Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albany, NY and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Albany, NY: $2,776 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Singapore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

137

Cost of Living Index in Albany, NY
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Albany, NY Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Albany, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,776

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,776 in Albany, NY versus $3,500 in Singapore.

Albany, NY $2,776
Singapore $3,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,419 in Albany, NY versus $5,265 in Singapore.

Albany, NY $4,419
Singapore $5,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,061 in Albany, NY versus $7,030 in Singapore.

Albany, NY $6,061
Singapore $7,030

Living in Albany, NY costs roughly 21% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albany, NY 106% above, Singapore 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$11.76 SGD 15.05

129.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$70.6 SGD 90.4

42.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.87 $14.87

$8.55 SGD 10.94

73.92%

Cappuccino

$6.30 $6.30

$5.20 SGD 6.66

21.15%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.77 SGD 2.27

53.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.23 SGD 1.58

65.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 $5.98

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-27.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.40 $10.40

$10.17 SGD 13.01

2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-65.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.55 SGD 3.26

25.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.07 $7.07

$2.86 SGD 3.66

147.20%

Eggs

$5.10 $5.10

$3.53 SGD 4.51

44.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.37 $16.37

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-22.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.25 $16.25

$9.90 SGD 12.67

64.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.60 $18.60

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-26.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$4.57 SGD 5.85

3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-55.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$4.72 SGD 6.04

15.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$2.23 SGD 2.85

113.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.57 SGD 3.29

23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.29 SGD 2.93

54.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.87 SGD 2.39

25.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.44 SGD 1.84

35.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.11 $15.11

$13.97 SGD 17.88

8.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 $14.25

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$4.54 SGD 5.80

-54.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$4.44 SGD 5.68

-10.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.57 SGD 2.01

-3.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 $63.9

$93.8 SGD 120

-31.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.64 SGD 4.66

40.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$0.76 SGD 0.97

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.58 $29.58

$16.14 SGD 20.66

83.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-56.33%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-76.74%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-83.00%

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

$215 $215

$172 SGD 220

25.14%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$12.39 SGD 15.86

462.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.9 $87.9

$26.21 SGD 33.54

235.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.64 $38.64

$108 SGD 138

-64.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.03 $38.03

$12.31 SGD 15.75

208.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$11.64 SGD 14.90

28.69%

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

$1,475 $1,475

$1,481 SGD 1,895

-0.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K $16.9K

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-40.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 $54.2

$80.6 SGD 103

-32.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 $40.55

$50.1 SGD 64.1

-19.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$112 SGD 143

-0.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$129 SGD 165

-17.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-52.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 $1,256

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-42.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,882 $2,882

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-50.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,595 $2,595

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-35.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,454 $2,454

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-89.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,478 $2,478

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-85.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,245 $4,245

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-3.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

2.44

172.95%

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

Last update for Albany, NY: October 12, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albany, NY

$1.3K 45.2%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 72.8% $915

Groceries & Markets

Albany, NY

$451 16.3%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 1.4% $6.5

Eating Out

Albany, NY

$406 14.6%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 37% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albany, NY

$372 13.4%

Singapore

$210 6% 43.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Albany, NY

$140 5.1%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 19% $27

Getting Around

Albany, NY

$82 3%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 31.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Albany, NY

$69 2.5%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 91.4% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,440 in Albany, NY and $3,015 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 3% 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: $100 in Albany, NY vs $71.0 in Singapore. Groceries flip the comparison at $451 vs $458, with Albany, NY cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albany, NY

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

12 h ahead of Albany, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,228

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

SGD to USD in detail →

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Albany, NY Singapore 15,120 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Albany, NY vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albany, NY wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Albany, NY the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Singapore. 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: $1,440 in Albany, NY versus $3,015 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Albany, NY – a meal for two runs $100 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,776 per month in Albany, NY versus $3,500 in Singapore – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Albany, NY is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Albany, NY and Singapore are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Albany, NY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.