Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Ragama

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

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Ragama

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

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

Singapore $3,594
Ragama $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $828 in Ragama.

Singapore $5,314
Ragama $828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,146 in Ragama.

Singapore $7,033
Ragama $1,146

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$3.88 LKR 1,289

198.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$24.68 LKR 8,208

186.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$7.40 LKR 2,459

14.32%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$2.44 LKR 813

112.30%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.67 LKR 223

174.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.25 LKR 82.8

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$2.22 LKR 740

327.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$2.96 LKR 984

233.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.64 LKR 544

84.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.53 LKR 176

403.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.80 LKR 267

246.25%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.63 LKR 542

128.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$15.16 LKR 5,042

38.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$5.02 LKR 1,668

98.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$7.73 LKR 2,569

225.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$6.65 LKR 2,211

-30.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.87 LKR 290

255.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.17 LKR 1,387

11.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.27 LKR 422

71.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.03 LKR 343

126.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.82 LKR 273

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 152

236.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$10.12 LKR 3,365

39.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$13.32 LKR 4,430

74.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.89 LKR 627

150.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$2.86 LKR 951

67.48%

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 102

145.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$0.87 LKR 289

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

272.31%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$45.3K LKR 15.1M

243.54%

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

$168 SGD 215

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

195.62%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.18 LKR 1,389

192.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$20.40 LKR 6,785

38.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.62 LKR 1,535

164.94%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$40.68 LKR 13.5K

4567.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$17.0K LKR 5.7M

129.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$17.86 LKR 5,940

345.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.69 LKR 5,882

186.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

40.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.15 LKR 13.7K

202.65%

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 Ragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Ragama

$244 47.8% 47% $216

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Ragama

$103 20.3% 60.2% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Ragama

$81 16% 60.9% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Ragama

$70 13.8% 57.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Ragama

$9.2 * 1.8% 93.2% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Ragama

$1.9 * 0.4% 98.2% $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 Ragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $244 per month, with Ragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

15,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Singapore Ragama 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,594 in Singapore and $510 in Ragama, so Ragama is about 86% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $5,392 in Singapore and $765 in Ragama 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 $41 in Ragama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ragama – 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 Ragama versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ragama but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Ragama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.