Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $510 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $37,000 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Galle
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Galle Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Galle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $510 in Galle.

Singapore $3,594
Galle $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $829 in Galle.

Singapore $5,314
Galle $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,148 in Galle.

Singapore $7,033
Galle $1,148

Living in Singapore is roughly 604% more expensive than in Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Galle is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$3.71 LKR 1,232

212.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$25.23 LKR 8,391

180.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$7.43 LKR 2,471

13.86%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$2.55 LKR 847

103.14%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.73 LKR 242

152.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.25 LKR 83.2

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$2.17 LKR 720

337.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$2.98 LKR 992

230.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.64 LKR 546

84.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.57 LKR 190

368.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.81 LKR 268

241.98%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.64 LKR 547

126.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$15.40 LKR 5,120

36.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$5.11 LKR 1,700

94.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$7.40 LKR 2,461

239.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$6.43 LKR 2,140

-28.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.82 LKR 272

276.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.22 LKR 1,404

9.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.32 LKR 437

65.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.05 LKR 348

121.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.81 LKR 271

185.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.25 LKR 416

48.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.45 LKR 151

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$10.31 LKR 3,427

36.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$13.53 LKR 4,498

71.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.95 LKR 648

142.56%

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

$0.16 LKR 52.4

856.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$0.29 LKR 95.8

1134.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.31 LKR 104

145.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$0.87 LKR 290

1851.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.33 LKR 441

84.96%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

272.21%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

240.27%

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

$168 SGD 215

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

199.09%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.09 LKR 1,360

199.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$21.08 LKR 7,009

33.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.64 LKR 1,545

163.79%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$39.64 LKR 13.2K

4689.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

126.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.17 LKR 6,040

338.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.46 LKR 5,808

190.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

43.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$42.00 LKR 14.0K

196.52%

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)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

$316 LKR 105.1K

1332.17%

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 Galle: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Galle

$244 47.8% 46.8% $215

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Galle

$103 20.2% 60.3% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Galle

$81 15.9% 61% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Galle

$70 13.7% 57.6% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Galle

$9.3 * 1.8% 93.1% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Galle

$2.5 * 0.5% 97.7% $107

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

Cost Breakdown

Singapore pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

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

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

23:39 11:39 PM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

100,000

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Singapore Galle 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Galle

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 Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galle 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.

Average pay in Singapore is about 14 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,899 in Singapore versus $40 in Galle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Galle – 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 $510 in Galle versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Galle but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Galle 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.

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