Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $811 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $33,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Colombo

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 Colombo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $811 in Colombo.

Singapore $3,594
Colombo $811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $1,298 in Colombo.

Singapore $5,314
Colombo $1,298

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,785 in Colombo.

Singapore $7,033
Colombo $1,785

Living in Singapore is roughly 343% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Colombo is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$3.92 LKR 1,304

195.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$24.58 LKR 8,174

187.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$7.39 LKR 2,458

14.48%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$2.44 LKR 813

112.30%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.67 LKR 222

174.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.25 LKR 83.0

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$2.14 LKR 710

343.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$3.03 LKR 1,007

225.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.58 LKR 525

91.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.53 LKR 176

403.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.81 LKR 270

241.98%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.62 LKR 539

129.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$15.14 LKR 5,034

38.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$5.12 LKR 1,701

94.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$7.66 LKR 2,546

228.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$6.62 LKR 2,200

-30.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.88 LKR 292

251.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.15 LKR 1,381

11.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.28 LKR 425

70.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.04 LKR 347

124.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.82 LKR 271

181.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.21 LKR 404

53.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.45 LKR 150

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$10.04 LKR 3,337

40.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$13.69 LKR 4,554

69.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.93 LKR 643

145.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$2.97 LKR 987

61.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

$0.18 LKR 58.8

750.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

$8.15 LKR 2,709

1083.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$0.37 LKR 123

867.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.34 LKR 111

123.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$0.89 LKR 296

1807.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.32 LKR 440

86.36%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

265.94%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

245.25%

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

$168 SGD 215

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

191.16%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.28 LKR 1,424

185.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$20.66 LKR 6,870

36.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

$20.37 LKR 6,774

443.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

$6.14 LKR 2,043

88.93%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.63 LKR 1,541

164.36%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

4550.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

127.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.12 LKR 6,025

339.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.34 LKR 5,767

192.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

43.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

201.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,089

$565 LKR 187.8K

465.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,892

$271 LKR 90.1K

732.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,910

$1,691 LKR 562.3K

265.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,170

$574 LKR 191.0K

602.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

531.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

1326.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

$248 LKR 82.6K

1721.61%

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 Colombo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Colombo

$271 33.4% 88% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Colombo

$244 30.1% 46.8% $215

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Colombo

$103 12.7% 60.2% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Colombo

$83 10.2% 60.3% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 57.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Colombo

$30 3.7% 78.1% $105

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Colombo

$11 1.3% 90.1% $99

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,191 in Singapore and $565 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 18 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $244 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

753,000

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 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 = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Colombo 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 77% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Singapore is about 18 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 $565 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.