Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Singapore

Name: Singapore
Address: SG

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $3,523 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $37,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,523

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $3,523 in Singapore.

India $399
Singapore $3,523

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $5,260 in Singapore.

India $639
Singapore $5,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $6,996 in Singapore.

India $879
Singapore $6,996

Internal cost variation is higher in India: monthly costs span $230 to $813, compared to $3,544–$3,544 in Singapore. City choice carries more weight in India.

Living in India costs about 89% less than in Singapore on average.

India (71% below) and Singapore (159% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$11.66 SGD 14.94

-81.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹995

$74.3 SGD 95.2

-85.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹361

$8.43 SGD 10.80

-54.92%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$5.08 SGD 6.51

-66.93%

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

$0.38 ₹36.00

$1.90 SGD 2.43

-80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.61

$1.28 SGD 1.64

-88.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$8.67 SGD 11.11

-78.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$9.94 SGD 12.74

-68.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$3.01 SGD 3.86

-79.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.77

$2.54 SGD 3.26

-80.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.3

$2.74 SGD 3.51

-77.01%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.3

$3.74 SGD 4.79

-74.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹461

$21.17 SGD 27.13

-77.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$9.64 SGD 12.35

-70.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.69 SGD 32.91

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$4.57 SGD 5.86

-56.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.4

$3.09 SGD 3.96

-78.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.3

$4.73 SGD 6.06

-79.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.31

$2.27 SGD 2.90

-79.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.88

$2.59 SGD 3.32

-86.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.73

$2.40 SGD 3.08

-82.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.40

$1.95 SGD 2.50

-75.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.68

$1.42 SGD 1.82

-78.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$14.12 SGD 18.09

-64.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹695

$23.34 SGD 29.90

-68.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$4.59 SGD 5.88

-64.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

$4.63 SGD 5.93

-40.39%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.86

$1.59 SGD 2.04

-83.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹816

$96.3 SGD 123

-91.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.7

$3.75 SGD 4.81

-73.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.74

$0.76 SGD 0.98

-64.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$16.66 SGD 21.35

-90.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$2.47 SGD 3.17

-56.68%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$154.9K SGD 198.5K

-92.76%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$153.9K SGD 197.2K

-86.97%

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

$37.08 ₹3,527

$173 SGD 222

-78.58%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$12.14 SGD 15.55

-70.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹680

$28.72 SGD 36.80

-75.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,427

$112 SGD 144

-86.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹682

$12.08 SGD 15.47

-40.65%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$11.94 SGD 15.30

-73.20%

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

$58.8 ₹5,593

$1,878 SGD 2,406

-96.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.5K

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

-94.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,191

$78.5 SGD 101

-70.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,299

$50.2 SGD 64.3

-51.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,919

$110 SGD 141

-62.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,817

$124 SGD 158

-76.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$3,069 SGD 3,932

-95.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,166

$2,185 SGD 2,800

-95.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$5,992 SGD 7,676

-94.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$3,981 SGD 5,101

-94.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.9K

$22.8K SGD 29.3K

-94.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.2K

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

-96.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$4,528 SGD 5,800

-90.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

2.44

265.98%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Singapore

$458 13% 348% $356

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 2168% $2.1K

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 284% $189

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Singapore

$163 4.6% 207% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Singapore

$214 6.1% 348% $166

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Singapore

$136 3.9% 537% $115

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Singapore

$110 3.1% 820% $98

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $3,098 in Singapore. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $3,098 in Singapore.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $4,464 in Singapore. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 2482% higher in Singapore.

Dining out costs 573% more in Singapore.

Public transport is 1113% more expensive in Singapore.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in Singapore, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Singapore.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

15:48 3:48 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

5,866,139

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.12 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.701 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

India Singapore 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

India
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

India vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $3,523 in Singapore, there’s a 782% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in India: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $3,098 in Singapore and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability; Singapore may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.