Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and Turkey

Name: Turkey
Address: TR

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $621 a month against $1,212 in Turkey, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Turkey
Learn more

Turkey Living Index

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🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$621

/mo nomad

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sri Lanka and in Turkey

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

A single person spends $621 per month in Sri Lanka vs $1,212 in Turkey, rent included.

Sri Lanka $621
Turkey $1,212

A couple spends around $984 per month in Sri Lanka vs $1,844 in Turkey, rent included.

Sri Lanka $984
Turkey $1,844

A family of three spends $1,346 per month in Sri Lanka vs $2,475 in Turkey, rent included.

Sri Lanka $1,346
Turkey $2,475

The regional cost range is wider in Turkey ($656–$1,765) than in Sri Lanka ($63–$804), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sri Lanka is roughly 49% lower than in Turkey on average.

Both Sri Lanka and Turkey are more affordable than the global median – Sri Lanka 54% lower, Turkey 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.88 LKR 957

$9.14 ₺455

-68.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 LKR 6,567

$40.12 ₺1,998

-50.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,451

$8.91 ₺444

-17.28%

Cappuccino

$2.38 LKR 793

$3.75 ₺187

-36.53%

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

$0.60 LKR 199

$1.47 ₺73.3

-59.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 LKR 91.9

$0.56 ₺27.64

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 724

$3.84 ₺191

-43.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,015

$4.91 ₺245

-37.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 LKR 534

$1.02 ₺51.0

57.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 LKR 170

$1.00 ₺49.89

-49.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 251

$2.20 ₺110

-65.91%

Eggs

$1.69 LKR 563

$2.21 ₺110

-23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 LKR 3,930

$9.72 ₺484

21.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 LKR 1,394

$4.86 ₺242

-13.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 LKR 2,354

$20.09 ₺1,000

-64.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 LKR 1,857

$1.86 ₺92.4

200.54%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.98 ₺98.8

-59.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 LKR 1,348

$1.06 ₺53.0

282.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 427

$1.36 ₺67.8

-5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 294

$0.54 ₺26.84

62.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 261

$0.45 ₺22.29

73.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 LKR 258

$1.00 ₺49.57

-23.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 147

$0.69 ₺34.21

-36.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 LKR 3,326

$2.26 ₺113

342.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 LKR 3,988

$11.91 ₺593

0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 LKR 644

$2.24 ₺112

-13.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 LKR 889

$2.85 ₺142

-6.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 LKR 48.56

$0.76 ₺37.98

-80.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.24 LKR 2,075

$39.49 ₺1,967

-84.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 LKR 145

$1.42 ₺70.9

-69.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.84 ₺41.63

-54.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 LKR 304

$7.98 ₺397

-88.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 LKR 410

$1.38 ₺68.8

-10.87%

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

$44.4K LKR 14.7M

$41.6K ₺2.1M

6.52%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-0.71%

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

$47.47 LKR 15.8K

$75.0 ₺3,733

-36.67%

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

$4.09 LKR 1,359

$10.38 ₺517

-60.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.72 LKR 5,558

$15.56 ₺775

7.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.59 LKR 4,520

$55.2 ₺2,751

-75.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.16 LKR 2,046

$21.01 ₺1,047

-70.68%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 LKR 1,427

$6.87 ₺342

-37.55%

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

$34.82 LKR 11.6K

$680 ₺33.9K

-94.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$557 LKR 185.2K

$15.9K ₺791.9K

-96.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.77 LKR 6,904

$54.7 ₺2,722

-62.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.85 LKR 4,937

$42.98 ₺2,141

-65.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 LKR 23.4K

$102 ₺5,070

-30.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.79 LKR 11.9K

$93.9 ₺4,674

-61.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 LKR 106.9K

$614 ₺30.6K

-47.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 LKR 49.1K

$441 ₺21.9K

-66.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 LKR 334.7K

$1,011 ₺50.4K

-0.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 LKR 96.4K

$703 ₺35.0K

-58.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,647 LKR 1.2M

$1,710 ₺85.2K

113.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 LKR 367.6K

$1,115 ₺55.5K

-0.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 LKR 71.3K

$1,061 ₺52.8K

-79.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.46

41.67

-67.70%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 27, 2026

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$216 34.7%

Turkey

$239 19.8% 11% $24

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$148 23.8%

Turkey

$441 36.4% 198% $293

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$94 15.2%

Turkey

$182 15% 93.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$68 11%

Turkey

$101 8.3% 47.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$64 10.3%

Turkey

$132 10.9% 107% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$22 3.6%

Turkey

$69 5.7% 211% $47

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$9.1 1.5%

Turkey

$48 4% 427% $39

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $196 in Sri Lanka vs $446 in Turkey. For reference, capital cities sit at $300 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $765 in Ankara.

Average salary: $202 in Sri Lanka vs $1,034 in Turkey. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 128% higher in Turkey.

Dining out costs 48% more in Turkey.

Public transport is 560% more expensive in Turkey.

Salaries are about 5.1 times higher in Turkey, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Turkey.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇹🇷 Turkey

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

09:14 9:14 AM

2 h 30 min behind Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

85,372,377

💱 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 = 49.8 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.44 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Lanka Turkey 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
Turkey

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 Turkey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sri Lanka is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 49% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Turkey: a central one-bedroom averages $446 versus $196 in Sri Lanka.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sri Lanka – part of why living there is about 49% cheaper overall.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sri Lanka, but in Turkey it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Sri Lanka is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.