41.9%

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 $24.00 in Polonnaruwa versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $260 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

2 h 30 min behind Polonnaruwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Polonnaruwa Istanbul 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Polonnaruwa
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

Polonnaruwa vs Istanbul: 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 $759 per month in Polonnaruwa and $2,325 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 $24.00 in Polonnaruwa and $55.0 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 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.