Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kollam and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $270 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $39,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kollam, India
Singapore, Singapore
Kollam
🇮🇳 India
$270
/mo nomad
Singapore
🇸🇬 Singapore
$3,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kollam and in Singapore

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

A single person spends $270 per month in Kollam vs $3,594 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Kollam $270
  • Singapore $3,594

A couple spends around $434 per month in Kollam vs $5,314 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Kollam $434
  • Singapore $5,314

A family of three spends $599 per month in Kollam vs $7,033 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Kollam $599
  • Singapore $7,033

Kollam is about 92% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kollam sits 80% below the global median, while Singapore is 166% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.03 ₹97.1
$11.58 SGD 14.85
-91.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$6.32 ₹593
$70.7 SGD 90.6
-91.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.10 ₹292
$8.46 SGD 10.85
-63.36%
Cappuccino
$1.41 ₹132
$5.18 SGD 6.65
-72.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₹31.54
$1.84 SGD 2.36
-81.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 ₹11.46
$1.23 SGD 1.58
-90.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.28 ₹120
$9.50 SGD 12.18
-86.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 ₹177
$9.86 SGD 12.65
-80.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.61 ₹57.3
$3.02 SGD 3.87
-79.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.49 ₹46.08
$2.67 SGD 3.42
-81.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.50 ₹47.29
$2.77 SGD 3.55
-81.95%
Eggs
$0.85 ₹79.8
$3.72 SGD 4.77
-77.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.61 ₹339
$21.01 SGD 26.94
-82.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.06 ₹193
$9.95 SGD 12.76
-79.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$25.13 SGD 32.23
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 ₹156
$4.59 SGD 5.89
-63.83%
Banana (1kg)
$0.60 ₹56.7
$3.09 SGD 3.96
-80.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.73 ₹68.6
$4.64 SGD 5.95
-84.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.38 ₹35.54
$2.18 SGD 2.79
-82.57%
Potato (1kg)
$0.37 ₹35.18
$2.33 SGD 2.99
-84.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.39 ₹36.41
$2.31 SGD 2.97
-83.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.63 ₹59.3
$1.86 SGD 2.39
-66.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.25 ₹23.22
$1.55 SGD 1.98
-83.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.08 ₹477
$14.11 SGD 18.10
-64.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$2.57 ₹242
$23.24 SGD 29.81
-88.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 ₹138
$4.73 SGD 6.07
-68.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 ₹255
$4.79 SGD 6.14
-43.22%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$3.53 ₹331
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.14 ₹13.20
$1.53 SGD 1.96
-90.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$6.96 ₹654
$96.5 SGD 124
-92.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.43 ₹134
$3.58 SGD 4.60
-60.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ₹31.11
$0.76 SGD 0.98
-56.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.13 ₹200
$16.98 SGD 21.77
-87.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 ₹106
$2.46 SGD 3.15
-54.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.2K ₹1.1M
$159.4K SGD 204.4K
-92.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.7K ₹1.6M
$155.7K SGD 199.7K
-89.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$18.54 ₹1,740
$168 SGD 215
-88.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.01 ₹282
$12.24 SGD 15.69
-75.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.09 ₹572
$28.18 SGD 36.14
-78.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.74 ₹1,290
$111 SGD 142
-87.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.57 ₹993
$11.60 SGD 14.88
-8.88%
Cinema Ticket
$1.61 ₹151
$12.24 SGD 15.70
-86.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$21.21 ₹1,991
$1,899 SGD 2,435
-98.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,663 ₹250.0K
$39.1K SGD 50.2K
-93.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.49 ₹1,548
$79.6 SGD 102
-79.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.15 ₹2,267
$50.7 SGD 65.0
-52.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$25.43 ₹2,387
$112 SGD 143
-77.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$24.26 ₹2,278
$125 SGD 160
-80.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$83.0 ₹7,788
$3,191 SGD 4,093
-97.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$48.18 ₹4,524
$2,257 SGD 2,895
-97.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$184 ₹17.3K
$6,173 SGD 7,917
-97.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$116 ₹10.9K
$4,035 SGD 5,175
-97.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$865 ₹81.2K
$23.6K SGD 30.2K
-96.33%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$455 ₹42.7K
$16.5K SGD 21.2K
-97.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kollam
Singapore
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$520 ₹48.8K
$4,526 SGD 5,804
-88.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.13
2.44
274.18%

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

Last update for Kollam: November 2, 2026

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kollam
$80
Singapore
$459 477% $380
Accommodation & Living
Kollam
$48
Singapore
$2.3K 4585% $2.2K
Eating Out
Kollam
$47
Singapore
$260 459% $213
Clothing & Footwear
Kollam
$41
Singapore
$165 306% $124
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kollam
$28
Singapore
$208 654% $181
Sport & Entertainment
Kollam
$17
Singapore
$135 697% $118
Getting Around
Kollam
$11
Singapore
$110 936% $99

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $83 in Kollam versus $3,191 in Singapore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Singapore are about 8.7 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $6 in Kollam versus $71 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $80 vs $459 – making Kollam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇳 Kollam
🇸🇬 Singapore
🕒 Local time
05:47 5:47 AM
08:17 8:17 AM
2 h 30 min ahead of Kollam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
367,107
5,535,002 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 93.89 INR (100 INR = 1.07 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kollam Singapore 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kollam
  • Singapore

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
Kollam vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kollam or Singapore?
Singapore costs about 1231% more than Kollam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kollam and in Singapore?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $405 per month in Kollam and $5,392 in Singapore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kollam or Singapore?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kollam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $83 there versus $3,191 in Singapore.
Are groceries more expensive in Kollam or in Singapore?
Groceries cost about 477% more in Singapore, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Kollam and in Singapore?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $6 in Kollam and $71 in Singapore. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Kollam or in Singapore?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kollam, where all-in costs run around $270, than in Singapore at $3,594. In Kollam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Kollam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Kollam compared to Singapore?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Kollam or to Singapore?
If budget matters most, go with Kollam. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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