Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkala and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $38,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
Learn more

Varkala Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

Jump to prices

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varkala 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 Varkala and in Singapore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $383 in Varkala versus $3,594 in Singapore.

Varkala $383
Singapore $3,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $608 in Varkala versus $5,314 in Singapore.

Varkala $608
Singapore $5,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $833 in Varkala versus $7,033 in Singapore.

Varkala $833
Singapore $7,033

Living in Varkala costs roughly 89% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varkala is 72% below, Singapore is 166% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ₹214

$11.58 SGD 14.84

-80.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.35 ₹972

$70.7 SGD 90.5

-85.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.45 ₹324

$8.46 SGD 10.84

-59.22%

Cappuccino

$1.57 ₹148

$5.18 SGD 6.64

-69.69%

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

$0.37 ₹34.98

$1.84 SGD 2.36

-79.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ₹16.45

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-85.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 ₹165

$9.50 SGD 12.17

-81.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₹294

$9.86 SGD 12.63

-68.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 ₹66.9

$3.02 SGD 3.87

-76.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₹42.20

$2.67 SGD 3.42

-83.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₹61.8

$2.77 SGD 3.54

-76.17%

Eggs

$0.89 ₹83.7

$3.72 SGD 4.77

-76.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.87 ₹457

$21.01 SGD 26.92

-76.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 ₹281

$9.95 SGD 12.75

-69.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₹192

$4.59 SGD 5.88

-55.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 ₹69.7

$3.09 SGD 3.96

-76.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 ₹92.1

$4.64 SGD 5.95

-78.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 ₹50.5

$2.18 SGD 2.79

-75.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.76

$2.33 SGD 2.99

-83.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 ₹39.99

$2.31 SGD 2.96

-81.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₹41.95

$1.86 SGD 2.39

-75.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹29.90

$1.55 SGD 1.98

-79.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ₹365

$14.11 SGD 18.08

-72.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 ₹702

$23.24 SGD 29.78

-67.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₹159

$4.73 SGD 6.06

-64.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹259

$4.79 SGD 6.14

-42.38%

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

$5.59 ₹524

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₹26.19

$1.53 SGD 1.96

-81.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.77 ₹824

$96.5 SGD 124

-90.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₹77.9

$3.58 SGD 4.59

-76.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₹23.22

$0.76 SGD 0.97

-67.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ₹134

$16.98 SGD 21.75

-91.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ₹109

$2.46 SGD 3.15

-52.85%

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

$13.8K ₹1.3M

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

-91.34%

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

$22.2K ₹2.1M

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

-85.71%

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

$38.26 ₹3,593

$168 SGD 215

-77.22%

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

$3.52 ₹330

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-71.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.13 ₹669

$28.18 SGD 36.11

-74.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.61 ₹1,466

$111 SGD 142

-85.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.10 ₹667

$11.60 SGD 14.86

-38.79%

Cinema Ticket

$2.85 ₹268

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-76.72%

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

$51.9 ₹4,875

$1,899 SGD 2,433

-97.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,542 ₹144.8K

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

-96.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.46 ₹2,297

$79.6 SGD 102

-69.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.88 ₹2,337

$50.7 SGD 65.0

-50.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.84 ₹3,929

$112 SGD 143

-62.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.94 ₹2,905

$125 SGD 160

-75.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 ₹11.6K

$3,191 SGD 4,089

-96.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.4 ₹7,084

$2,257 SGD 2,892

-96.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ₹25.7K

$6,173 SGD 7,910

-95.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹16.8K

$4,035 SGD 5,170

-95.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,051 ₹98.7K

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

-95.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$599 ₹56.3K

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

-96.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.67

2.44

255.33%

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

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Varkala

$105 27.5%

Singapore

$459 12.8% 337% $354

Accommodation & Living

Varkala

$75 19.7%

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8% 2892% $2.2K

Eating Out

Varkala

$65 16.9%

Singapore

$260 7.2% 301% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Varkala

$55 14.4%

Singapore

$165 4.6% 200% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkala

$49 12.8%

Singapore

$208 5.8% 326% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Varkala

$21 5.6%

Singapore

$135 3.8% 534% $114

Getting Around

Varkala

$12 3.1%

Singapore

$110 3.1% 819% $98

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $123 in Varkala and $3,191 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $10 in Varkala vs $71 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $105 vs $459 per month, with Varkala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Varkala

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Varkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 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 = 9.48 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varkala Singapore 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Varkala
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

Varkala vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varkala is about 89% 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 $574 in Varkala and $5,392 in Singapore 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: $123 in Varkala 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 $383 per month in Varkala versus $3,594 in Singapore – Varkala is about 89% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Varkala runs roughly 91% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $383 in Varkala versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Varkala but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Varkala 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, Varkala and Singapore are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Varkala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.