Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballina: $2,462 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,462

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in Ballina vs $3,500 in Singapore, rent included.

Ballina $2,462
Singapore $3,500

A couple spends around $3,724 per month in Ballina vs $5,265 in Singapore, rent included.

Ballina $3,724
Singapore $5,265

A family of three spends $4,986 per month in Ballina vs $7,030 in Singapore, rent included.

Ballina $4,986
Singapore $7,030

Ballina is about 30% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ballina and Singapore sit above the global median – Ballina by 82%, Singapore by 159%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 A$24.93

$11.76 SGD 15.05

47.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 A$119

$70.6 SGD 90.4

17.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 A$13.19

$8.55 SGD 10.94

7.25%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.61

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-25.00%

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

$2.84 A$4.08

$1.77 SGD 2.27

60.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.27

$1.23 SGD 1.58

84.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 A$10.93

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-8.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 A$10.71

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-26.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.66 A$3.82

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 A$4.67

$2.55 SGD 3.26

27.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.86 SGD 3.66

-23.78%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.18

$3.53 SGD 4.51

61.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 A$9.15

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-69.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 A$13.20

$9.90 SGD 12.67

-7.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 A$21.66

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-40.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.07

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-22.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.47

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.59

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-32.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 A$5.02

$2.23 SGD 2.85

56.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 A$3.87

$2.57 SGD 3.29

4.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 A$3.35

$2.29 SGD 2.93

1.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.54 A$5.10

$1.87 SGD 2.39

89.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.20

$1.44 SGD 1.84

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.38 A$61.0

$13.97 SGD 17.88

203.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 A$20.10

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.93

$4.54 SGD 5.80

5.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 A$7.41

$4.44 SGD 5.68

15.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 A$4.75

$1.57 SGD 2.01

110.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.7 A$133

$93.8 SGD 120

-1.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.09

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-2.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 A$2.44

$0.76 SGD 0.97

123.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.11 A$56.3

$16.14 SGD 20.66

142.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.80

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-48.98%

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

$26.8K A$38.6K

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-82.72%

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

$33.0K A$47.4K

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-77.81%

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

$216 A$311

$172 SGD 220

25.85%

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

$31.56 A$45.42

$12.39 SGD 15.86

154.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.28 A$70.9

$26.21 SGD 33.54

88.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.1 A$88.0

$108 SGD 138

-43.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.31 A$24.91

$12.31 SGD 15.75

40.62%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 A$22.86

$11.64 SGD 14.90

36.51%

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

$1,912 A$2,752

$1,481 SGD 1,895

29.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K A$32.4K

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-20.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 A$116

$80.6 SGD 103

-0.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 A$79.9

$50.1 SGD 64.1

10.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$147

$112 SGD 143

-8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 A$195

$129 SGD 165

5.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 A$2,218

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-48.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,126 A$1,620

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-48.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,038 A$2,933

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-65.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,001 A$2,880

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-50.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,245 A$8,987

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-73.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,569 A$6,575

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-72.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

2.44

139.34%

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

Last update for Ballina: October 13, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.1K 45.7%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 92.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$375 15.2%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 22.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$297 12.1%

Singapore

$210 6% 29.2% $87

Eating Out

Ballina

$286 11.6%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 10.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$168 6.8%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 0.6% $1

Getting Around

Ballina

$118 4.8%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 8.8% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$93 3.8%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 41.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,541 in Ballina versus $3,015 in Singapore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Ballina versus $71.0 in Singapore. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Ballina vs $458 in Singapore – so Ballina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

3 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Ballina Singapore 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
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

Ballina vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,693 per month in Ballina and $5,251 in Singapore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ballina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,912 per month in Ballina and $1,481 in Singapore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Singapore, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,462 in Ballina and $3,500 in Singapore. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Ballina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ballina. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.