Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,275 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $26,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,275 in Kumamoto versus $3,500 in Singapore.

Kumamoto $1,275
Singapore $3,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,968 in Kumamoto versus $5,265 in Singapore.

Kumamoto $1,968
Singapore $5,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,661 in Kumamoto versus $7,030 in Singapore.

Kumamoto $2,661
Singapore $7,030

Living in Kumamoto costs roughly 64% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kumamoto is 6% below, Singapore is 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.11 ¥1,123

$11.76 SGD 15.05

-39.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.31 ¥4,947

$70.6 SGD 90.4

-55.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ¥955

$8.55 SGD 10.94

-29.36%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥507

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-38.27%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$1.77 SGD 2.27

-44.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-38.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-54.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥353

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-77.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥213

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-55.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥292

$2.55 SGD 3.26

-27.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.70 ¥1,058

$2.86 SGD 3.66

134.27%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥293

$3.53 SGD 4.51

-47.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.45 ¥2,915

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-12.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$9.90 SGD 12.67

-44.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 ¥2,944

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-26.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 ¥565

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-21.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥292

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-40.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-38.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$2.23 SGD 2.85

52.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ¥347

$2.57 SGD 3.29

-14.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$2.29 SGD 2.93

14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.87 SGD 2.39

-43.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$1.44 SGD 1.84

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥611

$13.97 SGD 17.88

-72.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 ¥890

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-76.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥262

$4.54 SGD 5.80

-63.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥300

$4.44 SGD 5.68

-57.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$1.57 SGD 2.01

-12.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.2 ¥9,037

$93.8 SGD 120

-38.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥608

$3.64 SGD 4.66

5.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 ¥329

$0.76 SGD 0.97

173.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.13 ¥2,865

$16.14 SGD 20.66

12.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥175

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-55.10%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-85.82%

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

$17.7K ¥2.8M

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-88.08%

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

$207 ¥32.7K

$172 SGD 220

20.76%

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

$24.29 ¥3,838

$12.39 SGD 15.86

96.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.05 ¥5,222

$26.21 SGD 33.54

26.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥7,215

$108 SGD 138

-57.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 ¥1,735

$11.64 SGD 14.90

-5.67%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$1,481 SGD 1,895

-91.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-57.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.65 ¥7,685

$80.6 SGD 103

-39.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.06 ¥4,118

$50.1 SGD 64.1

-47.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥10.4K

$112 SGD 143

-41.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.35 ¥7,323

$129 SGD 165

-64.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥82.8K

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-82.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.3K

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-85.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 ¥175.3K

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-81.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 ¥114.1K

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-82.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,521 ¥714.2K

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-81.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,747 ¥276.0K

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-89.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

2.44

-19.26%

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

Last update for Kumamoto: October 10, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$325 25.5%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 569% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$313 24.6%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 46% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$265 20.8%

Singapore

$210 6% 20.5% $54

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.3%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 78% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 98.8% $83

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$77 6%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 39.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$68 5.3%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 94.2% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $524 in Kumamoto and $3,015 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31.00 in Kumamoto vs $71.0 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $458 per month, with Kumamoto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h behind Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kumamoto Singapore 4,490 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
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

Kumamoto vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kumamoto and Singapore differ by about 175% in total monthly costs ($1,275 vs $3,500 including rent). Kumamoto is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,912 in Kumamoto and $5,251 in Singapore to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $524 in Kumamoto versus $3,015 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kumamoto runs roughly 64% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $126 in Kumamoto versus $1,481 in Singapore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,275 in Kumamoto versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kumamoto but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Kumamoto 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, Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto gentler on the wallet – expenses run 175% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.