Moving to Sri Lanka from Singapore
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Singapore to Sri Lanka — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Singapore to Sri Lanka, you would find that Sri Lanka is 65.9% cheaper than Singapore overall. A SGD96,870 salary in Singapore would need to be roughly LKR5,450,276 in Sri Lanka to maintain the same lifestyle.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Singapore to Sri Lanka.
What does your salary buy?
SGD96,870 → LKR5,450,276
To maintain the same standard of living in Sri Lanka
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 45.6% less
Groceries
pay 42.8% less
Transportation
pay 72.5% less
Housing
pay 79.8% less
Childcare
pay 97.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 61.9% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Singapore to Sri Lanka, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Sri Lanka?
Top countries of origin for Sri Lanka's foreign-born residents.
- 10,837
- 5,168
- 2,481
- 1,753
- 1,688
- 1,416
- · · ·
-
15.612
Singapore
Key Indicator Comparison
How Singapore and Sri Lanka stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Singapore performs better than Sri Lanka across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Singapore generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sri Lanka leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Singapore generally does better on environment, though Sri Lanka leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Singapore performs better than Sri Lanka across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Singapore generally does better on employment & economy, though Sri Lanka leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Singapore performs better than Sri Lanka across all family life metrics.
Data: Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Singapore | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 89°/76°F (31°/25°C) | 88°/73°F (31°/23°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 90°/78°F (32°/26°C) | 88°/77°F (31°/25°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/78°F (31°/25°C) | 86°/77°F (30°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 88°/76°F (31°/25°C) | 86°/74°F (30°/23°C) |
View all months
| Month | Singapore | Colombo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87°/76°F (30.6°/24.3°C) | 88°/72°F (30.9°/22.3°C) |
| Feb | 89°/76°F (31.5°/24.6°C) | 88°/73°F (31.2°/22.6°C) |
| Mar | 90°/77°F (32.2°/24.9°C) | 89°/75°F (31.7°/23.7°C) |
| Apr | 90°/78°F (32.4°/25.3°C) | 89°/76°F (31.8°/24.6°C) |
| May | 90°/78°F (32.3°/25.7°C) | 88°/78°F (31.1°/25.5°C) |
| Jun | 89°/78°F (31.9°/25.7°C) | 87°/78°F (30.4°/25.5°C) |
| Jul | 89°/78°F (31.4°/25.4°C) | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.2°C) |
| Aug | 89°/78°F (31.4°/25.3°C) | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.1°C) |
| Sep | 89°/77°F (31.6°/25.2°C) | 86°/77°F (30.2°/24.8°C) |
| Oct | 89°/77°F (31.8°/25.0°C) | 86°/75°F (30.0°/24.0°C) |
| Nov | 88°/76°F (31.2°/24.6°C) | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.2°C) |
| Dec | 87°/76°F (30.5°/24.3°C) | 87°/73°F (30.3°/22.8°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Service Singapore,
National Meteorological Centre
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Singapore and Sri Lanka. To live, work, or study long-term in Sri Lanka, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Sri Lanka's immigration authority.
Singapore passport holder visiting Sri Lanka
Visa Free
Sri Lanka passport holder visiting Singapore
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Sri Lanka than Singapore?
Generally yes: Sri Lanka runs about 78% cheaper than Singapore on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Sri Lanka?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a SGD96,870 comparable salary, that's around LKR1,362,569 in Sri Lanka for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Sri Lanka?
With 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Sri Lanka can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Singapore and Sri Lanka.
Is Sri Lanka safe for expats?
Singapore performs better than Sri Lanka across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Sri Lanka is 3.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.1 in Singapore.
How is healthcare in Sri Lanka compared to Singapore?
Singapore generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sri Lanka leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 11.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Sri Lanka, compared to 26.0 in Singapore. Sri Lanka scores 67 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Singapore: 89).
What's the weather like in Sri Lanka compared to Singapore?
The average high temperature in Colombo is 87°F, compared to 89°F in Singapore. Colombo receives around 99.4 in of rainfall per year, while Singapore gets 83.2 in.
What language do they speak in Sri Lanka?
The official languages in Sri Lanka are Sinhala and Tamil. In Singapore, the official languages are Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil.
