Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Jaffna

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaffna: $275 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $39,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Jaffna

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Jaffna

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

A single person spends $3,594 per month in Singapore vs $275 in Jaffna, rent included.

Singapore $3,594
Jaffna $275

A couple spends around $5,314 per month in Singapore vs $515 in Jaffna, rent included.

Singapore $5,314
Jaffna $515

A family of three spends $7,033 per month in Singapore vs $756 in Jaffna, rent included.

Singapore $7,033
Jaffna $756

Singapore costs about 1209% more than Jaffna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$1.06 LKR 354

992.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$38.86 LKR 12.9K

81.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$4.44 LKR 1,478

90.54%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$3.29 LKR 1,093

57.45%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$1.67 LKR 556

10.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.49 LKR 162

151.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$3.46 LKR 1,150

174.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$6.11 LKR 2,032

61.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$0.66 LKR 220

357.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.46 LKR 152

480.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.61 LKR 203

354.10%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.15 LKR 382

223.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$4.63 LKR 1,539

353.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$2.95 LKR 981

237.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$6.06 LKR 2,016

314.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$3.52 LKR 1,172

30.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.59 LKR 196

423.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$2.97 LKR 989

56.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.53 LKR 509

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.52 LKR 506

53.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.73 LKR 242

216.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$0.58 LKR 194

220.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.31 LKR 104

400.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$12.19 LKR 4,054

15.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$18.34 LKR 6,098

26.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$2.94 LKR 977

60.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

$0.31 LKR 104

393.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

$3.06 LKR 1,018

3052.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$0.44 LKR 146

713.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.25 LKR 83.8

204.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.24 LKR 412

98.39%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

245.55%

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

$168 SGD 215

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Jaffna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Jaffna

–

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Jaffna

–

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Jaffna

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Jaffna

–

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Jaffna

–

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Jaffna

–

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Jaffna

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Singapore versus $39 in Jaffna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $459 vs $169 – making Jaffna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Jaffna

🕒 Local time

00:16 12:16 AM

21:46 9:46 PM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

600,000

💱 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 Jaffna 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Jaffna

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 Jaffna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,594 in Singapore, $275 in Jaffna – Jaffna comes out roughly 92% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,392 per month in Singapore and $412 in Jaffna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 97% less in Jaffna. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 171% more in Singapore, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Jaffna, where all-in costs run around $275, than in Singapore at $3,594. In Jaffna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Jaffna has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $275 in Jaffna to $3,594 in Singapore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.