Cost of Living in Singapore

Summary of cost of living in Singapore, Singapore:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 10.38 $ 5.19-18.54
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 66.75 $ 37.08-133.50
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 7.42 $ 5.93-8.53
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 7.42 $ 3.71-11.87
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.42 $ 5.19-12.46
Cappuccino (regular) 4.62 $ 2.82-5.93
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 1.55 $ 1.11-2.97
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.11 $ 0.74-2.15
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 10.06 $ 6.32-16.85
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1.93 $ 1.31-4.71
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.28 $ 0.67-2.02
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.20 $ 2.37-4.45
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7.19 $ 3.36-13.46
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 4.66 $ 1.90-10.77
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.04 $ 4.01-14.92
Apples (1 lb) 1.87 $ 1.01-3.36
Banana (1 lb) 1.31 $ 0.67-2.02
Oranges (1 lb) 1.83 $ 1.01-3.36
Tomato (1 lb) 1.24 $ 0.67-2.69
Potato (1 lb) 0.98 $ 0.50-1.41
Onion (1 lb) 0.95 $ 0.64-1.68
Lettuce (1 head) 1.79 $ 1.15-2.97
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.47 $ 0.74-2.60
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 25.96 $ 14.83-37.08
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 3.92 $ 2.60-5.93
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 4.88 $ 2.60-7.34
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 12.61 $ 11.57-18.54
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.48 $ 1.11-2.23
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 89.00 $ 66.75-94.93
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.41 $ 2.97-4.45
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 1.19 $ 0.78-2.39
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 15.50 $ 11.13-22.25
Gasoline (1 gallon) 8.17 $ 7.02-9.83
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 133,501.45 $ 111,251.21-148,334.94
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 120,507.22 $ 108,201.44-133,501.45
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 155.38 $ 89.00-252.17
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 16.40 $ 7.42-37.08
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 34.22 $ 22.25-48.21
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 111.22 $ 59.33-185.42
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 12.40 $ 7.42-18.54
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 11.13 $ 9.64-14.83
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,118.77 $ 593.34-1,854.19
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 27,170.76 $ 21,137.73-37,083.74
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 68.26 $ 37.08-111.25
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 43.04 $ 22.25-73.43
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 96.15 $ 59.33-148.33
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 113.08 $ 59.33-185.42
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,697.09 $ 1,631.68-3,708.37
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,990.16 $ 1,335.01-2,595.86
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 5,489.82 $ 3,560.04-7,787.58
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,698.33 $ 2,595.86-5,191.72
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,997.86 $ 1,557.35-2,744.17
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,326.21 $ 1,033.55-1,631.67
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,178.08 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 3.38 2.50-4.75

Prices in Singapore

This city had 3884 entries in the past 12 months by 645 different contributors.
Last update: December 2024
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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50 Comments so far
Anonymous on Oct 13, 2024:
why westerners are so privileged even in rich Asian country? (exa:Skorea Japan ingapore)
Luciano on Aug 25, 2024:
I'm a full-time,Latin American PhD student with a SGD 2700 scholarship, living with my wife on campus.

We spend 1600 on rent, 400 on food (4 times a day, generally we cook), 50 on transportation (we cycle) and 100 on 'Others'. We invest the rest in unit trusts.

You can have an incredible quality of life just being austere and financially smart. S'pore shopping culture is very intense and promotes overconsumption, yet you have plenty of options to consume.

You can go to wholesale market at Tanjong Pagar or buy reduced to clear veggies at Giant or you can buy at Cold Storage: it's up to you being a spoiled person who doesn't know how to manage your income.

Westerns (specially Europeans and Anglo-Saxons) live above their income to sustain their posh, pretentious, and privileged way of life, yet they have a lot to learn from this pro-market welfare state that is S'pore.

The international school, the maid, the Grab, the ordered food, insurance, the country club membership. Neither you nor your family needs that. Go local, eat chicken rice, drink Kopi, send your kids to a MOE school, use MRT, do volunteering, do CPF.

Be humble and discreet: You're not royalty just because you come from a colonialist country.
The Professor on Aug 17, 2024:
Wow I was thinking of moving to Singapore as an IT worker but these rent prices are crazy! I wonder are foreigners still moving to Singapore? If so, can foreigners somehow get cheap apartments/studios like HDB or are they paying the prices we see at the site? If so seems like it doesn't make much financial sense to move there no?
Anonymous on Aug 10, 2024:
Hi guys,

I want to join conference in Singaopre in the coming September. I will stay for about a week, but I wonder if the living cost is so expensive. Actually i like to visit Singapore. Averagely how much cost I need to expense for a week?

Thanks!
alvin11 on Jul 15, 2024:
If you live in the normal apartment's single room (commonly known as HDB - the price range from SGD600 to 1200 depending on area).

Monthly food expenses at the hawker centre (food court) will be roughly (SGD500 to 1000 depending on area).

Transportation wise is pretty low (SGD50~150 depending on your distance/travel frequency).

In average monthly expenses will be roughly SGD1500-2000 at non central area, and roughly SGD2500-no limit at CBD.
Ian on Jun 24, 2024:
For short term experience, yes. $2.5k USD is more than enough with accommodation settled. For long term no unless you intend to be a bartender for life.

Varun - if you are frugal you can rent a single room which goes for about $1.2k SGD. 1 bedroom apartments from $2.5k onwards depending on your appetite. Otherwise more than enough.
Anonymous Bartender on Apr 17, 2024:
Hello, I am 25, male, I’ve been offered a bartender job in Singapore, they will give me a room in hotel to stay. I’ll eat there, I neither smoke nor drink alcohol. They pay will be around 2.5k usd. Since I won’t have any expenses, I think it will be enough for me to live there. I wonder if you suggest me to accept the offer. Are there any cons of living in Singapore?
Varun on Mar 28, 2024:
I have been offered SGD$9892 per month pre tax as a salary. Is this enough for a single man living and working in Singapore?
Anonymous on Mar 11, 2024:
indeed life is good here (referring to the comment below) but the cost of life has increased dramatically. it used to cost me less than SGD20 to get to the airport, now it is about SGD30. You cannot get a flat under SGD3,000 - or you may live in the north of the island, where it would take forever to get to town and work. Since late 2021, the rent went crazy - most people had their rent increased by 75% or more (in our case 105%), for many different reasons. if you don't have enough money for rent and school tuition, life will be tough in SG.
Anonymous on Feb 04, 2024:
Now prices have come down, life is actually pretty good here.

Compared with Switzerland, London, or California it is very affordable here.
Anonymous on Dec 01, 2023:
Holy hell, average salary is more than double that of Sweden! Now I feel Europe is a new 3rd world country!
Amidu samura on Aug 17, 2023:
I want to visit and work at singapore but how can you help me please,
Am a sierra leonean but i love everything about singapore my second country in the world
lilian on Jul 30, 2023:
I am so happy to live just a 45 minutes flight away from Singapore. Just need 500 SIN to live and eat properly without rent for a single person. ( Sarawak town).
Big landed bungalow here just costs 300k SIN inclusive of land in certain areas.
Crime rates are not as random as Johor or the West Malaysia.'
Quality of life is way above the price we pay for.
A lot of Singaporeans are actually investing in second home here in Sarawak, Borneo.
Anonymous on Jun 30, 2023:
Real Singaporean here. If you’re earning at least $6k (single) you might be able to live in Singapore and not suffer. Groceries varies on how much you cook. Eating out is cheaper than cooking, you can get a decent meal at the hawker for $5-20 depending what you order. Transport is cheap, don’t need a car, roughly $40-50 a month. Rent is the killer, $2400 and above for one bed room apartment. Or you can rent 1 room ($800-1200) with other tenants in a house but you get less privacy. You want to know what rental market is like in Singapore you can use PropertyGuru website to gage. Decent night life (can be expensive) but limited art/creativity for this place. The best thing that many expats would say is traveling to nearby countries. Bangkok/Taiwan/Korea/Malaysia/Bali and etc. Airticket cost $150-300 depending on location.

**If you have kids/family this is not a right place for your kids, you can read about it online or comments below.
arixoN on Jun 26, 2023:
hey guys, I'll be studying at SG for a semester (non-exchange international program). For someone who will be living 80% of their live near or around the uni, are these prices up-to-date?
Patrick on May 28, 2023:
Hi,

Just considering moving toward my career path, what are your thought if I could have 2 persons with total income around 15k~ no kids?

Would I be able to save some money and live in a decent apartment?
Anonymous on Apr 03, 2023:
just left after 10 years living there as a foreigner. Unless your household income is >15K month (2 adults/ 1 child), you wont save a lot anymore unfortunately. Costs have truly soared, esp. for foreigners since owning property requires large upfront cash amt., and rents have increased 30% in last 18 months (for most areas that foreigners would prefer to stay). Generally all costs have increased 10-20% over last 18 months as well.

In my opinion, the shinning stars are public transport, travel around Asia, eating out (not cheap either anymore, but still great options and good quality), work/career options if your in the right industries (financials, high-tech (biotech, fintech) etc).

As some have mentioned, its still an amazing city if your able to save (DINK, or company paying for some of the majors like rent, schooling)) or want to use it as a base to work and explore.
Haris on Mar 03, 2023:
Born and bred Singaporean male for 25 years.

Moved elsewhere this year due to staggering cost of living and no hopes of owning/renting a home.

Youre better off elsewhere if your a mid-income earner 3-6k SGD /month
Anonymous on Feb 25, 2023:
3-4K school International, 4K rental, 4k other expense + Tax.

If own hdb and public school than may be...
ABC on Feb 24, 2023:
Salary of 11K is enough. ? with wife and 2 primary school kids?
Yan Jiang on Feb 23, 2023:
Don't take the self-deception concept that you don't need a car here. Public transport here is cheap, but is far from a reasonable substitute of owning a car. Firstly metro lines are not as extensive as other major cities. And with most MRT stations constructed in the last century, the space and facilities can hardly support the growing passenger today, making some major stations like Jurong East constantly crowded. On the other hand, the high-density buses stops make bus extremely slow, even taking comparable time as walking. Road trip is unrealistic here, due to both high cost of owning a car and the tiny territory - don't expect cross the boarder to Malaysia, the queue on weekends and public holidays will kill you
Anonymous on Feb 20, 2023:
Rentals are going up with crushing speed...hdb asking premium segment price and condo following to keep a pace acrossing Citi outskirts over 5.5K per mark
Anonymous on Feb 13, 2023:
I am in Singapore for 7 years now
If you are not earning 15k a month and you are coming with the family don’t bother
Your spouse most likely won’t get a job here you can’t freelance as well
House: not central - 3bd - 6.5k
International school - 30k/year - you can send your kid to a local school but as a forigner you can’t choose you can get what’s left; singaporean School system havily focused on tests very competitive; teachers very strict and speak singlish; 0 creativity and team work
Groceries - without alcohol - 3people - 200$ a week
Public transport - the best and the cheapest in the world you truly you don’t need a car here
No theatres, no music scene limited art life
Beautiful parks and greenery
Amazing playgrounds
Good for couple of years as an adventure especially if you are DINK
Anonymous on Feb 12, 2023:
Avg salary 5-6K, workpass issues at 3.5K and 6K minimum. Current rental pricing 1 bed 3.5K. Hdb 3 bed asking price 4-5k. Only option is co-living if allowed.
Anonymous on Dec 14, 2022:
All information is online, rental on property guru range from 3.8K to 65K monthly depends on luxury affordable.... school fees 1.5K - 4.5K on school website... tax info on government site, fair price for grocery... best denki, courts of goods :)
Taxi on grab.... COE price on web portal :), car on deal site... it keep varies...
Anonymous on Dec 12, 2022:
Rental prices are going crazy as high as high $25000 to non luxury two bedroom $4200 Condo.... HDB still so high range $6000 to $3800.

https://www.propertyguru.com.sg/listing/23153173/for-rent-marina-bay-residences

Schools\Food and other spending... if someone pay rental/school/tax I guess 8000K even not good enough. But probably work in some cases... no idea any comments?
Anonymous on Dec 12, 2022:
7500 SGD per month, is not good salary in Singapore barley to manage unless you stay in shared accomedation by renting 1 common room. or willing to let go 60% of salary to only in rental.
positve comments please on Dec 11, 2022:
can 7500 SGD per month is sustaiable salary for family of 3 (husband/wife/3 year kid)......E pass...no 13 month salary...no health insurance by employer .....no accomodation by employer is given.....
Anonymous on Dec 07, 2022:
Some people comments below missing points, prices are very high but when account earning from other nation like apple to apple... most of it adjusted. Since cost of labour, storage and other play a big role. Most expensive components are medical, car and property... in recent uncertain time its going up...rentals, home buying, cars and others too...
SG-M on Dec 06, 2022:
Recent days prices are gone up like anything A Singaporean couple shared how their entire budget shoot up then loan rate increased from 2-3%. Government trying for their Citizen to cushion as possible (good thing) and most of them possibly manage to with some impact (like all other countries).
Horror stories are those paying rental.... As usual like other countries property agents work to keep pushing rental prices up and forcing existing tenants to look somewhere else. Prices has gone up by 70% (as article published). Reality is more complex probably rental double up in some cases and even asking price is going up every month…. infect people become greedy to ask $500 more with each ask…

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/housing-rent-prices-expats-70-increase-landlords-tenants-3060231
Jeff on Nov 18, 2022:
For rental accommodation I suggest that people should check out a local real estate page, like www.propertyguru.com. There you will see the market.
konara mudiyanselage Abeysekara on Jul 02, 2022:
Howmuch an couple needs per month including or excluding rent for appartement.
Anonymous on May 25, 2022:
Any Senior or retirees here? To share how much an couple needs per month excluding rental to living comfortably in Singapore?
answering on Jan 22, 2022:
the median monthly gross income in sg is 4.5k including compulsory govt CPF (equivalent of 401k) deductions of 20%. net income would be around 3.6k.

the average non-white collar singaporean earns about 2-3k salaries and are able to survive as they don't rent and live with family who own a house. not much of a rental culture in singapore.

a single expat will be able to live comfortably on 5-6k/month if they don't splurge on restaurants daily and take public transport (it takes max 1.5 hours to travel the country from one end to the other on our trains).

if you are bringing school-going kids, private schools for foreigners are expensive (2-3k monthly per kid). companies should cover healthcare insurance.

main expense will be rental. the prices are quite accurate but take note it will keep rising as property prices are skyrocketing in the past few years. a 2 bedroom HDB flat that can house a family of 3 in the suburbs (tampines, yishun, jurong, etc) would be about 2-3.5k give or take, the closer you are to town/city center area it would be around 4-5k.

Condominiums are pricier than HDB flats but have security guards and facilities like swimming pools and slightly more privacy and quietness (but you can run into bad neighbours anywhere). there are no crime hotspots.

usually singaporeans don't live in town unless they have rich families or they want to emulate the high flyer rich businessman lifestyle (i.e. steve in keppel bay in the comments below)
Anonymous on Oct 26, 2021:
The rent problem plagues expats. Most locals will buy cheap HDB flats outside the city for as low as S$400,000
Hdr on Sep 17, 2021:
Hello everyone!
Is a salary of 6000S$ enough for a family of three ( Husband, wife and 1 year old kid)? Can we rent a house for about 3000S$?
Steve on Jul 05, 2021:
@J Wood. The prices are not just for expat. Show me a non HDB (government housing) with 3 bedrooms with rent for 2,000 and so many people would jump at this. I am not an expat but pay 4.5k for a 2 bedroom in keppel bay. So to me the rent seems too low. Yes an HDB rental with 3 bedrooms can rent for 2k but not private condos. Property Rent is and remains high in Singapore and has done for several years.
Chris on Apr 15, 2021:
Wish to live in Singapore and setup a business. Whats the stake?, what kind of business would b very lucrative in Singapore. What's the business environment like in Singapore? Replies needed pls. Thanks
Mass on Mar 31, 2021:
In a spark ignition engine, the fuel is mixed with air and then inducted into the cylinder during the intake process. After the piston compresses the fuel-air mixture, the spark ignites it, causing combustion. The expansion of the combustion gases pushes the piston during the power stroke.com
Anonymous on Mar 30, 2021:
these are some major supermarkets in Singapore.

https://www.fairprice.com.sg/
https://giant.sg/
https://www.allforyou.sg/
https://coldstorage.com.sg/ - this is at higher price end.

you may watch youtube on Singapore too to source cheap place to eat around the area

if you work in CBD area, high chance of you staying in Orchard - expensive
if you work in Changi, high change of you staying in Bedok, Tampines.

you do not need to stay in Condo/Apartment, for a 2A + 1 Child, renting a 3 room flat is quite decent.

Overall Singapore is a very nice country to live in.

Btw I am a local Singaporean earning only S$4k per month.
AJ on Mar 22, 2021:
If a company is taking care of Food & Accommodation. Is 3800SGD a month decent enough to survive.
Anonymous on Mar 11, 2021:
I am suggesting a school for anyone who has a good income or a company willing to pay school fees for their children. Singapore American School. It is a very high quality school. There are many great teachers and a good school for kids of all ages.
Anonymous on Mar 11, 2021:
@aria diego so if I invested 500,000$ I would make 6,000,000$ and this is guaranteed right. And anyone can use 5.5m once in a while. What is the limit amount?
Anonymous on Mar 09, 2021:
@molly 8k per year??? Thats not enough but if its month you should be fine...
Anonymous on Mar 09, 2021:
@mag school per month for my kids is 8k
J Wood on Mar 09, 2021:
I've been living here in Singapore for the past 16 years and these prices are mostly too high. For instance, my in-laws rent out their 3 bedroom apartment for a little over S$2000 per month.
I typical McDonald's meal can be had for as low as S$6.00. A meal from a Hawker center can be easily had for under S$4.00
What grocery store was this data harvested from? If you shop at NTUC Fairprice (where most locals shop) prices are MUCH LOWER.

It seems the prices above are for ex-pats with a large budget who live in the heart of the Central Business District or some other high-end place. The prices listed here are well above what the average citizen would pay.
Anonymous on Mar 06, 2021:
Singapore is a very clean modern city with all of the conviences.There's alot of different types of payscales mentioned here but that's normal. However expect to pay more for most everything especially living in a very safe city that's well run. One of the cleanest cities I've ever visited, Singapore.
Hania on Dec 23, 2020:
Hi, I need a post at your sites please let me know the price for the post.I am waiting for your reply. Thanks
Anonymous on Dec 09, 2020:
Hi, I'm from Bangladesh. I look for a wife with singapore passport. Must be 18-20 years old and virgin. Thanks.
Anonymous on Dec 06, 2020:
I am getting paid around 30000 SGD worth in indian rupees in India. Is it worth for me to move to singapore in search of a better job ?