Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jakarta and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Jakarta: $793 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $31,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jakarta
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$793
/mo nomad
Singapore
🇸🇬 Singapore
$3,454
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $793 per month in Jakarta vs $3,454 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Jakarta $793
  • Singapore $3,454

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Jakarta vs $5,224 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Jakarta $1,283
  • Singapore $5,224

A family of three spends $1,772 per month in Jakarta vs $6,994 in Singapore, rent included.

  • Jakarta $1,772
  • Singapore $6,994

Jakarta is about 77% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jakarta sits 41% below the global median, while Singapore is 158% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.63 Rp 47.1K
$11.53 SGD 14.77
-77.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.93 Rp 302.9K
$71.2 SGD 91.2
-76.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.33 Rp 59.5K
$8.76 SGD 11.22
-61.99%
Cappuccino
$2.00 Rp 35.8K
$5.25 SGD 6.73
-61.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 Rp 7,775
$1.83 SGD 2.34
-76.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 Rp 4,472
$1.25 SGD 1.60
-80.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.57 Rp 45.9K
$8.42 SGD 10.79
-69.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.85 Rp 68.9K
$10.02 SGD 12.83
-61.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 Rp 25.5K
$2.94 SGD 3.76
-51.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.09 Rp 19.4K
$2.47 SGD 3.16
-55.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 Rp 16.2K
$2.71 SGD 3.47
-66.42%
Eggs
$1.77 Rp 31.7K
$3.73 SGD 4.77
-52.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.22 Rp 164.9K
$21.54 SGD 27.58
-57.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.11 Rp 55.6K
$9.52 SGD 12.20
-67.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.78 Rp 139.1K
$25.98 SGD 33.27
-70.05%
Apples (1kg)
$2.87 Rp 51.4K
$4.48 SGD 5.74
-35.94%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 Rp 23.5K
$3.11 SGD 3.99
-57.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.50 Rp 44.6K
$4.62 SGD 5.92
-45.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.39 Rp 24.9K
$2.23 SGD 2.86
-37.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.38 Rp 24.8K
$2.50 SGD 3.20
-44.80%
Onion (1kg)
$2.10 Rp 37.6K
$2.38 SGD 3.05
-11.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 Rp 16.8K
$1.78 SGD 2.28
-47.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Rp 9,105
$1.51 SGD 1.93
-66.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.80 Rp 50.1K
$14.18 SGD 18.16
-80.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.83 Rp 372.7K
$23.79 SGD 30.47
-12.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 Rp 36.7K
$4.51 SGD 5.78
-54.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 Rp 54.4K
$4.57 SGD 5.86
-33.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 Rp 4,809
$1.58 SGD 2.03
-82.91%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.86 Rp 212.1K
$96.4 SGD 123
-87.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.50 Rp 8,982
$3.63 SGD 4.65
-86.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 Rp 5,888
$0.80 SGD 1.02
-58.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 Rp 61.2K
$16.18 SGD 20.72
-78.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.87 Rp 15.6K
$2.51 SGD 3.21
-65.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K Rp 496.8M
$155.9K SGD 199.6K
-82.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.6K Rp 583.5M
$145.8K SGD 186.7K
-77.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$106 Rp 1.9M
$175 SGD 224
-39.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.04 Rp 108.0K
$12.45 SGD 15.94
-51.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.04 Rp 340.7K
$26.64 SGD 34.11
-28.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.65 Rp 458.8K
$112 SGD 143
-77.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.65 Rp 244.3K
$12.07 SGD 15.46
13.09%
Cinema Ticket
$3.29 Rp 58.8K
$11.60 SGD 14.85
-71.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$153 Rp 2.7M
$1,463 SGD 1,874
-89.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,270 Rp 147.9M
$28.4K SGD 36.3K
-70.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.7 Rp 1.0M
$81.5 SGD 104
-27.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.37 Rp 507.5K
$50.6 SGD 64.8
-43.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.9 Rp 1.3M
$112 SGD 143
-36.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 Rp 1.9M
$130 SGD 166
-18.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$370 Rp 6.6M
$2,916 SGD 3,734
-87.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$200 Rp 3.6M
$2,128 SGD 2,725
-90.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,155 Rp 20.7M
$5,654 SGD 7,241
-79.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$556 Rp 10.0M
$3,968 SGD 5,081
-85.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,023 Rp 54.1M
$23.6K SGD 30.2K
-87.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 Rp 25.9M
$16.8K SGD 21.5K
-91.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jakarta
Singapore
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$449 Rp 8.0M
$4,369 SGD 5,594
-89.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.46
2.44
287.70%

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

Last update for Jakarta: October 6, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Jakarta
$218
Singapore
$457 110% $240
Accommodation & Living
Jakarta
$200
Singapore
$2.1K 962% $1.9K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jakarta
$131
Singapore
$214 63.5% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Jakarta
$119
Singapore
$168 41.6% $49
Eating Out
Jakarta
$78
Singapore
$256 227% $178
Sport & Entertainment
Jakarta
$32
Singapore
$135 318% $103
Getting Around
Jakarta
$15
Singapore
$110 631% $95

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $370 in Jakarta versus $2,916 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 872% 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 $17.00 in Jakarta versus $71.0 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $457 – making Jakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Jakarta
🇸🇬 Singapore
🕒 Local time
08:17 8:17 AM
09:17 9:17 AM
1 h ahead of Jakarta
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
11,337,563 Capital
5,535,002 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jakarta Singapore 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Jakarta
  • 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
Jakarta vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Jakarta or Singapore?
Singapore costs about 335% more than Jakarta, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Jakarta and in Singapore?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,190 per month in Jakarta and $5,180 in Singapore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Jakarta or Singapore?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Jakarta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do childcare costs compare in Jakarta and in Singapore?
Kindergarten costs $153 per month in Jakarta and $1,463 in Singapore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Jakarta or in Singapore?
Groceries cost about 110% more in Singapore, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Jakarta or in Singapore?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jakarta, where all-in costs run around $793, than in Singapore at $3,454. In Jakarta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Jakarta or Singapore?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jakarta costs $793 versus $3,454 in Singapore. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Jakarta compared to Singapore?
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.
Should I move to Jakarta or to Singapore?
If budget matters most, go with Jakarta. 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.

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