Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurume: $965 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $30,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
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Kurume Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $965 in Kurume versus $3,500 in Singapore.

Kurume $965
Singapore $3,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,529 in Kurume versus $5,265 in Singapore.

Kurume $1,529
Singapore $5,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,092 in Kurume versus $7,030 in Singapore.

Kurume $2,092
Singapore $7,030

Living in Kurume costs roughly 72% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kurume is 29% below, Singapore is 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ¥700

$11.76 SGD 15.05

-62.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ¥6,900

$70.6 SGD 90.4

-38.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 ¥601

$8.55 SGD 10.94

-55.44%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ¥302

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-63.27%

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

$0.66 ¥104

$1.77 SGD 2.27

-62.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥86.2

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-55.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-61.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥252

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-84.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥197

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-58.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥197

$2.55 SGD 3.26

-50.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥810

$2.86 SGD 3.66

79.37%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥296

$3.53 SGD 4.51

-46.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ¥2,821

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-15.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 ¥841

$9.90 SGD 12.67

-46.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 ¥3,022

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-24.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ¥584

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-19.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-40.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥456

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-38.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$2.23 SGD 2.85

46.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 ¥336

$2.57 SGD 3.29

-17.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$2.29 SGD 2.93

14.85%

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)

$3.64 ¥575

$13.97 SGD 17.88

-73.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥981

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-73.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$4.54 SGD 5.80

-63.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ¥181

$4.44 SGD 5.68

-74.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.57 SGD 2.01

-3.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.98 ¥7,423

$93.8 SGD 120

-49.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$3.64 SGD 4.66

8.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 ¥333

$0.76 SGD 0.97

177.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.62 ¥2,784

$16.14 SGD 20.66

9.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ¥94.5

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-75.51%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-86.16%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-88.04%

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

$210 ¥33.1K

$172 SGD 220

22.20%

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

$24.97 ¥3,944

$12.39 SGD 15.86

101.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ¥3,570

$26.21 SGD 33.54

-13.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ¥8,724

$108 SGD 138

-48.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥1,078

$11.64 SGD 14.90

-41.41%

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

$127 ¥20.1K

$1,481 SGD 1,895

-91.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-56.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.62 ¥7,682

$80.6 SGD 103

-39.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.36 ¥1,953

$50.1 SGD 64.1

-75.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.78 ¥3,915

$112 SGD 143

-77.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.02 ¥4,901

$129 SGD 165

-75.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ¥83.9K

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-82.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 ¥20.0K

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-94.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-91.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ¥49.8K

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-92.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 ¥674.1K

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-82.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 ¥297.4K

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-88.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,537 ¥242.8K

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-64.95%

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 Kurume: October 13, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurume

$299 30.9%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 53.3% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$257 26.7%

Singapore

$210 6% 18.3% $47

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$126 13.1%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 1616% $2K

Eating Out

Kurume

$94 9.7%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 173% $162

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$69 7.1%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 90.7% $62

Getting Around

Kurume

$68 7%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 59.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$53 5.5%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 218% $115

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Kurume and $3,015 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 185% 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: $44.00 in Kurume vs $71.0 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $458 per month, with Kurume cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

1 h behind Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Kurume Singapore 4,520 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurume
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

Kurume vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurume and Singapore differ by about 263% in total monthly costs ($965 vs $3,500 including rent). Kurume is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 185% 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: $531 in Kurume versus $3,015 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurume – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $965 in Kurume versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kurume but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Kurume 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, Kurume 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 Kurume gentler on the wallet – expenses run 263% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.