Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $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 Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Nuwara Eliya

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

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

Singapore $3,594
Nuwara Eliya $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $827 in Nuwara Eliya.

Singapore $5,314
Nuwara Eliya $827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,145 in Nuwara Eliya.

Singapore $7,033
Nuwara Eliya $1,145

Living in Singapore is roughly 605% more expensive than in Nuwara Eliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.85

$3.85 LKR 1,281

200.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.6

$24.56 LKR 8,166

187.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.85

$7.65 LKR 2,544

10.59%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.65

$2.43 LKR 808

113.17%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.37 LKR 122

397.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.25 LKR 82.5

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.18

$2.19 LKR 728

333.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.65

$3.03 LKR 1,008

225.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.56 LKR 520

93.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.53 LKR 175

403.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.55

$0.74 LKR 247

274.32%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.70 LKR 564

118.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.94

$15.44 LKR 5,134

36.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.76

$5.10 LKR 1,695

95.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.23

$7.42 LKR 2,466

238.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.89

$6.74 LKR 2,242

-31.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.84 LKR 279

267.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.17 LKR 1,388

11.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.27 LKR 422

71.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.08 LKR 360

115.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.97

$0.83 LKR 276

178.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.21 LKR 403

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 18.10

$10.43 LKR 3,470

35.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.81

$13.78 LKR 4,581

68.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.07

$1.93 LKR 643

145.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$2.97 LKR 989

61.28%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

867.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.98

$0.31 LKR 103

145.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.77

$0.86 LKR 286

1874.42%

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 204.4K

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

264.58%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.7K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

241.19%

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

$168 SGD 215

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

197.77%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.69

$4.13 LKR 1,375

196.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.14

$20.61 LKR 6,852

36.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.88

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.70

$4.50 LKR 1,496

172.00%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,435

$39.94 LKR 13.3K

4653.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.2K

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

124.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.00 LKR 5,986

342.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.55 LKR 5,837

188.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

40.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.09 LKR 13.7K

203.09%

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

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 Nuwara Eliya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$245 48.1% 46.7% $214

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$102 20.1% 60.6% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$81 15.9% 61.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Nuwara Eliya

$70 13.8% 57.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 93.3% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Nuwara Eliya

$1.9 * 0.4% 98.3% $108

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $25 in Nuwara Eliya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $245 per month, with Nuwara Eliya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

12:44 12:44 PM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

27,500

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.7 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 8, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.7 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 8, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Nuwara Eliya 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuwara Eliya 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.

You’d need roughly $5,392 in Singapore and $764 in Nuwara Eliya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

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

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

Safety-wise, Singapore and Nuwara Eliya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.