Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Ambon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ambon: $625 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $33,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Ambon
Learn more

Ambon Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Ambon

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Ambon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $625 in Ambon.

Singapore $3,454
Ambon $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $997 in Ambon.

Singapore $5,224
Ambon $997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $1,368 in Ambon.

Singapore $6,994
Ambon $1,368

Living in Singapore is roughly 453% more expensive than in Ambon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Ambon is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$1.10 Rp 19.6K

948.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$13.77 Rp 246.2K

416.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$3.82 Rp 68.3K

129.32%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

257.14%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$0.43 Rp 7,711

325.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.29 Rp 5,155

331.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.78

$2.29 Rp 40.9K

267.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$3.46 Rp 61.8K

189.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

174.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$0.99 Rp 17.6K

149.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

238.75%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

172.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.57

$7.33 Rp 131.1K

193.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.19

$2.93 Rp 52.4K

224.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.26

$7.72 Rp 138.0K

236.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.23 Rp 39.9K

100.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

141.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$1.70 Rp 30.3K

171.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$1.27 Rp 22.6K

75.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

93.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.99 Rp 35.6K

19.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

143.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.43 Rp 7,711

251.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.15

$2.29 Rp 40.9K

519.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$21.10 Rp 377.1K

12.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.81 Rp 32.3K

149.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$3.05 Rp 54.5K

49.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$0.26 Rp 4,719

507.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$16.64 Rp 297.5K

479.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$0.52 Rp 9,372

598.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.36 Rp 6,402

122.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.71

$2.69 Rp 48.0K

501.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

209.88%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$21.1K Rp 377.3M

638.52%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.6K

$27.3K Rp 487.1M

434.89%

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

$175 SGD 224

$57.5 Rp 1.0M

204.38%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$5.48 Rp 97.9K

127.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.10

$18.88 Rp 337.4K

41.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$18.58 Rp 332.0K

500.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.45

$7.69 Rp 137.5K

56.96%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

746.72%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$95.1 Rp 1.7M

1439.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$6,994 Rp 125.0M

305.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$42.94 Rp 767.5K

89.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$32.09 Rp 573.6K

57.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$73.0 Rp 1.3M

52.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$71.7 Rp 1.3M

81.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$207 Rp 3.7M

1309.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,724

$127 Rp 2.3M

1577.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,239

$477 Rp 8.5M

1084.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,080

$405 Rp 7.2M

879.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$1,004 Rp 17.9M

2251.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$915 Rp 16.4M

1738.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$125 Rp 2.2M

3400.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

9.46

-74.21%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ambon: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Ambon

$127 21.1% 94% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Ambon

$194 32.3% 57.5% $263

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Ambon

$59 9.8% 76.9% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Ambon

$82 13.6% 61.8% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Ambon

$99 16.4% 41.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Ambon

$21 3.5% 84.2% $113

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Ambon

$20 3.3% 81.9% $90

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $207 in Ambon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 3401% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $14.00 in Ambon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $194 per month, with Ambon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇩 Ambon

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

275,888

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Ambon 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Ambon

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 Ambon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ambon wins on cost – living expenses run 453% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ambon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3401% higher in Singapore, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,916 in Singapore versus $207 in Ambon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,454 per month in Singapore versus $625 in Ambon – a 453% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ambon runs roughly 479% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $625 in Ambon versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ambon but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Ambon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Singapore and Ambon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ambon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 453% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.