Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $39,600 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Varanasi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $293 in Varanasi.

Singapore $3,594
Varanasi $293

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $483 in Varanasi.

Singapore $5,314
Varanasi $483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $672 in Varanasi.

Singapore $7,033
Varanasi $672

Living in Singapore is roughly 1127% more expensive than in Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Varanasi is 78% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$1.89 ₹177

512.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$8.02 ₹753

780.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$3.21 ₹302

163.55%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$1.65 ₹155

213.94%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.41 ₹38.43

348.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.11 ₹10.02

1018.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$1.62 ₹152

486.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$2.12 ₹199

365.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$0.66 ₹62.1

357.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.29 ₹27.01

820.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.54 ₹50.3

412.96%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$0.83 ₹77.9

348.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$3.28 ₹308

540.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$2.13 ₹200

367.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$1.43 ₹134

220.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.65 ₹60.8

375.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$0.89 ₹83.8

421.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$0.35 ₹32.45

522.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$0.26 ₹24.48

796.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.24 ₹22.53

862.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$0.46 ₹42.93

304.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.28 ₹26.36

453.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$3.20 ₹300

340.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$5.83 ₹548

298.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.61 ₹151

193.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$1.98 ₹186

141.92%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.24 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

$0.55 ₹52.0

178.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

$9.71 ₹912

893.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$0.24 ₹22.52

1391.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.12 ₹10.89

533.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$1.04 ₹98.0

1532.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.05 ₹99.1

134.29%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

1314.35%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$22.2K ₹2.1M

601.06%

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

$168 SGD 215

$12.68 ₹1,191

1224.45%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$3.63 ₹341

237.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$6.84 ₹643

311.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

$12.72 ₹1,194

769.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$2.91 ₹273

320.62%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$38.77 ₹3,641

4797.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$1,088 ₹102.2K

3495.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$23.62 ₹2,218

237.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$25.11 ₹2,358

101.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$38.81 ₹3,644

187.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$25.32 ₹2,377

391.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,089

$114 ₹10.7K

2700.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,892

$46.99 ₹4,413

4703.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,910

$200 ₹18.7K

2993.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,170

$140 ₹13.1K

2783.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$560 ₹52.5K

4111.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

$340 ₹31.9K

4758.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

$575 ₹53.9K

687.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

8.53

-71.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Varanasi

$47 16% 97.9% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Varanasi

$82 28% 82.2% $377

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Varanasi

$59 20.1% 77.3% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Varanasi

$23 7.9% 88.9% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Varanasi

$51 17.3% 69.2% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Varanasi

$19 6.3% 86.3% $117

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Varanasi

$13 4.4% 88.4% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,191 in Singapore and $114 in Varanasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 7.9 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $8 in Varanasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $82 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Varanasi 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varanasi is about 92% 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 7.9 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: $3,191 in Singapore versus $114 in Varanasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,594 per month in Singapore versus $293 in Varanasi – Varanasi is about 92% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Varanasi runs roughly 90% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $293 in Varanasi versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Varanasi but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Varanasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Varanasi 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.

Expats usually find Varanasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.