Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Singapore

Name: Singapore
Address: SG

For one person, living is cheaper in Australia: $2,537 a month against $3,480 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,537

/mo nomad

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,537 per month in Australia vs $3,480 in Singapore, rent included.

Australia $2,537
Singapore $3,480

A couple spends around $3,682 per month in Australia vs $5,194 in Singapore, rent included.

Australia $3,682
Singapore $5,194

A family of three spends $4,828 per month in Australia vs $6,908 in Singapore, rent included.

Australia $4,828
Singapore $6,908

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,614–$3,182) than in Singapore ($3,453–$3,453), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is roughly 27% lower than in Singapore on average.

Both Australia and Singapore are pricier than the global median – Australia by 89%, Singapore by 160%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.27

$11.88 SGD 15.21

48.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.8 A$118

$69.9 SGD 89.5

18.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 A$16.05

$8.76 SGD 11.22

28.08%

Cappuccino

$3.85 A$5.51

$5.09 SGD 6.52

-24.36%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$1.85 SGD 2.36

54.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.39

$1.18 SGD 1.52

100.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.85 A$11.23

$8.33 SGD 10.67

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.49 A$12.16

$10.29 SGD 13.17

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.49

$2.95 SGD 3.77

-41.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$3.98

$2.48 SGD 3.18

12.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.16

$2.78 SGD 3.56

-20.50%

Eggs

$5.06 A$7.25

$3.60 SGD 4.61

40.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.87 A$14.12

$21.49 SGD 27.52

-54.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 A$12.80

$9.65 SGD 12.35

-7.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$21.06

$25.13 SGD 32.18

-41.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.39

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-17.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$2.98 SGD 3.82

0.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.43

$4.66 SGD 5.97

-33.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 A$6.61

$2.27 SGD 2.90

103.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.03

$2.58 SGD 3.31

9.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.29

$2.31 SGD 2.96

-0.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$1.84 SGD 2.36

26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 A$2.44

$1.46 SGD 1.86

17.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.17 A$54.6

$14.16 SGD 18.12

169.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.70

$23.82 SGD 30.49

-42.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.91 A$7.02

$4.61 SGD 5.90

6.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.02 A$7.19

$4.60 SGD 5.89

9.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 A$4.07

$1.59 SGD 2.03

78.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.3 A$135

$93.9 SGD 120

0.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 A$4.92

$3.58 SGD 4.59

-3.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$0.76 SGD 0.97

109.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.37 A$56.3

$16.21 SGD 20.75

142.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$2.44 SGD 3.12

-46.31%

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

$27.7K A$39.7K

$160.5K SGD 205.5K

-82.72%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$148.0K SGD 189.6K

-81.04%

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

$201 A$288

$171 SGD 220

17.31%

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

$28.45 A$40.72

$12.22 SGD 15.64

132.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.2

$26.34 SGD 33.73

117.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.1

$110 SGD 141

-48.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.28 A$27.60

$12.40 SGD 15.88

55.48%

Cinema Ticket

$15.07 A$21.56

$11.85 SGD 15.17

27.17%

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

$2,116 A$3,028

$1,490 SGD 1,908

41.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K A$26.1K

$28.1K SGD 35.9K

-34.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.5 A$114

$80.8 SGD 104

-1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.5

$51.2 SGD 65.5

7.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$110 SGD 140

2.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$129 SGD 165

-5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 A$2,264

$3,011 SGD 3,855

-47.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 A$1,753

$2,135 SGD 2,734

-42.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,409 A$3,447

$5,793 SGD 7,417

-58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 A$2,734

$3,921 SGD 5,020

-51.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,995 A$11.4K

$23.4K SGD 30.0K

-65.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,968 A$8,541

$16.9K SGD 21.6K

-64.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 A$5,619

$4,341 SGD 5,559

-9.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

2.44

142.62%

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

Last update for Australia: October 4, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48%

Singapore

$2.1K 61.6% 74.3% $910

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.5%

Singapore

$456 13.2% 23.2% $86

Eating Out

Australia

$298 11.7%

Singapore

$257 7.4% 13.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$287 11.3%

Singapore

$210 6.1% 26.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 0.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Singapore

$108 3.1% 8.1% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Singapore

$134 3.9% 54.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,371 in Australia vs $2,916 in Singapore. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,711 in Canberra and $2,916 in Singapore.

Average salary: $3,856 in Australia vs $4,369 in Singapore. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 113% higher in Singapore.

Dining out costs 17% more in Australia.

Public transport is 26% more expensive in Singapore.

Salaries are 13% higher in Singapore, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

21:05 9:05 PM

3 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

5,866,139

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.697 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Singapore 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
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

Australia vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Australia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 37% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Singapore: a central one-bedroom averages $2,916 versus $1,371 in Australia.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Australia, but in Singapore it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Australia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.