Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $508 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
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kataragama
Learn more

Kataragama Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Kataragama

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

A single person spends $3,594 per month in Singapore vs $508 in Kataragama, rent included.

Singapore $3,594
Kataragama $508

A couple spends around $5,314 per month in Singapore vs $824 in Kataragama, rent included.

Singapore $5,314
Kataragama $824

A family of three spends $7,033 per month in Singapore vs $1,140 in Kataragama, rent included.

Singapore $7,033
Kataragama $1,140

Singapore costs about 608% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$3.87 LKR 1,286

199.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$24.70 LKR 8,212

186.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$7.34 LKR 2,440

15.26%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$2.43 LKR 807

113.17%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.67 LKR 224

174.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.27 LKR 90.8

355.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$2.23 LKR 741

326.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$3.08 LKR 1,025

220.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.57 LKR 522

92.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.56 LKR 187

376.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.76 LKR 252

264.47%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.63 LKR 543

128.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$15.08 LKR 5,014

39.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$4.89 LKR 1,626

103.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$7.66 LKR 2,546

228.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$6.54 LKR 2,173

-29.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.83 LKR 276

272.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.08 LKR 1,358

13.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.31 LKR 437

66.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.08 LKR 360

115.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.83 LKR 276

178.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.24 LKR 414

50.00%

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

$10.29 LKR 3,421

37.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$13.61 LKR 4,526

70.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.96 LKR 652

141.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$2.94 LKR 977

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 4.59

$0.40 LKR 134

795.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.31 LKR 103

145.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$0.86 LKR 285

1874.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.34 LKR 445

83.58%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

265.89%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

241.16%

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

$168 SGD 215

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

195.46%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.15 LKR 1,380

194.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$20.61 LKR 6,855

36.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.50 LKR 1,495

172.00%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$39.71 LKR 13.2K

4681.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

125.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.27 LKR 6,074

335.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.51 LKR 5,824

189.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

43.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.79 LKR 13.9K

198.01%

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

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 Kataragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Kataragama

$242 47.7% 47.2% $217

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Kataragama

$103 20.3% 60.3% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Kataragama

$82 16.1% 60.8% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Kataragama

$70 13.8% 57.7% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 93.3% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Kataragama

$2 * 0.4% 98.2% $108

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Singapore versus $25 in Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $459 vs $242 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

20,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Kataragama 2,560 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 608% more than Kataragama, 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 $762 in Kataragama. 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 $508 in Kataragama. That makes Kataragama about 86% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,899 per month in Singapore and $40 in Kataragama. 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 Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Singapore at $3,594. In Kataragama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Singapore has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $508 in Kataragama to $3,594 in Singapore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.