Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurunegala and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $498 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $37,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kurunegala
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Kurunegala Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$498

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $498 in Kurunegala versus $3,594 in Singapore.

Kurunegala $498
Singapore $3,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $807 in Kurunegala versus $5,314 in Singapore.

Kurunegala $807
Singapore $5,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,116 in Kurunegala versus $7,033 in Singapore.

Kurunegala $1,116
Singapore $7,033

Living in Kurunegala costs roughly 86% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kurunegala is 63% below, Singapore is 166% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 LKR 609

$11.58 SGD 14.84

-84.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.67 LKR 8,205

$70.7 SGD 90.5

-65.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 LKR 2,484

$8.46 SGD 10.84

-11.70%

Cappuccino

$2.56 LKR 853

$5.18 SGD 6.64

-50.58%

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

$0.67 LKR 223

$1.84 SGD 2.36

-63.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-78.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 724

$9.50 SGD 12.17

-77.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$9.86 SGD 12.63

-69.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 526

$3.02 SGD 3.87

-47.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 LKR 187

$2.67 SGD 3.42

-79.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$2.77 SGD 3.54

-72.92%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$3.72 SGD 4.77

-55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 LKR 5,180

$21.01 SGD 26.92

-25.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 LKR 1,693

$9.95 SGD 12.75

-48.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 LKR 2,588

$25.13 SGD 32.20

-69.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 LKR 2,176

$4.59 SGD 5.88

42.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 291

$3.09 SGD 3.96

-71.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,379

$4.64 SGD 5.95

-10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 444

$2.18 SGD 2.79

-38.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 LKR 358

$2.33 SGD 2.99

-53.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$2.31 SGD 2.96

-64.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LKR 400

$1.86 SGD 2.39

-35.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 151

$1.55 SGD 1.98

-70.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.12 LKR 3,366

$14.11 SGD 18.08

-28.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 LKR 4,516

$23.24 SGD 29.78

-41.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$4.73 SGD 6.06

-58.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 LKR 950

$4.79 SGD 6.14

-40.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 125

$3.58 SGD 4.59

-89.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LKR 101

$0.76 SGD 0.97

-60.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 314

$16.98 SGD 21.75

-94.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 LKR 315

$2.46 SGD 3.15

-61.38%

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

$43.1K LKR 14.3M

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

-72.94%

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

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

-71.22%

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

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

$168 SGD 215

-65.42%

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

$4.31 LKR 1,434

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-64.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 LKR 6,967

$28.18 SGD 36.11

-25.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 LKR 1,492

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-63.32%

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

$39.43 LKR 13.1K

$1,899 SGD 2,433

-97.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K LKR 5.6M

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

-56.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.04 LKR 6,000

$79.6 SGD 102

-77.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.71 LKR 5,888

$50.7 SGD 65.0

-65.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$112 SGD 143

-30.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.86 LKR 13.6K

$125 SGD 160

-67.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,089

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,892

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,910

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,170

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$152 LKR 50.7K

$4,526 SGD 5,799

-96.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

2.44

412.30%

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

Last update for Kurunegala: 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

Kurunegala

$246 49.4%

Singapore

$459 12.8% 86.9% $214

Eating Out

Kurunegala

$88 17.8%

Singapore

$260 7.2% 194% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurunegala

$83 16.7%

Singapore

$208 5.8% 150% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Kurunegala

$69 13.9%

Singapore

$165 4.6% 138% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.8%

Singapore

$135 3.8% 1406% $126

Getting Around

Kurunegala

$1.9 * 0.4%

Singapore

$110 3.1% 5687% $108

Accommodation & Living

Kurunegala

- * 0%

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Singapore pays about 30 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Kurunegala vs $71 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $459 per month, with Kurunegala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kurunegala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,300

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kurunegala Singapore 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kurunegala
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

Kurunegala vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurunegala is about 86% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 97% lower in Kurunegala. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $39 in Kurunegala versus $1,899 in Singapore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurunegala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $71 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $498 in Kurunegala versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kurunegala but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Kurunegala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kurunegala and Singapore are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Kurunegala wins on affordability, Singapore on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.