Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Turkey and Sri Lanka

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.

Turkey
Sri Lanka
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,212
/mo nomad
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$621
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

  • Turkey $1,212
  • Sri Lanka $621

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

  • Turkey $1,844
  • Sri Lanka $984

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

  • Turkey $2,475
  • Sri Lanka $1,346

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 Turkey is about 95% higher than in Sri Lanka on average.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.14 ₺455
$2.88 LKR 957
217.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.12 ₺1,999
$19.75 LKR 6,568
103.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.91 ₺444
$7.37 LKR 2,451
20.90%
Cappuccino
$3.75 ₺187
$2.38 LKR 793
57.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 ₺73.3
$0.60 LKR 199
145.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₺27.66
$0.28 LKR 91.9
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.84 ₺192
$2.18 LKR 724
76.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.91 ₺245
$3.05 LKR 1,015
60.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 ₺51.1
$1.61 LKR 534
-36.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.00 ₺49.93
$0.51 LKR 170
96.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 ₺110
$0.75 LKR 251
193.33%
Eggs
$2.21 ₺110
$1.69 LKR 563
30.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.72 ₺484
$11.82 LKR 3,930
-17.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.86 ₺242
$4.19 LKR 1,394
15.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.09 ₺1,001
$7.08 LKR 2,354
183.76%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 ₺92.5
$5.59 LKR 1,857
-66.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 ₺98.9
$0.81 LKR 268
144.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.06 ₺53.1
$4.05 LKR 1,348
-73.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 ₺67.9
$1.28 LKR 427
6.25%
Potato (1kg)
$0.54 ₺26.86
$0.88 LKR 294
-38.64%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 ₺22.31
$0.78 LKR 261
-42.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.00 ₺49.61
$0.77 LKR 258
29.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₺34.23
$0.44 LKR 147
56.82%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26 ₺113
$10.01 LKR 3,327
-77.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.91 ₺593
$12.00 LKR 3,988
-0.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.24 ₺112
$1.94 LKR 645
15.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₺142
$2.67 LKR 889
6.74%
🚌 Getting Around
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.76 ₺38.01
$0.15 LKR 48.56
406.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.49 ₺1,968
$6.24 LKR 2,075
532.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ₺70.9
$0.43 LKR 145
230.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.84 ₺41.65
$0.38 LKR 125
121.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.98 ₺398
$0.92 LKR 304
767.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₺68.8
$1.23 LKR 410
12.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.6K ₺2.1M
$44.4K LKR 14.7M
-6.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3K ₺2.0M
$40.1K LKR 13.3M
0.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.0 ₺3,736
$47.47 LKR 15.8K
57.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.38 ₺517
$4.09 LKR 1,360
153.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.56 ₺775
$16.72 LKR 5,558
-6.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.2 ₺2,752
$13.59 LKR 4,520
306.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.01 ₺1,047
$6.16 LKR 2,047
241.07%
Cinema Ticket
$6.87 ₺342
$4.29 LKR 1,427
60.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$680 ₺33.9K
$34.82 LKR 11.6K
1853.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ₺792.4K
$557 LKR 185.2K
2754.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.7 ₺2,724
$20.77 LKR 6,905
163.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.98 ₺2,142
$14.85 LKR 4,938
189.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 ₺5,074
$70.5 LKR 23.4K
44.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.9 ₺4,677
$35.79 LKR 11.9K
162.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$614 ₺30.6K
$322 LKR 106.9K
90.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$441 ₺22.0K
$148 LKR 49.1K
198.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,011 ₺50.4K
$1,007 LKR 334.7K
0.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 ₺35.0K
$290 LKR 96.4K
142.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,710 ₺85.2K
$3,647 LKR 1.2M
-53.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,115 ₺55.6K
$1,106 LKR 367.7K
0.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Turkey
Sri Lanka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,061 ₺52.9K
$215 LKR 71.3K
394.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
41.67
13.46
209.58%

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

Last update for Turkey: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Turkey
$441
Sri Lanka
$148 66.5% $293
Groceries & Markets
Turkey
$239
Sri Lanka
$216 9.9% $24
Eating Out
Turkey
$182
Sri Lanka
$94 48.2% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Turkey
$132
Sri Lanka
$64 51.6% $68
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Turkey
$101
Sri Lanka
$68 32.3% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Turkey
$69
Sri Lanka
$22 67.8% $47
Getting Around
Turkey
$48
Sri Lanka
$9.1 81% $39

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $1,034 in Turkey vs $202 in Sri Lanka. 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
🇹🇷 Turkey
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
🕒 Local time
22:02 10:02 PM
00:32 12:32 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Turkey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
85,372,377
21,444,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.61 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Turkey Sri Lanka 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Turkey
  • Sri Lanka

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
Turkey vs Sri Lanka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Sri Lanka and Turkey compare in cost of living?
Sri Lanka is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 49% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Sri Lanka and Turkey?
Housing costs more in Turkey: a central one-bedroom averages $446 versus $196 in Sri Lanka.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Sri Lanka or Turkey?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sri Lanka – part of why living there is about 49% cheaper overall.
How far does $1,200 go in Sri Lanka compared to Turkey?
$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.
How do I choose between living in Sri Lanka and in Turkey?
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.

Turkey vs other spots: cost of living compared

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