Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Kalmunai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalmunai: $512 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 Kalmunai
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Kalmunai Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Kalmunai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$512

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Kalmunai

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

A single person spends $3,594 per month in Singapore vs $512 in Kalmunai, rent included.

Singapore $3,594
Kalmunai $512

A couple spends around $5,314 per month in Singapore vs $831 in Kalmunai, rent included.

Singapore $5,314
Kalmunai $831

A family of three spends $7,033 per month in Singapore vs $1,151 in Kalmunai, rent included.

Singapore $7,033
Kalmunai $1,151

Singapore costs about 602% more than Kalmunai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 166% above the global median, while Kalmunai is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.85

$3.90 LKR 1,298

196.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.6

$24.74 LKR 8,225

185.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.85

$7.35 LKR 2,443

15.10%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.65

$2.49 LKR 827

108.03%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.72 LKR 239

155.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.25 LKR 82.9

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.18

$2.19 LKR 727

333.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.65

$2.92 LKR 972

237.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.57 LKR 521

92.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.57 LKR 188

368.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.55

$0.76 LKR 254

264.47%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.71 LKR 568

117.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.94

$15.45 LKR 5,139

35.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.76

$5.07 LKR 1,687

96.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.23

$7.67 LKR 2,551

227.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.89

$6.62 LKR 2,201

-30.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.81 LKR 271

281.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.32 LKR 1,438

7.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.32 LKR 440

65.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.09 LKR 361

113.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.97

$0.82 LKR 272

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

$0.46 LKR 153

236.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.10

$10.13 LKR 3,367

39.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.81

$13.45 LKR 4,472

72.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.07

$1.91 LKR 634

147.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$2.94 LKR 978

62.93%

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 4.60

$0.41 LKR 135

773.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.98

$0.33 LKR 110

130.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.77

$0.91 LKR 304

1765.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.33 LKR 442

84.96%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.4K

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

264.69%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.7K

$46.3K LKR 15.4M

235.99%

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

$168 SGD 215

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

192.02%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.69

$4.29 LKR 1,427

185.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.14

$20.56 LKR 6,836

37.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.88

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.70

$4.45 LKR 1,479

175.06%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,435

$40.92 LKR 13.6K

4540.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.2K

$17.0K LKR 5.7M

129.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$17.70 LKR 5,887

349.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.18 LKR 5,712

195.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$78.6 LKR 26.1K

42.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.74 LKR 13.9K

198.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,093

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,895

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,917

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,175

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 5,804

$150 LKR 49.9K

2915.79%

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 Kalmunai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Kalmunai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Kalmunai

$245 47.9% 46.6% $214

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Kalmunai

$104 20.3% 60.1% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Kalmunai

$82 16.1% 60.5% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Kalmunai

$70 13.6% 57.7% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Kalmunai

$8.9 * 1.7% 93.4% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Kalmunai

$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

Salaries in Singapore are about 30 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Singapore versus $25 in Kalmunai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $459 vs $245 – making Kalmunai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Kalmunai

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

25,000

💱 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 7, 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 7, 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 Kalmunai 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Kalmunai

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 Kalmunai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 602% more than Kalmunai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,392 per month in Singapore and $768 in Kalmunai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,594 in Singapore and $512 in Kalmunai. That makes Kalmunai about 86% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,899 per month in Singapore and $41 in Kalmunai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kalmunai, where all-in costs run around $512, than in Singapore at $3,594. In Kalmunai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kalmunai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $512 in Kalmunai to $3,594 in Singapore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Kalmunai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.