Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
Learn more

Sri Lanka Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Sri Lanka is 46.8% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 60.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sri Lanka is 49.6% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 59.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 LKR 913

$11.88 ₺585

-76.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 LKR 6,333

$55.1 ₺2,714

-65.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,446

$9.14 ₺450

-19.15%

Cappuccino

$2.32 LKR 767

$4.24 ₺209

-45.28%

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

$0.66 LKR 217

$1.75 ₺86.0

-62.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 LKR 95.5

$0.54 ₺26.83

-46.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 LKR 769

$4.69 ₺231

-50.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,009

$5.97 ₺294

-48.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 LKR 527

$1.26 ₺62.1

26.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 LKR 161

$0.95 ₺46.81

-48.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 LKR 230

$2.31 ₺114

-69.70%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 537

$2.47 ₺122

-34.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 LKR 3,976

$10.55 ₺520

13.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,406

$5.60 ₺276

-24.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,439

$21.21 ₺1,045

-65.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 LKR 1,857

$1.93 ₺95.1

190.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 257

$2.29 ₺113

-65.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 LKR 1,467

$1.28 ₺63.1

246.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 416

$1.84 ₺90.8

-31.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 310

$0.67 ₺32.86

40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 273

$0.59 ₺29.31

40.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.33 ₺65.4

-39.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 157

$0.59 ₺29.10

-20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 LKR 3,291

$2.36 ₺116

321.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 LKR 3,962

$13.47 ₺664

-11.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 635

$2.42 ₺119

-20.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 LKR 878

$3.54 ₺174

-25.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.8

$0.83 ₺40.64

-77.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.95 LKR 1,970

$66.5 ₺3,273

-91.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 LKR 154

$1.35 ₺66.6

-65.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.85 ₺42.05

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 315

$10.86 ₺535

-91.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 LKR 420

$1.47 ₺72.3

-13.61%

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

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-41.84%

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

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-9.44%

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

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

$89.2 ₺4,395

-48.21%

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

$4.00 LKR 1,324

$11.60 ₺572

-65.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.77 LKR 5,547

$16.10 ₺793

4.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.28 LKR 4,063

$77.3 ₺3,805

-84.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 LKR 2,104

$22.66 ₺1,116

-71.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 LKR 1,233

$8.34 ₺411

-55.28%

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

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

$974 ₺48.0K

-96.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$581 LKR 192.1K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-97.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.41 LKR 6,752

$52.7 ₺2,597

-61.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.50 LKR 5,129

$39.16 ₺1,929

-60.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

$103 ₺5,083

-29.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

$96.6 ₺4,759

-61.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 LKR 102.2K

$994 ₺49.0K

-68.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 LKR 46.0K

$629 ₺31.0K

-77.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 LKR 253.2K

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-62.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 LKR 80.4K

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-78.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

$3,160 ₺155.7K

14.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

$1,838 ₺90.5K

-38.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 LKR 71.5K

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-82.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.46

41.09

-67.24%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 20.8% $45

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 353% $490

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 133% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 74.6% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 99.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 376% $74

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 747% $66

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

15:37 3:37 PM

2 h 30 min behind Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.2 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Lanka Istanbul 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
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

Sri Lanka vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and Istanbul

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Sri Lanka

Istanbul

Sri Lanka

Istanbul

Sri Lanka vs other spots: cost of living compared

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