v256.0 · cost of living · SG · verified 2026-04
Singapore cost of living
Cost-of-living breakdown for Singapore — rent in capital + secondary cities, groceries, dining, public transport, utilities, internet, gym, healthcare, schools. Includes USA + UK cost comparison, currency stability, and recent inflation.
Overview
World's most-expensive city for last 5+ years (EIU Worldwide Cost of Living) · Housing + car ownership extreme · Quality justifies premium · Tax-efficient
Rent — capital + secondary cities (SGD)
| 1-bed centre | CCR (Orchard, Tanglin, Marina): SGD 4,500-7,500/month · RCR (Bukit Timah, Tiong Bahru, Toa Payoh): SGD 3,500-5,000 · OCR (Tampines, Jurong, Punggol): SGD 2,500-3,500 |
| 1-bed outskirts | OCR (Tampines, Bedok, Yishun, Pasir Ris): SGD 2,200-3,200/month · HDB room rental: SGD 800-1,500 |
| 3-bed family | CCR condo: SGD 8,000-25,000/month · RCR condo: SGD 5,500-9,000 · OCR condo: SGD 4,500-7,000 · HDB 4-room flat: SGD 3,000-4,500 |
Groceries + dining
| Groceries (per person/month) | SGD 400-800 typical single (USD 295-590) · NTUC FairPrice + Sheng Siong value · Cold Storage + Marketplace premium · Wet markets fresh + affordable · Imported 20-40% above markets |
| Dining out | Hawker centre meal: SGD 5-9 · Coffee shop: SGD 6-10 · Mid-tier restaurant: SGD 20-40/person · Fine dining: SGD 80-300/person · Kopi: SGD 1.40-2.50 · Beer in bar: SGD 12-18 · Tiger draft: SGD 8-14 |
Transport + utilities + internet
| Public transport + commuting | MRT + bus EZ-Link single trip: SGD 0.99-2.40 · Concession travelpass (adult): SGD 128/month · Taxi base: SGD 3.90 + surcharges · Grab 30-60% above taxi · COE for car ownership: SGD 90K-130K (vehicle excluded) |
| Utilities + internet | SP Services electricity + water for 90sqm: SGD 200-400/month (AC year-round) · Singtel/StarHub/M1 internet 1 Gbps fibre: SGD 40-60/month · Mobile 50 GB: SGD 25-50/month |
Gym + healthcare + schools
Gym membership: SGD 100-250/month (Anytime Fitness, Pure, Virgin Active) · Mandatory CHAS for citizens; IHP for PR/foreign workers SGD 1,500-5,000/year · International schools SGD 30,000-65,000/year per child
Cost compared (relative)
| vs USA | ~120-150% of US cost (NYC/SF baseline) · Rent comparable to NYC SoHo/SF Marina · Schools premium · Cars 4-5x US cost · Healthcare comparable |
| vs UK | ~130-170% of UK cost (London baseline) |
Currency + inflation
| Currency stability | SGD floating against trade-weighted basket · MAS-managed NEER · Strong appreciation 2020-24 · Stable globally · USD/SGD ~1.30-1.38 range 2024-25 |
| Recent inflation | 2022 peak 6.1% · 2023 4.8% · 2024 ~3.0% · 2025 ~2.5% · GST raised 8%→9% Jan 2024 added ~0.6% one-off · Wage growth 4-5% |
Source: official Singapore statistics office · Last verified 2026-04
See also: Singapore country profile · cost-of-living atlas