Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangkok: $1,144 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,144

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,144 in Bangkok versus $3,454 in Singapore.

Bangkok $1,144
Singapore $3,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,806 in Bangkok versus $5,224 in Singapore.

Bangkok $1,806
Singapore $5,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,467 in Bangkok versus $6,994 in Singapore.

Bangkok $2,467
Singapore $6,994

Living in Bangkok costs roughly 67% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bangkok is 15% below, Singapore is 158% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ฿99.1

$11.53 SGD 14.77

-74.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 ฿1,220

$71.2 SGD 91.2

-49.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 ฿229

$8.76 SGD 11.22

-22.03%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.7

$5.25 SGD 6.73

-48.00%

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

$0.63 ฿21.33

$1.83 SGD 2.34

-65.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿12.23

$1.25 SGD 1.60

-71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ฿87.8

$8.42 SGD 10.79

-69.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ฿151

$10.02 SGD 12.83

-55.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ฿64.0

$2.94 SGD 3.76

-35.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ฿51.0

$2.47 SGD 3.16

-38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.92

$2.71 SGD 3.47

-47.23%

Eggs

$2.49 ฿83.6

$3.73 SGD 4.77

-33.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.59 ฿591

$21.54 SGD 27.58

-18.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ฿122

$9.52 SGD 12.20

-61.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 ฿443

$25.98 SGD 33.27

-49.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 ฿135

$4.48 SGD 5.74

-10.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ฿59.1

$3.11 SGD 3.99

-43.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.5

$4.62 SGD 5.92

-39.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.1

$2.23 SGD 2.86

-15.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$2.50 SGD 3.20

-30.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.38 SGD 3.05

-34.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ฿43.48

$1.78 SGD 2.28

-27.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.43

$1.51 SGD 1.93

-65.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 ฿157

$14.18 SGD 18.16

-67.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 ฿507

$23.79 SGD 30.47

-36.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿62.0

$4.51 SGD 5.78

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.57 SGD 5.86

-27.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$1.58 SGD 2.03

-30.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.25 ฿1,185

$96.4 SGD 123

-63.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.48

$3.63 SGD 4.65

-70.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 ฿40.81

$0.80 SGD 1.02

51.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.01 ฿202

$16.18 SGD 20.72

-62.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿45.82

$2.51 SGD 3.21

-45.82%

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

$31.0K ฿1.0M

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

-80.09%

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

$26.7K ฿896.2K

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

-81.71%

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

$106 ฿3,580

$175 SGD 224

-39.16%

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

$14.72 ฿495

$12.45 SGD 15.94

18.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ฿603

$26.64 SGD 34.11

-32.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 ฿1,944

$112 SGD 143

-48.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 ฿632

$12.07 SGD 15.46

55.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ฿251

$11.60 SGD 14.85

-35.69%

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

$579 ฿19.5K

$1,463 SGD 1,874

-60.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K ฿546.9K

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

-42.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 ฿2,344

$81.5 SGD 104

-14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.48 ฿1,428

$50.6 SGD 64.8

-16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 ฿3,287

$112 SGD 143

-12.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ฿3,621

$130 SGD 166

-17.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 ฿22.3K

$2,916 SGD 3,734

-77.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 ฿11.5K

$2,128 SGD 2,725

-83.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 ฿66.5K

$5,654 SGD 7,241

-65.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 ฿25.0K

$3,968 SGD 5,081

-81.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,940 ฿199.7K

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

-74.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 ฿104.2K

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

-81.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ฿21.0K

$4,369 SGD 5,594

-85.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

2.44

115.16%

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

Last update for Bangkok: October 5, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangkok

$342 30.5%

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4% 521% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$277 24.7%

Singapore

$457 13.2% 65% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.7%

Singapore

$168 4.9% 17.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$139 12.4%

Singapore

$214 6.2% 53.9% $75

Eating Out

Bangkok

$103 9.1%

Singapore

$256 7.4% 149% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$73 6.5%

Singapore

$135 3.9% 85.2% $62

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.2%

Singapore

$110 3.2% 136% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $664 in Bangkok and $2,916 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 598% 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: $36.00 in Bangkok vs $71.0 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $457 per month, with Bangkok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

1 h ahead of Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bangkok Singapore 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bangkok
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

Bangkok vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangkok and Singapore differ by about 202% in total monthly costs ($1,144 vs $3,454 including rent). Bangkok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 598% 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: $664 in Bangkok versus $2,916 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bangkok – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,144 per month in Bangkok versus $3,454 in Singapore – a 202% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,144 in Bangkok versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bangkok but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Bangkok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Bangkok 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 Bangkok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 202% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.