Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,848 a month against $3,544 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $3,544 in Singapore, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Singapore $3,544

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $5,318 in Singapore, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Singapore $5,318

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $7,093 in Singapore, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Singapore $7,093

Seoul is about 48% cheaper than Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Seoul and Singapore sit above the global median – Seoul by 36%, Singapore by 160%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.0K

$11.62 SGD 14.89

-22.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩90.7K

$74.4 SGD 95.4

-8.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,751

$8.35 SGD 10.69

-11.98%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,464

$5.24 SGD 6.71

-21.37%

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

$1.64 ₩2,181

$1.83 SGD 2.34

-10.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,070

$1.28 SGD 1.64

-36.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,921

$8.33 SGD 10.68

-55.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,138

$9.99 SGD 12.80

-38.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,709

$2.99 SGD 3.83

-31.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,260

$2.58 SGD 3.31

24.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,822

$2.77 SGD 3.55

58.48%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,765

$3.76 SGD 4.82

-4.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.2K

$20.85 SGD 26.71

-12.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩13.9K

$10.01 SGD 12.82

5.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.7K

$25.28 SGD 32.39

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.4K

$4.52 SGD 5.79

73.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,683

$3.19 SGD 4.09

10.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,569

$4.57 SGD 5.86

24.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,198

$2.17 SGD 2.78

184.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩4,993

$2.48 SGD 3.18

51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,333

$2.33 SGD 2.99

7.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,735

$1.91 SGD 2.44

47.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.45 SGD 1.85

-23.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,379

$13.85 SGD 17.74

-76.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.7K

$23.38 SGD 29.95

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,209

$4.69 SGD 6.01

-48.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,456

$4.80 SGD 6.15

-30.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,581

$1.52 SGD 1.94

-21.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.2K

$96.6 SGD 124

-52.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,713

$3.71 SGD 4.76

-4.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩801

$0.81 SGD 1.03

-25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.0K

$16.41 SGD 21.03

-44.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,908

$2.53 SGD 3.24

-43.08%

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

$30.3K ₩40.2M

$156.9K SGD 201.0K

-80.71%

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

$28.9K ₩38.3M

$154.6K SGD 198.0K

-81.30%

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

$213 ₩282.0K

$170 SGD 218

25.14%

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

$35.83 ₩47.5K

$12.39 SGD 15.88

189.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.4K

$28.02 SGD 35.90

-23.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩81.8K

$111 SGD 143

-44.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.8K

$12.09 SGD 15.49

35.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.1K

$12.21 SGD 15.65

-6.47%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$1,878 SGD 2,406

3.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.2M

$29.1K SGD 37.3K

-21.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.3K

$76.8 SGD 98.4

-22.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.4K

$51.5 SGD 66.0

-33.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩87.6K

$107 SGD 137

-38.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩108.7K

$123 SGD 158

-33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$3,098 SGD 3,969

-70.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩874.6K

$2,213 SGD 2,836

-70.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$5,983 SGD 7,667

-49.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$4,088 SGD 5,238

-64.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.0M

$23.1K SGD 29.6K

17.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.0M

$16.7K SGD 21.4K

-32.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.7M

$4,464 SGD 5,720

-20.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

2.44

67.21%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Singapore

$2.2K 62.5% 236% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Singapore

$458 12.9% 5.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Singapore

$210 5.9% 22.1% $60

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Singapore

$255 7.2% 38.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Singapore

$161 4.6% 48.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Singapore

$136 3.8% 60.8% $51

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Singapore

$110 3.1% 92.2% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $3,098 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 25% 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 $68 in Seoul versus $74 in Singapore. Groceries tell a different story – $483 in Seoul vs $458 in Singapore – so Singapore wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.701 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seoul Singapore 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seoul
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

Seoul vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 92% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $5,316 in Singapore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seoul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $924 there versus $3,098 in Singapore.

Public transport costs about 52% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,948 per month in Seoul and $1,878 in Singapore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Singapore has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,848 in Seoul to $3,544 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 Seoul. 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.