Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyeongju and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,228 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
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Gyeongju Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,228

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Gyeongju vs $3,500 in Singapore, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,228
Singapore $3,500

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Gyeongju vs $5,265 in Singapore, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,988
Singapore $5,265

A family of three spends $2,748 per month in Gyeongju vs $7,030 in Singapore, rent included.

Gyeongju $2,748
Singapore $7,030

Gyeongju is about 65% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gyeongju sits 9% below the global median, while Singapore is 159% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 ₩10.1K

$11.76 SGD 15.05

-35.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.01 ₩63.8K

$70.6 SGD 90.4

-32.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,653

$8.55 SGD 10.94

-23.86%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-41.92%

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

$1.10 ₩1,457

$1.77 SGD 2.27

-37.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₩469

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-71.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ₩3,442

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-68.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,764

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-57.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,073

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-24.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₩3,280

$2.55 SGD 3.26

-3.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.86 SGD 3.66

9.44%

Eggs

$2.60 ₩3,451

$3.53 SGD 4.51

-26.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 ₩14.7K

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-47.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₩13.7K

$9.90 SGD 12.67

4.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-27.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.50 ₩5,985

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-1.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,411

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-17.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₩5,075

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-19.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 ₩4,879

$2.23 SGD 2.85

64.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ₩3,398

$2.57 SGD 3.29

-0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 ₩2,897

$2.29 SGD 2.93

-4.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 ₩2,917

$1.87 SGD 2.39

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,766

$1.44 SGD 1.84

-7.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,571

$13.97 SGD 17.88

-75.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 ₩19.6K

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-37.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,515

$4.54 SGD 5.80

-74.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,949

$4.44 SGD 5.68

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,409

$1.57 SGD 2.01

-32.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₩3,895

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-19.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₩1,046

$0.76 SGD 0.97

3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.57 ₩22.0K

$16.14 SGD 20.66

2.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₩1,354

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-58.37%

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

$29.6K ₩39.3M

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-80.95%

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

$34.0K ₩45.2M

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-77.09%

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

$80.6 ₩107.1K

$172 SGD 220

-53.05%

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

$36.83 ₩49.0K

$12.39 SGD 15.86

197.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.20 ₩36.2K

$26.21 SGD 33.54

3.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ₩69.3K

$108 SGD 138

-51.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ₩15.9K

$12.31 SGD 15.75

-2.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 ₩14.7K

$11.64 SGD 14.90

-5.15%

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

$639 ₩849.8K

$1,481 SGD 1,895

-56.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K ₩29.5M

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-21.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.34 ₩60.3K

$80.6 SGD 103

-43.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 ₩29.8K

$50.1 SGD 64.1

-55.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ₩121.9K

$112 SGD 143

-18.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩170.8K

$129 SGD 165

-0.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩635.9K

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-84.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₩486.7K

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-83.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 ₩1.5M

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-80.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ₩972.7K

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-81.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,249 ₩9.6M

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-69.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,416 ₩7.2M

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-67.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,841 ₩2.4M

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-58.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

2.44

72.95%

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

Last update for Gyeongju: 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

Gyeongju

$366 29.8%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 493% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Gyeongju

$359 29.2%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 27.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gyeongju

$145 11.8%

Singapore

$210 6% 45.4% $66

Eating Out

Gyeongju

$144 11.7%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 77.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Gyeongju

$130 10.6%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 29% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Gyeongju

$74 6%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 76.9% $57

Getting Around

Gyeongju

$11 * 0.9%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 868% $96

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Gyeongju 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.

Salaries run about 138% higher in Singapore, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Gyeongju versus $71.0 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $458 – making Gyeongju the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

1 h behind Gyeongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,156

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gyeongju Singapore 4,650 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gyeongju
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

Gyeongju vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 185%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Gyeongju 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 Gyeongju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,228 in Gyeongju and $3,500 in Singapore. That's a gap of about 185%.

Kindergarten costs $639 per month in Gyeongju and $1,481 in Singapore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gyeongju, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Gyeongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gyeongju – 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 Gyeongju. 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.