Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Trincomalee

For one person, living is cheaper in Trincomalee: $511 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 Trincomalee
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Trincomalee Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Trincomalee

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Trincomalee

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $511 in Trincomalee.

Singapore $3,594
Trincomalee $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $830 in Trincomalee.

Singapore $5,314
Trincomalee $830

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,149 in Trincomalee.

Singapore $7,033
Trincomalee $1,149

Living in Singapore is roughly 603% more expensive than in Trincomalee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$3.75 LKR 1,247

208.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$25.12 LKR 8,354

181.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$7.43 LKR 2,471

13.86%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$2.54 LKR 844

103.94%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.69 LKR 228

166.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.25 LKR 82.2

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$2.23 LKR 740

326.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$3.08 LKR 1,023

220.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.57 LKR 522

92.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.53 LKR 176

403.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.81 LKR 270

241.98%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.69 LKR 560

120.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$15.08 LKR 5,013

39.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$5.02 LKR 1,669

98.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$7.42 LKR 2,468

238.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$6.66 LKR 2,215

-31.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.89 LKR 297

247.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.18 LKR 1,389

11.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.33 LKR 443

63.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.08 LKR 359

115.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.82 LKR 274

181.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.21 LKR 402

53.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.42 LKR 141

269.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$10.28 LKR 3,417

37.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$13.81 LKR 4,591

68.28%

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 979

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 133

795.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.33 LKR 111

130.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$0.93 LKR 310

1725.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.37 LKR 457

79.56%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

272.17%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$46.4K LKR 15.4M

235.74%

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

$168 SGD 215

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

198.93%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.23 LKR 1,406

189.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$21.11 LKR 7,019

33.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$4.61 LKR 1,533

165.51%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$39.68 LKR 13.2K

4685.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

123.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.34 LKR 6,100

334.24%

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

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

40.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.96 LKR 14.0K

196.81%

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 Trincomalee: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Trincomalee

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Trincomalee

$244 47.7% 46.9% $216

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Trincomalee

$104 20.3% 60% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Trincomalee

$82 16% 60.9% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Trincomalee

$71 13.8% 57.1% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Trincomalee

$9.2 * 1.8% 93.2% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Trincomalee

$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

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $25 in Trincomalee for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $244 per month, with Trincomalee cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Trincomalee

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

99,100

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Singapore Trincomalee 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Trincomalee

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 Trincomalee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Trincomalee 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 $766 in Trincomalee 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 Trincomalee. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Trincomalee – 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 $511 in Trincomalee versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Trincomalee but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Trincomalee 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 Trincomalee are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.