Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $599 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $34,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$599

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $599 per month in Semarang vs $3,500 in Singapore, rent included.

Semarang $599
Singapore $3,500

A couple spends around $945 per month in Semarang vs $5,265 in Singapore, rent included.

Semarang $945
Singapore $5,265

A family of three spends $1,292 per month in Semarang vs $7,030 in Singapore, rent included.

Semarang $1,292
Singapore $7,030

Semarang is about 83% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Semarang sits 56% below the global median, while Singapore is 159% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$11.76 SGD 15.05

-88.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.63 Rp 191.3K

$70.6 SGD 90.4

-84.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

$8.55 SGD 10.94

-64.09%

Cappuccino

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-75.38%

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

$0.48 Rp 8,633

$1.77 SGD 2.27

-72.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 Rp 3,641

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-83.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 Rp 29.2K

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-80.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-64.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$2.55 SGD 3.26

-65.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$2.86 SGD 3.66

-72.73%

Eggs

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$3.53 SGD 4.51

-64.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.99 Rp 71.9K

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-81.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

$9.90 SGD 12.67

-75.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-70.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-54.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-59.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-61.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

$2.23 SGD 2.85

-33.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

$2.57 SGD 3.29

-46.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$2.29 SGD 2.93

-13.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$1.87 SGD 2.39

-51.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,529

$1.44 SGD 1.84

-70.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

$13.97 SGD 17.88

-85.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.63 Rp 443.3K

$23.48 SGD 30.05

4.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$4.54 SGD 5.80

-62.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 Rp 36.1K

$4.44 SGD 5.68

-54.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,778

$1.57 SGD 2.01

-86.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

$93.8 SGD 120

-84.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 Rp 8,539

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-87.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 Rp 4,808

$0.76 SGD 0.97

-64.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

$16.14 SGD 20.66

-83.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-66.53%

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

$25.2K Rp 453.9M

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-83.75%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.4M

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-78.25%

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

$85.9 Rp 1.5M

$172 SGD 220

-49.92%

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

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$12.39 SGD 15.86

-78.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.37 Rp 348.6K

$26.21 SGD 33.54

-26.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.70 Rp 372.6K

$108 SGD 138

-80.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 Rp 84.2K

$12.31 SGD 15.75

-61.98%

Cinema Ticket

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

$11.64 SGD 14.90

-81.19%

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

$51.1 Rp 920.3K

$1,481 SGD 1,895

-96.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,063 Rp 37.1M

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-92.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.51 Rp 639.1K

$80.6 SGD 103

-55.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.67 Rp 534.1K

$50.1 SGD 64.1

-40.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 Rp 1.0M

$112 SGD 143

-49.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.38 Rp 690.8K

$129 SGD 165

-70.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 Rp 4.1M

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-92.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 Rp 2.5M

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-93.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 Rp 9.0M

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-91.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 Rp 6.8M

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-90.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,211 Rp 21.8M

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-94.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$825 Rp 14.9M

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-95.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$191 Rp 3.4M

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-95.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

2.44

261.48%

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

Last update for Semarang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Semarang

$186 31%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 146% $272

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$138 23%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 1478% $2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18%

Singapore

$210 6% 94.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$72 12.1%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 131% $95

Eating Out

Semarang

$53 8.9%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 380% $203

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 424% $106

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 537% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $231 in Semarang 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 2198% 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 $11.00 in Semarang versus $71.0 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $458 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

1 h ahead of Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Semarang Singapore 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Semarang
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

Semarang vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 485%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $898 per month in Semarang 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 Semarang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11.00 in Semarang and $71.0 in Singapore. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $599 in Semarang and $3,500 in Singapore. That's a gap of about 485%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Semarang, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Semarang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Semarang – 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 Semarang. 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.