Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $36,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
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Wattala Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Wattala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $574 in Wattala.

Singapore $3,594
Wattala $574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $951 in Wattala.

Singapore $5,314
Wattala $951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,328 in Wattala.

Singapore $7,033
Wattala $1,328

Living in Singapore is roughly 526% more expensive than in Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Wattala is 58% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.80

$3.83 LKR 1,274

202.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.3

$24.35 LKR 8,095

190.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.81

$7.64 LKR 2,539

10.73%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.62

$2.48 LKR 824

108.87%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.35

$0.68 LKR 227

170.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.27 LKR 89.9

355.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.14

$2.14 LKR 711

343.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.60

$3.04 LKR 1,011

224.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.86

$1.59 LKR 528

89.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.41

$0.54 LKR 178

394.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.77 LKR 256

259.74%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.76

$1.64 LKR 545

126.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.85

$14.00 LKR 4,654

50.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.71

$4.75 LKR 1,581

109.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.12

$7.34 LKR 2,439

242.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.87

$6.41 LKR 2,132

-28.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.95

$0.80 LKR 265

286.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.93

$4.37 LKR 1,452

6.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.78

$1.27 LKR 422

71.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.98

$1.05 LKR 348

121.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.77 LKR 256

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.38

$0.95 LKR 314

95.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.43 LKR 143

260.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.03

$10.26 LKR 3,410

37.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.70

$12.73 LKR 4,234

82.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.04

$1.89 LKR 630

150.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.12

$2.90 LKR 965

65.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.95

$0.20 LKR 66.4

665.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 123

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.58

$0.41 LKR 136

773.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.34 LKR 113

123.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.70

$0.89 LKR 295

1807.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.14

$1.13 LKR 376

117.70%

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

$159.4K SGD 203.7K

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

268.66%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.0K

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

285.10%

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

$168 SGD 215

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

184.93%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.64

$4.18 LKR 1,391

192.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.02

$20.89 LKR 6,946

34.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 141

$13.62 LKR 4,528

712.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.83

$4.57 LKR 1,519

153.83%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.64

$2.93 LKR 974

317.75%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,427

$37.76 LKR 12.6K

4928.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.0K

$1,202 LKR 399.6K

3155.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.04 LKR 5,997

341.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 64.8

$16.50 LKR 5,488

207.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$77.3 LKR 25.7K

44.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 159

$42.08 LKR 14.0K

195.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,079

$104 LKR 34.6K

2965.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,884

$61.1 LKR 20.3K

3595.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,889

$241 LKR 80.2K

2459.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,157

$178 LKR 59.1K

2170.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,784

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

12.69

-80.77%

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Wattala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 97.3% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Wattala

$234 40.7% 49.1% $226

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Wattala

$104 18.1% 60% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Wattala

$84 14.6% 59.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Wattala

$69 12.1% 58% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Wattala

$19 3.4% 85.6% $116

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 97.4% $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 $3,191 in Singapore and $104 in Wattala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $24 in Wattala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $234 per month, with Wattala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

30,200

💱 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.697 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 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 Wattala 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wattala is about 84% 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 $861 in Wattala 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,191 in Singapore versus $104 in Wattala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,899 in Singapore versus $38 in Wattala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wattala – a meal for two runs $24 versus $71 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $574 in Wattala versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Wattala but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Wattala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Wattala 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 Wattala are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.