Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: $709 a month against $3,556 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $34,200 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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Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,556

/mo nomad

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,556 in Singapore versus $709 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Singapore $3,556
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $709

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,319 in Singapore versus $1,098 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Singapore $5,319
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,098

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,082 in Singapore versus $1,487 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Singapore $7,082
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,487

Living in Singapore is roughly 401% more expensive than in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.65 SGD 14.89

$3.87 LKR 1,285

201.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 SGD 89.9

$25.29 LKR 8,405

178.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.20

$7.65 LKR 2,542

14.51%

Cappuccino

$5.26 SGD 6.73

$2.47 LKR 820

112.96%

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

$1.90 SGD 2.43

$0.72 LKR 239

163.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.25 LKR 82.8

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.44 SGD 12.06

$2.14 LKR 710

341.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 SGD 12.20

$2.95 LKR 980

223.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.01 SGD 3.84

$1.32 LKR 440

128.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 SGD 3.35

$0.38 LKR 125

589.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 SGD 3.52

$0.66 LKR 219

318.18%

Eggs

$3.81 SGD 4.87

$1.71 LKR 568

122.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.29 SGD 25.93

$15.11 LKR 5,022

34.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 SGD 12.52

$4.42 LKR 1,468

121.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.04 SGD 33.29

$7.63 LKR 2,536

241.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 SGD 5.88

$6.46 LKR 2,148

-28.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 SGD 3.93

$0.58 LKR 192

429.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.76 SGD 6.09

$4.11 LKR 1,364

15.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 SGD 2.89

$1.17 LKR 390

93.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 SGD 2.83

$0.93 LKR 311

138.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$0.79 LKR 262

201.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 SGD 2.43

$1.26 LKR 418

50.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 SGD 1.92

$0.42 LKR 139

257.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 SGD 18.28

$10.20 LKR 3,391

40.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.50 SGD 30.04

$10.36 LKR 3,443

126.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.93 SGD 6.30

$1.96 LKR 653

151.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 SGD 6.07

$2.87 LKR 954

65.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.9 SGD 121

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$0.31 LKR 104

1038.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 SGD 1.05

$0.33 LKR 110

148.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 SGD 21.87

$0.93 LKR 308

1739.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 SGD 3.31

$1.10 LKR 367

135.45%

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

$159.4K SGD 203.8K

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

261.89%

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

$158.8K SGD 203.0K

$46.2K LKR 15.4M

243.61%

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

$168 SGD 215

$45.32 LKR 15.1K

270.65%

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

$12.15 SGD 15.53

$4.30 LKR 1,429

182.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.88 SGD 35.63

$12.20 LKR 4,055

128.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$15.26 LKR 5,070

605.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 SGD 14.21

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 SGD 15.53

$2.97 LKR 986

309.09%

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

$1,845 SGD 2,358

$40.37 LKR 13.4K

4470.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.4K SGD 51.7K

$902 LKR 299.6K

4383.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$17.76 LKR 5,903

348.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 64.8

$17.75 LKR 5,899

185.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 SGD 141

$79.8 LKR 26.5K

38.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 SGD 162

$41.75 LKR 13.9K

202.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,203 SGD 4,094

$296 LKR 98.5K

980.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,220 SGD 2,838

$224 LKR 74.5K

889.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,146 SGD 7,857

$454 LKR 150.7K

1255.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 SGD 5,225

$370 LKR 122.9K

1005.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.2K SGD 29.6K

$682 LKR 226.8K

3298.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.1K

$518 LKR 172.1K

3093.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,510 SGD 5,765

$298 LKR 99.2K

1411.50%

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 8, 2026

Last update for Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62.4%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$224 31.6% 89.9% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$461 13%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$226 31.8% 51% $235

Eating Out

Singapore

$262 7.4%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$104 14.7% 60.3% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.9%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$62 8.7% 70.3% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$71 10% 57.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$132 3.7%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3% 83.9% $111

Getting Around

Singapore

$109 3.1%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2 * 0.3% 98.2% $107

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,203 in Singapore and $296 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 15 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $70 in Singapore vs $25 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $461 vs $226 per month, with Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

115,826 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.782 USD

1 SGD = 0.697 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.697 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 332 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is about 80% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Singapore is about 15 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,203 in Singapore versus $296 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,845 in Singapore versus $40 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte – a meal for two runs $25 versus $70 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $709 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $3,556 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Singapore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

It comes down to priorities – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte wins on affordability, Singapore on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.