Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyoto and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,229 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.

60

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,229 per month in Kyoto vs $3,500 in Singapore, rent included.

Kyoto $1,229
Singapore $3,500

A couple spends around $1,987 per month in Kyoto vs $5,265 in Singapore, rent included.

Kyoto $1,987
Singapore $5,265

A family of three spends $2,745 per month in Kyoto vs $7,030 in Singapore, rent included.

Kyoto $2,745
Singapore $7,030

Kyoto is about 65% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.52 ¥1,504

$11.76 SGD 15.05

-19.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 ¥5,031

$70.6 SGD 90.4

-54.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.00 ¥791

$8.55 SGD 10.94

-41.52%

Cappuccino

$3.35 ¥529

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-35.58%

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

$0.83 ¥132

$1.77 SGD 2.27

-53.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 ¥115

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-40.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 ¥503

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-61.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.51 ¥870

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-45.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥244

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-49.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥258

$2.55 SGD 3.26

-36.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.74 ¥907

$2.86 SGD 3.66

100.70%

Eggs

$2.12 ¥335

$3.53 SGD 4.51

-39.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 ¥1,353

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-59.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 ¥1,197

$9.90 SGD 12.67

-23.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 ¥1,690

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-57.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ¥815

$4.57 SGD 5.85

12.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ¥359

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-27.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 ¥781

$4.72 SGD 6.04

4.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 ¥555

$2.23 SGD 2.85

57.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥307

$2.57 SGD 3.29

-24.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ¥262

$2.29 SGD 2.93

-27.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ¥187

$1.87 SGD 2.39

-36.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ¥156

$1.44 SGD 1.84

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥610

$13.97 SGD 17.88

-72.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.52 ¥1,189

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-67.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥247

$4.54 SGD 5.80

-65.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ¥517

$4.44 SGD 5.68

-26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 ¥234

$1.57 SGD 2.01

-5.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 ¥10.0K

$93.8 SGD 120

-32.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 ¥513

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-10.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 ¥596

$0.76 SGD 0.97

396.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.62 ¥4,521

$16.14 SGD 20.66

77.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-56.73%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-85.96%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-89.82%

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

$102 ¥16.1K

$172 SGD 220

-40.74%

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

$23.50 ¥3,712

$12.39 SGD 15.86

89.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.15 ¥4,921

$26.21 SGD 33.54

18.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ¥8,265

$108 SGD 138

-51.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 ¥3,001

$12.31 SGD 15.75

54.35%

Cinema Ticket

$12.06 ¥1,905

$11.64 SGD 14.90

3.61%

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

$642 ¥101.5K

$1,481 SGD 1,895

-56.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,412 ¥1.0M

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-77.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 ¥8,980

$80.6 SGD 103

-29.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.66 ¥7,214

$50.1 SGD 64.1

-8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 ¥11.0K

$112 SGD 143

-37.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ¥16.5K

$129 SGD 165

-18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 ¥87.1K

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-81.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.4K

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-85.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 ¥275.4K

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-70.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$766 ¥121.0K

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-81.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,241 ¥354.0K

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-90.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,270 ¥200.7K

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-92.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,889 ¥298.5K

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-56.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.44

-8.61%

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

Last update for Kyoto: 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

Kyoto

$325 26.5%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 567% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Kyoto

$291 23.7%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 57.4% $167

Eating Out

Kyoto

$165 13.4%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 55.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyoto

$156 12.7%

Singapore

$210 6% 34.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Kyoto

$124 10.1%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 34.3% $43

Getting Around

Kyoto

$91 7.4%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 17.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Kyoto

$76 6.2%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 71.8% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $552 in Kyoto 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 132% 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 $32.00 in Kyoto versus $71.0 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $458 – making Kyoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

11:46 11:46 AM

1 h behind Kyoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,475,183

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 18, 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 18, 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

Kyoto Singapore 5,000 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kyoto
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

Kyoto vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,229 in Kyoto, $3,500 in Singapore – roughly 185% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,844 per month in Kyoto 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 Kyoto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Singapore, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Kyoto and $71.0 in Singapore. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Kyoto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,229 in Kyoto to $3,500 in Singapore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kyoto. 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.