Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saitama and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Saitama: $1,003 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Saitama
Learn more

Saitama Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

Jump to prices

Saitama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,003

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,003 per month in Saitama vs $3,500 in Singapore, rent included.

Saitama $1,003
Singapore $3,500

A couple spends around $1,327 per month in Saitama vs $5,265 in Singapore, rent included.

Saitama $1,327
Singapore $5,265

A family of three spends $1,650 per month in Saitama vs $7,030 in Singapore, rent included.

Saitama $1,650
Singapore $7,030

Saitama is about 71% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saitama sits 26% below the global median, while Singapore is 159% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 ¥869

$11.76 SGD 15.05

-53.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.36 ¥4,955

$70.6 SGD 90.4

-55.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 ¥758

$8.55 SGD 10.94

-43.86%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ¥461

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-43.85%

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

$0.70 ¥111

$1.77 SGD 2.27

-60.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥92.0

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-52.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-69.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ¥511

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-68.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥220

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-54.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥259

$2.55 SGD 3.26

-35.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ¥436

$2.86 SGD 3.66

-3.50%

Eggs

$2.00 ¥315

$3.53 SGD 4.51

-43.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.18 ¥1,609

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-51.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.44 ¥859

$9.90 SGD 12.67

-45.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 ¥2,243

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-44.14%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 ¥887

$4.57 SGD 5.85

22.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 ¥342

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-30.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ¥459

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-38.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 ¥678

$2.23 SGD 2.85

92.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 ¥395

$2.57 SGD 3.29

-2.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 ¥255

$2.29 SGD 2.93

-29.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ¥205

$1.87 SGD 2.39

-30.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥114

$1.44 SGD 1.84

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.89 ¥615

$13.97 SGD 17.88

-72.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.45 ¥1,018

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-72.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ¥284

$4.54 SGD 5.80

-60.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ¥318

$4.44 SGD 5.68

-54.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 ¥525

$1.57 SGD 2.01

111.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 ¥512

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-10.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 ¥416

$0.76 SGD 0.97

246.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.14 ¥3,181

$16.14 SGD 20.66

24.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-55.10%

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

$21.4K ¥3.4M

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-86.18%

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

$14.2K ¥2.2M

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-90.46%

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

$133 ¥21.0K

$172 SGD 220

-22.65%

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

$18.15 ¥2,867

$12.39 SGD 15.86

46.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 ¥5,162

$26.21 SGD 33.54

24.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ¥9,909

$108 SGD 138

-41.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ¥1,752

$11.64 SGD 14.90

-4.73%

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

$634 ¥100.1K

$1,481 SGD 1,895

-57.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ¥2.3M

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-48.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.01 ¥5,531

$80.6 SGD 103

-56.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.25 ¥3,989

$50.1 SGD 64.1

-49.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 ¥8,686

$112 SGD 143

-50.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.6 ¥9,891

$129 SGD 165

-51.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ¥65.3K

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-86.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 ¥36.8K

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-89.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,550 ¥244.9K

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-64.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.06

2.44

-15.57%

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

Last update for Saitama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saitama

$274 27.4%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 66.9% $183

Accommodation & Living

Saitama

$233 23.2%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 832% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saitama

$184 18.3%

Singapore

$210 6% 14.5% $27

Eating Out

Saitama

$118 11.7%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 118% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Saitama

$85 8.5%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 54.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Saitama

$80 8%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 109% $87

Getting Around

Saitama

$30 * 3%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 262% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Saitama 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 183% 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 $31.00 in Saitama versus $71.0 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $458 – making Saitama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Saitama

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

00:50 12:50 AM

1 h behind Saitama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,182,115

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saitama Singapore 5,330 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Saitama
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

Saitama vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 249%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,504 per month in Saitama 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 Saitama, 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 $1,003 in Saitama and $3,500 in Singapore. That's a gap of about 249%.

Kindergarten costs $634 per month in Saitama and $1,481 in Singapore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saitama, where all-in costs run around $1,003, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Saitama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saitama – 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 Saitama. 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.