Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Vila: $3,157 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Singapore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

153

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,157

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,157 per month in Port Vila vs $3,454 in Singapore, rent included.

Port Vila $3,157
Singapore $3,454

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $5,224 in Singapore, rent included.

Port Vila $4,290
Singapore $5,224

A family of three spends $5,424 per month in Port Vila vs $6,994 in Singapore, rent included.

Port Vila $5,424
Singapore $6,994

Port Vila is about 9% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Port Vila and Singapore sit above the global median – Port Vila by 136%, Singapore by 158%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.64 VUV 1,480

$11.53 SGD 14.77

9.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,540

$71.2 SGD 91.2

-21.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 VUV 1,673

$8.76 SGD 11.22

63.13%

Cappuccino

$4.06 VUV 475

$5.25 SGD 6.73

-22.67%

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

$2.32 VUV 271

$1.83 SGD 2.34

26.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 273

$1.25 SGD 1.60

86.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 VUV 577

$8.42 SGD 10.78

-41.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 VUV 847

$10.02 SGD 12.83

-27.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 VUV 335

$2.94 SGD 3.76

-2.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 VUV 223

$2.47 SGD 3.16

-23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 VUV 448

$2.71 SGD 3.47

41.33%

Eggs

$6.06 VUV 710

$3.73 SGD 4.77

62.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.62 VUV 2,063

$21.54 SGD 27.57

-18.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.51 VUV 1,933

$9.52 SGD 12.19

73.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 VUV 1,611

$25.98 SGD 33.26

-47.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.98 VUV 817

$4.48 SGD 5.74

55.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 VUV 249

$3.11 SGD 3.99

-31.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 VUV 447

$4.62 SGD 5.92

-17.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.36 VUV 1,096

$2.23 SGD 2.86

319.73%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,049

$2.50 SGD 3.20

258.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 VUV 410

$2.38 SGD 3.05

47.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 304

$1.78 SGD 2.28

46.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 135

$1.51 SGD 1.93

-23.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 VUV 1,073

$14.18 SGD 18.15

-35.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 VUV 1,479

$23.79 SGD 30.47

-46.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 VUV 292

$4.51 SGD 5.78

-44.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 VUV 319

$4.57 SGD 5.86

-40.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 VUV 145

$1.58 SGD 2.03

-21.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 VUV 8,054

$96.4 SGD 123

-28.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 VUV 291

$3.63 SGD 4.65

-31.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 VUV 102

$0.80 SGD 1.02

8.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 VUV 611

$16.18 SGD 20.71

-67.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 VUV 213

$2.51 SGD 3.21

-27.49%

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

$23.6K VUV 2.8M

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

-84.89%

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

$38.1K VUV 4.5M

$145.8K SGD 186.6K

-73.89%

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

$640 VUV 74.9K

$175 SGD 224

265.45%

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

$22.97 VUV 2,689

$12.45 SGD 15.94

84.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$359 VUV 42.0K

$26.64 SGD 34.10

1247.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,931

$112 SGD 143

-39.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 VUV 2,011

$12.07 SGD 15.45

42.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

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

$625 VUV 73.2K

$1,463 SGD 1,874

-57.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 VUV 819.0K

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

-75.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.44 VUV 4,852

$81.5 SGD 104

-49.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.4 VUV 7,894

$50.6 SGD 64.8

33.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 VUV 10.0K

$112 SGD 143

-23.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.0K

$130 SGD 166

-21.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 VUV 185.1K

$2,916 SGD 3,734

-45.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 VUV 130.8K

$2,128 SGD 2,724

-47.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,398 VUV 397.9K

$5,654 SGD 7,239

-39.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 VUV 219.2K

$3,968 SGD 5,080

-52.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,112 VUV 715.6K

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

-74.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,206 VUV 258.3K

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

-86.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 VUV 78.1K

$4,369 SGD 5,594

-84.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

2.44

153.28%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 5, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.5%

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4% 90.4% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.5%

Singapore

$214 6.2% 79% $808

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$475 15.1%

Singapore

$457 13.2% 3.7% $18

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Singapore

$256 7.4% 2.2% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.3%

Singapore

$168 4.9% 25.8% $34

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Singapore

$110 3.2% 36.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Singapore

$135 3.9% 98.9% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,581 in Port Vila 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 555% 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 $56.0 in Port Vila versus $71.0 in Singapore. Groceries tell a different story – $475 in Port Vila vs $457 in Singapore – so Singapore wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

3 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 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).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Vila Singapore 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Vila
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

Port Vila vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 9% more than Port Vila, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,735 per month in Port Vila and $5,180 in Singapore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Vila, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,157 in Port Vila and $3,454 in Singapore. That's a gap of about 9%.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Port Vila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,157 in Port Vila and $3,454 in Singapore. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Port Vila – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Port Vila. 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.