Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,902 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Ballarat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,902 in Ballarat.

Singapore $3,500
Ballarat $1,902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $3,035 in Ballarat.

Singapore $5,265
Ballarat $3,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $4,168 in Ballarat.

Singapore $7,030
Ballarat $4,168

Living in Singapore is roughly 84% more expensive than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Ballarat 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$17.70 A$25.47

-33.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$69.9 A$101

1.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$10.27 A$14.78

-16.75%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.79 A$5.45

37.20%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$2.95 A$4.24

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$1.89 A$2.72

-34.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$6.06 A$8.72

36.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$6.09 A$8.77

67.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.57 A$2.27

93.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$2.65 A$3.82

-3.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$2.32 A$3.35

23.28%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$4.09 A$5.88

-13.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$10.56 A$15.20

100.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$9.96 A$14.33

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$14.97 A$21.55

69.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.51 A$5.04

30.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.02 A$4.34

3.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$3.11 A$4.48

51.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.68 A$6.73

-52.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$3.07 A$4.42

-16.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.55 A$3.67

-10.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.35 A$3.38

-20.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.48 A$2.14

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$34.39 A$49.49

-59.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$12.66 A$18.21

85.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$2.31 A$3.33

96.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$3.11 A$4.48

42.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$2.76 A$3.97

-43.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$69.9 A$101

34.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.53 A$3.65

43.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$1.34 A$1.93

-43.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$26.64 A$38.33

-39.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.18 A$1.70

107.63%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$28.4K A$40.9K

445.61%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$26.0K A$37.4K

471.28%

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

$172 SGD 220

$206 A$296

-16.55%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$27.76 A$39.95

-55.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$57.4 A$82.6

-54.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$31.36 A$45.13

244.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$11.18 A$16.09

10.11%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$15.38 A$22.14

-24.32%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$2,144 A$3,085

-30.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$30.2K A$43.4K

-6.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$68.7 A$98.8

17.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$50.1 A$72.2

-0.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$99.6 A$143

12.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$134 A$193

-3.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$923 A$1,329

226.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$671 A$965

223.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,288 A$1,854

353.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$1,454 A$2,092

178.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$4,622 A$6,651

414.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$3,449 A$4,963

385.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$3,136 A$4,512

39.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.55

-56.04%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Ballarat

$671 35.3% 69.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Ballarat

$350 18.4% 23.4% $107

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Ballarat

$280 14.7% 9.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Ballarat

$291 15.3% 38.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Ballarat

$158 8.3% 5.2% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 52.7% $69

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Ballarat

$90 4.7% 16.1% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $923 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 40% 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 $70.0 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $350 per month, with Ballarat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

05:34 5:34 AM

3 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

105,348

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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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 Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 84% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 40% 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: $3,015 in Singapore versus $923 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Singapore versus $2,144 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,902 in Ballarat versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ballarat but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Ballarat 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 Ballarat 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 Ballarat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.