Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $547 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $36,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Badulla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $547 in Badulla.

Singapore $3,594
Badulla $547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $883 in Badulla.

Singapore $5,314
Badulla $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,219 in Badulla.

Singapore $7,033
Badulla $1,219

Living in Singapore is roughly 558% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Badulla is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$3.84 LKR 1,275

201.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$24.93 LKR 8,289

183.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$7.54 LKR 2,506

12.20%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$2.47 LKR 823

109.72%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.68 LKR 227

170.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.27 LKR 90.6

355.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$2.26 LKR 752

320.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$3.02 LKR 1,006

226.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.62 LKR 539

86.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.57 LKR 190

368.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.61 LKR 203

354.10%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.65 LKR 548

125.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$15.15 LKR 5,036

38.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$3.70 LKR 1,230

168.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$7.60 LKR 2,528

230.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$6.61 LKR 2,198

-30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.89 LKR 296

247.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.27 LKR 1,420

8.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.26 LKR 420

73.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.09 LKR 362

113.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.79 LKR 261

192.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.22 LKR 405

52.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.46 LKR 152

236.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$10.15 LKR 3,374

39.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$13.31 LKR 4,426

74.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.91 LKR 634

147.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$2.85 LKR 947

68.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$0.41 LKR 136

773.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.33 LKR 111

130.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$0.87 LKR 288

1851.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.37 LKR 454

79.56%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

272.32%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

237.75%

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

$168 SGD 215

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

198.61%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.32 LKR 1,437

183.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$20.66 LKR 6,871

36.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.39 LKR 1,460

178.82%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$40.51 LKR 13.5K

4587.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

123.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.24 LKR 6,066

336.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.37 LKR 5,777

191.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

43.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.18 LKR 13.7K

202.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,089

$76.3 LKR 25.4K

4080.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,892

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

4985.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,910

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,170

$89.8 LKR 29.9K

4391.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$4,570 LKR 1.5M

415.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

$747 LKR 248.4K

2111.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

$222 LKR 73.7K

1943.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

12.5

-80.48%

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Badulla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Badulla

$44 8.1% 98% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Badulla

$237 43.3% 48.5% $223

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Badulla

$104 19.1% 59.9% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Badulla

$81 14.9% 61% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Badulla

$69 12.7% 57.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Badulla

$8.8 * 1.6% 93.5% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Badulla

$2.1 * 0.4% 98.1% $108

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,191 in Singapore and $76 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $25 in Badulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $237 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

110,000

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Badulla 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Badulla

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

Singapore vs Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is about 85% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Singapore is about 20 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,191 in Singapore versus $76 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,899 in Singapore versus $41 in Badulla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – 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 $547 in Badulla versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Badulla is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Singapore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

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