Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Alice Springs

For one person, living is cheaper in Alice Springs: $1,828 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Singapore
🇸🇬 Singapore
$3,454
/mo nomad
Alice Springs
🇦🇺 Australia
$1,828
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Alice Springs

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Singapore and in Alice Springs actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $1,828 in Alice Springs.

  • Singapore $3,454
  • Alice Springs $1,828

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $2,745 in Alice Springs.

  • Singapore $5,224
  • Alice Springs $2,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $3,662 in Alice Springs.

  • Singapore $6,994
  • Alice Springs $3,662

Living in Singapore is roughly 89% more expensive than in Alice Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 158% above, Alice Springs 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.53 SGD 14.77
$17.52 A$25.07
-34.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 SGD 91.2
$83.1 A$119
-14.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 SGD 11.22
$10.85 A$15.53
-19.26%
Cappuccino
$5.25 SGD 6.73
$4.14 A$5.93
26.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 SGD 2.34
$2.84 A$4.06
-35.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 SGD 1.60
$2.82 A$4.04
-55.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.42 SGD 10.78
$6.62 A$9.47
27.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.02 SGD 12.83
$9.67 A$13.84
3.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.94 SGD 3.76
$1.45 A$2.08
102.76%
White Bread (500g)
$2.47 SGD 3.16
$2.13 A$3.05
15.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.71 SGD 3.47
$1.82 A$2.60
48.90%
Eggs
$3.73 SGD 4.77
$5.33 A$7.63
-30.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.54 SGD 27.57
$8.11 A$11.60
165.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.52 SGD 12.19
$8.29 A$11.87
14.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.98 SGD 33.26
$14.27 A$20.43
82.06%
Apples (1kg)
$4.48 SGD 5.74
$3.83 A$5.48
16.97%
Banana (1kg)
$3.11 SGD 3.99
$3.10 A$4.43
0.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.62 SGD 5.92
$2.50 A$3.57
84.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.23 SGD 2.86
$6.85 A$9.80
-67.45%
Potato (1kg)
$2.50 SGD 3.20
$2.50 A$3.58
-
Onion (1kg)
$2.38 SGD 3.05
$2.41 A$3.44
-1.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.78 SGD 2.28
$2.41 A$3.45
-26.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 SGD 1.93
$2.37 A$3.40
-36.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.18 SGD 18.15
$29.01 A$41.52
-51.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.79 SGD 30.47
$13.78 A$19.72
72.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.51 SGD 5.78
$3.35 A$4.79
34.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.57 SGD 5.86
$5.69 A$8.15
-19.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.58 SGD 2.03
$2.77 A$3.97
-42.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.4 SGD 123
$91.1 A$130
5.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.63 SGD 4.65
$5.02 A$7.19
-27.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.80 SGD 1.02
$1.64 A$2.35
-51.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.18 SGD 20.71
$27.71 A$39.66
-41.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.51 SGD 3.21
$1.30 A$1.86
93.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$155.9K SGD 199.6K
$37.7K A$53.9K
313.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$145.8K SGD 186.6K
$23.4K A$33.4K
523.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$175 SGD 224
$208 A$298
-15.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.45 SGD 15.94
$27.26 A$39.02
-54.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.64 SGD 34.10
$45.55 A$65.2
-41.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$112 SGD 143
$56.8 A$81.3
96.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.07 SGD 15.45
$17.66 A$25.28
-31.65%
Cinema Ticket
$11.60 SGD 14.85
$13.86 A$19.84
-16.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,463 SGD 1,874
$1,910 A$2,734
-23.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.4K SGD 36.3K
$20.6K A$29.5K
37.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.5 SGD 104
$72.2 A$103
12.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.6 SGD 64.8
$12.26 A$17.54
312.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 SGD 143
$137 A$197
-18.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 SGD 166
$123 A$176
5.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,916 SGD 3,734
$1,393 A$1,994
109.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,128 SGD 2,724
$519 A$742
310.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,654 SGD 7,239
$1,290 A$1,846
338.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,968 SGD 5,080
$758 A$1,085
423.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$23.6K SGD 30.2K
$4,528 A$6,480
421.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$16.8K SGD 21.5K
$4,795 A$6,863
250.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Singapore
Alice Springs
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,369 SGD 5,594
$4,404 A$6,302
-0.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.44
5.84
-58.22%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Alice Springs: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Singapore
$2.1K
Alice Springs
$519 75.6% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Singapore
$457
Alice Springs
$361 21.1% $96
Eating Out
Singapore
$256
Alice Springs
$297 16.2% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Singapore
$214
Alice Springs
$281 31.3% $67
Clothing & Footwear
Singapore
$168
Alice Springs
$155 7.7% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Singapore
$135
Alice Springs
$85 37.2% $50
Getting Around
Singapore
$110
Alice Springs
$115 4.7% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $1,393 in Alice Springs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alice Springs pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $83.0 in Alice Springs. Groceries flip the comparison at $457 vs $361, with Alice Springs cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇦🇺 Alice Springs
🕒 Local time
14:55 2:55 PM
16:25 4:25 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of Singapore
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,535,002 Capital
24,855
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Singapore Alice Springs 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Singapore
  • Alice Springs

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
Singapore vs Alice Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Singapore or Alice Springs?
Alice Springs wins on cost – living expenses run 89% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alice Springs the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Singapore or in Alice Springs?
On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Alice Springs. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Singapore compared to Alice Springs?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,916 in Singapore versus $1,393 in Alice Springs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Singapore or in Alice Springs?
Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How do dining costs compare in Singapore and in Alice Springs?
Dining out is cheaper in Alice Springs – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Singapore or in Alice Springs?
Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Alice Springs is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Singapore or Alice Springs?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
How safe is Singapore compared to Alice Springs?
Safety-wise, Singapore and Alice Springs are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Alice Springs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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