Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varanasi and Singapore

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.

14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
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Varanasi Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varanasi and in Singapore

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Varanasi and in Singapore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Varanasi $293
Singapore $3,594

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

Varanasi $483
Singapore $5,314

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

Varanasi $672
Singapore $7,033

Living in Varanasi costs roughly 92% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ₹177

$11.58 SGD 14.84

-83.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.02 ₹753

$70.7 SGD 90.5

-88.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.21 ₹302

$8.46 SGD 10.84

-62.06%

Cappuccino

$1.65 ₹155

$5.18 SGD 6.64

-68.15%

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

$0.41 ₹38.43

$1.84 SGD 2.36

-77.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.02

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-91.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹152

$9.50 SGD 12.17

-82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₹199

$9.86 SGD 12.63

-78.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 ₹62.1

$3.02 SGD 3.87

-78.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 ₹27.01

$2.67 SGD 3.42

-89.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.3

$2.77 SGD 3.54

-80.51%

Eggs

$0.83 ₹77.9

$3.72 SGD 4.77

-77.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.28 ₹308

$21.01 SGD 26.92

-84.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.13 ₹200

$9.95 SGD 12.75

-78.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 ₹134

$4.59 SGD 5.88

-68.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹60.8

$3.09 SGD 3.96

-78.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 ₹83.8

$4.64 SGD 5.95

-80.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 ₹32.45

$2.18 SGD 2.79

-83.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 ₹24.48

$2.33 SGD 2.99

-88.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.24 ₹22.53

$2.31 SGD 2.96

-89.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₹42.93

$1.86 SGD 2.39

-75.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.36

$1.55 SGD 1.98

-81.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 ₹300

$14.11 SGD 18.08

-77.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.83 ₹548

$23.24 SGD 29.78

-74.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₹151

$4.73 SGD 6.06

-65.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₹186

$4.79 SGD 6.14

-58.66%

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

$4.24 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 ₹52.0

$1.53 SGD 1.96

-64.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.71 ₹912

$96.5 SGD 124

-89.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.24 ₹22.52

$3.58 SGD 4.59

-93.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.12 ₹10.89

$0.76 SGD 0.97

-84.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.0

$16.98 SGD 21.75

-93.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹99.1

$2.46 SGD 3.15

-57.32%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

-92.93%

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

$22.2K ₹2.1M

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

-85.74%

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

$12.68 ₹1,191

$168 SGD 215

-92.45%

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

$3.63 ₹341

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-70.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.84 ₹643

$28.18 SGD 36.11

-75.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.72 ₹1,194

$111 SGD 142

-88.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 ₹273

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-76.23%

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

$38.77 ₹3,641

$1,899 SGD 2,433

-97.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,088 ₹102.2K

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

-97.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.62 ₹2,218

$79.6 SGD 102

-70.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.11 ₹2,358

$50.7 SGD 65.0

-50.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.81 ₹3,644

$112 SGD 143

-65.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.32 ₹2,377

$125 SGD 160

-79.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ₹10.7K

$3,191 SGD 4,089

-96.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.99 ₹4,413

$2,257 SGD 2,892

-97.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$200 ₹18.7K

$6,173 SGD 7,910

-96.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$140 ₹13.1K

$4,035 SGD 5,170

-96.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$560 ₹52.5K

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

-97.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$340 ₹31.9K

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

-97.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$575 ₹53.9K

$4,526 SGD 5,799

-87.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.53

2.44

249.59%

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

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varanasi

$82 28%

Singapore

$459 12.8% 461% $377

Eating Out

Varanasi

$59 20.1%

Singapore

$260 7.2% 341% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Varanasi

$51 17.3%

Singapore

$165 4.6% 225% $114

Accommodation & Living

Varanasi

$47 16%

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8% 4703% $2.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varanasi

$23 7.9%

Singapore

$208 5.8% 800% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Varanasi

$19 6.3%

Singapore

$135 3.8% 629% $117

Getting Around

Varanasi

$13 4.4%

Singapore

$110 3.1% 762% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $114 in Varanasi and $3,191 in Singapore. 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: $8 in Varanasi vs $71 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $82 vs $459 per month, with Varanasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

05:05 5:05 AM

07:35 7:35 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Varanasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,100,000

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

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).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Varanasi
Singapore

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

Varanasi vs Singapore: 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.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Varanasi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $114 in Varanasi versus $3,191 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $293 per month in Varanasi versus $3,594 in Singapore – 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.