Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Almaty

For one person, living is cheaper in Almaty: $1,387 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Almaty
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Almaty Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Almaty

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 Almaty actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,454 per month in Singapore vs $1,387 in Almaty, rent included.

Singapore $3,454
Almaty $1,387

A couple spends around $5,224 per month in Singapore vs $2,135 in Almaty, rent included.

Singapore $5,224
Almaty $2,135

A family of three spends $6,994 per month in Singapore vs $2,883 in Almaty, rent included.

Singapore $6,994
Almaty $2,883

Singapore costs about 149% more than Almaty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Singapore and Almaty sit above the global median – Singapore by 158%, Almaty by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$13.31 ₸5,991

-13.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$43.37 ₸19.5K

64.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$8.80 ₸3,959

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$3.30 ₸1,486

59.09%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.37 ₸616

33.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.90 ₸406

38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$3.13 ₸1,409

169.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$4.10 ₸1,847

144.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.66 ₸749

77.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$0.90 ₸403

174.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$2.06 ₸927

31.55%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.37 ₸1,067

57.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$12.64 ₸5,689

70.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$6.62 ₸2,978

43.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$10.87 ₸4,893

139.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$1.86 ₸839

140.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$2.37 ₸1,067

31.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.99 ₸1,348

54.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$2.83 ₸1,273

-21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$0.77 ₸345

224.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$0.58 ₸262

310.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.59 ₸718

11.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.99 ₸446

52.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$2.54 ₸1,145

458.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$11.04 ₸4,969

115.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.21 ₸546

272.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.41 ₸1,085

89.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$0.25 ₸113

532.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$21.84 ₸9,831

341.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$1.28 ₸577

183.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.64 ₸289

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$10.74 ₸4,836

50.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$0.69 ₸312

263.77%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$22.3K ₸10.0M

599.75%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$29.3K ₸13.2M

396.87%

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

$175 SGD 224

$87.8 ₸39.5K

99.43%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$10.83 ₸4,874

14.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$17.40 ₸7,831

53.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$69.7 ₸31.4K

60.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$26.58 ₸12.0K

-54.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$6.68 ₸3,009

73.65%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$446 ₸200.8K

228.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$11.9K ₸5.4M

138.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$93.7 ₸42.2K

-13.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$46.91 ₸21.1K

7.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$143 ₸64.3K

-21.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$133 ₸60.1K

-2.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$773 ₸348.1K

277.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$497 ₸223.9K

327.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$1,390 ₸625.9K

306.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$880 ₸396.0K

351.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$2,546 ₸1.1M

827.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,506 ₸678.2K

1017.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$834 ₸375.2K

424.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

20.65

-88.18%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Almaty: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Almaty

$497 36.4% 76.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Almaty

$251 18.4% 45.1% $206

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Almaty

$205 15% 19.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Almaty

$116 8.5% 45.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Almaty

$188 13.7% 11.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Almaty

$83 6.1% 38.4% $52

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Almaty

$27 2% 75.2% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Singapore versus $773 in Almaty. 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 424% 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 $71.0 in Singapore versus $43.00 in Almaty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $251 – making Almaty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇰🇿 Almaty

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

10:44 10:44 AM

2 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

1,475,400

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Almaty 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Almaty

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 Almaty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 149%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,180 per month in Singapore and $2,080 in Almaty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Almaty, 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 $71.0 in Singapore and $43.00 in Almaty. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,454 in Singapore and $1,387 in Almaty. That's a gap of about 149%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Almaty, where all-in costs run around $1,387, than in Singapore at $3,454. In Almaty it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Almaty – 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 Almaty. 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.