Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sendai and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $3,493 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
Learn more

Sendai Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

Jump to prices

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,161 per month in Sendai vs $3,493 in Singapore, rent included.

Sendai $1,161
Singapore $3,493

A couple spends around $1,835 per month in Sendai vs $5,174 in Singapore, rent included.

Sendai $1,835
Singapore $5,174

A family of three spends $2,510 per month in Sendai vs $6,855 in Singapore, rent included.

Sendai $2,510
Singapore $6,855

Sendai is about 67% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sendai sits 14% below the global median, while Singapore is 158% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.23 ¥984

$11.74 SGD 15.02

-46.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.65 ¥5,474

$74.3 SGD 95.1

-53.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.50 ¥711

$8.76 SGD 11.21

-48.63%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$5.32 SGD 6.80

-31.95%

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

$0.94 ¥149

$1.89 SGD 2.42

-50.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥124

$1.21 SGD 1.55

-35.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ¥295

$8.46 SGD 10.82

-77.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ¥505

$9.83 SGD 12.57

-67.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥229

$2.91 SGD 3.72

-50.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ¥227

$2.52 SGD 3.22

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.64 ¥1,048

$2.86 SGD 3.66

132.17%

Eggs

$2.09 ¥330

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-42.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 ¥1,721

$20.88 SGD 26.71

-47.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 ¥1,881

$9.92 SGD 12.69

20.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ¥1,422

$25.77 SGD 32.98

-65.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ¥560

$4.70 SGD 6.02

-24.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ¥348

$3.08 SGD 3.94

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 ¥707

$4.74 SGD 6.06

-5.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ¥512

$2.19 SGD 2.80

47.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 ¥407

$2.57 SGD 3.29

0.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 ¥358

$2.32 SGD 2.97

-2.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ¥222

$1.86 SGD 2.39

-24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ¥198

$1.39 SGD 1.78

-10.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ¥701

$13.80 SGD 17.66

-67.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 ¥1,107

$23.29 SGD 29.81

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥248

$4.77 SGD 6.10

-67.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ¥413

$4.69 SGD 6.00

-44.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ¥232

$1.60 SGD 2.04

-8.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.26 ¥5,886

$96.0 SGD 123

-61.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 ¥826

$3.61 SGD 4.61

44.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 SGD 1.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.42 ¥2,910

$16.63 SGD 21.28

10.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$2.56 SGD 3.28

-58.59%

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

$15.8K ¥2.5M

$157.0K SGD 200.8K

-89.91%

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

$24.8K ¥3.9M

$149.8K SGD 191.7K

-83.43%

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

$138 ¥21.8K

$172 SGD 220

-19.68%

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

$30.52 ¥4,822

$12.13 SGD 15.53

151.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 ¥5,495

$28.02 SGD 35.86

24.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.60 ¥7,046

$108 SGD 138

-58.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 ¥2,029

$12.24 SGD 15.67

4.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 ¥1,590

$12.03 SGD 15.39

-16.29%

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

$229 ¥36.2K

$1,473 SGD 1,885

-84.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,792 ¥599.0K

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

-86.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥8,868

$78.0 SGD 99.9

-28.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.92 ¥5,359

$50.9 SGD 65.1

-33.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.34 ¥5,583

$109 SGD 139

-67.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.5 ¥8,455

$123 SGD 158

-56.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$560 ¥88.4K

$2,917 SGD 3,733

-80.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.7K

$2,161 SGD 2,765

-84.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ¥109.4K

$5,769 SGD 7,383

-88.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 ¥112.9K

$3,849 SGD 4,925

-81.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 ¥416.8K

$23.2K SGD 29.7K

-88.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,424 ¥225.0K

$16.9K SGD 21.7K

-91.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$996 ¥157.3K

$4,547 SGD 5,818

-78.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.73

2.44

11.89%

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

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sendai

$327 28.2%

Singapore

$2.2K 61.8% 561% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Sendai

$308 26.5%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 48.7% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sendai

$203 17.5%

Singapore

$212 6.1% 4.3% $8.7

Eating Out

Sendai

$129 11.1%

Singapore

$258 7.4% 99.7% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Sendai

$81 6.9%

Singapore

$162 4.7% 102% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Sendai

$65 5.6%

Singapore

$132 3.8% 104% $67

Getting Around

Sendai

$48 * 4.2%

Singapore

$110 3.2% 127% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $560 in Sendai versus $2,917 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 357% 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 $35.00 in Sendai versus $74.0 in Singapore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $458 – making Sendai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Sendai

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

20:32 8:32 PM

1 h behind Sendai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,082,159

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 20, 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 20, 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

Sendai Singapore 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sendai
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

Sendai vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 201% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,742 per month in Sendai and $5,240 in Singapore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sendai, 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 $35.00 in Sendai and $74.0 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 $1,161 in Sendai and $3,493 in Singapore. That's a gap of about 201%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sendai, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Singapore at $3,493. In Sendai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sendai costs $1,161 versus $3,493 in Singapore. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Sendai. 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.