Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Vavuniya

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

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Vavuniya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Vavuniya

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

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

Singapore $3,594
Vavuniya $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $805 in Vavuniya.

Singapore $5,314
Vavuniya $805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,099 in Vavuniya.

Singapore $7,033
Vavuniya $1,099

Living in Singapore is roughly 604% more expensive than in Vavuniya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.85

$3.87 LKR 1,285

199.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.6

$14.87 LKR 4,943

375.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.85

$7.54 LKR 2,508

12.20%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.65

$2.53 LKR 840

104.74%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.40 LKR 132

360.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.25 LKR 82.4

392.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.18

$2.18 LKR 725

335.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.65

$2.97 LKR 987

231.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.64 LKR 546

84.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.57 LKR 189

368.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.55

$0.77 LKR 254

259.74%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.63 LKR 543

128.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.94

$15.50 LKR 5,155

35.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.76

$5.14 LKR 1,710

93.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.23

$7.39 LKR 2,459

240.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.89

$6.66 LKR 2,213

-31.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.88 LKR 293

251.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$4.27 LKR 1,421

8.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.31 LKR 436

66.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.08 LKR 358

115.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.97

$0.76 LKR 254

203.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.24 LKR 413

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.43 LKR 143

260.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.10

$10.16 LKR 3,377

38.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.81

$13.31 LKR 4,426

74.61%

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

$2.85 LKR 949

68.07%

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

$0.41 LKR 135

773.17%

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

$0.88 LKR 294

1829.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.31 LKR 436

87.79%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.4K

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

267.72%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.7K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

241.22%

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

$168 SGD 215

$56.4 LKR 18.7K

197.87%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.69

$4.10 LKR 1,363

198.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.14

$20.92 LKR 6,955

34.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.88

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.70

$4.56 LKR 1,515

168.42%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,435

$39.87 LKR 13.3K

4662.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.2K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

123.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.42 LKR 6,125

332.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$17.75 LKR 5,902

185.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

44.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$41.50 LKR 13.8K

200.10%

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 Vavuniya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Vavuniya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Vavuniya

$245 48% 46.6% $214

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Vavuniya

$103 20.2% 60.2% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Vavuniya

$81 15.9% 60.9% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Vavuniya

$70 13.7% 57.7% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Vavuniya

$9.1 * 1.8% 93.3% $126

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Vavuniya

$2 * 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 $15 in Vavuniya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $245 per month, with Vavuniya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Vavuniya

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

06:17 6:17 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

99,600

💱 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 7, 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 7, 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 Vavuniya 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Vavuniya

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 Vavuniya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vavuniya 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 Vavuniya 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 Vavuniya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Vavuniya – a meal for two runs $15 versus $71 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $511 in Vavuniya versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Vavuniya but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Vavuniya 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 Vavuniya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.