Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Binjai

For one person, living is cheaper in Binjai: $638 a month against $3,544 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $34,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Binjai
Learn more

Binjai Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,544

/mo nomad

Binjai

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Binjai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,544 in Singapore versus $638 in Binjai.

Singapore $3,544
Binjai $638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,318 in Singapore versus $1,029 in Binjai.

Singapore $5,318
Binjai $1,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,093 in Singapore versus $1,421 in Binjai.

Singapore $7,093
Binjai $1,421

Living in Singapore is roughly 456% more expensive than in Binjai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 160% above, Binjai is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 SGD 14.90

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

545.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 SGD 95.4

$15.06 Rp 273.7K

394.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 SGD 10.70

$2.81 Rp 51.1K

197.15%

Cappuccino

$5.24 SGD 6.71

$1.33 Rp 24.2K

293.98%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$0.48 Rp 8,725

281.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 SGD 1.64

$0.20 Rp 3,646

540.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 SGD 10.68

$2.49 Rp 45.2K

234.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.99 SGD 12.80

$3.12 Rp 56.7K

220.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.99 SGD 3.83

$1.04 Rp 18.9K

187.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 SGD 3.31

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

174.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.55

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

246.25%

Eggs

$3.76 SGD 4.82

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

200.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.85 SGD 26.73

$6.22 Rp 113.1K

235.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 SGD 12.83

$3.15 Rp 57.2K

217.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.28 SGD 32.41

$7.48 Rp 136.0K

237.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 SGD 5.79

$2.43 Rp 44.2K

86.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 SGD 4.09

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

145.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$1.77 Rp 32.2K

158.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 SGD 2.78

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

73.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 SGD 3.18

$1.40 Rp 25.5K

77.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.96 Rp 35.6K

18.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 SGD 2.44

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

135.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SGD 1.85

$0.39 Rp 6,999

271.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.85 SGD 17.76

$2.43 Rp 44.2K

469.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 SGD 29.97

$21.59 Rp 392.4K

8.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 SGD 6.02

$2.01 Rp 36.6K

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 SGD 6.16

$3.20 Rp 58.1K

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 SGD 1.95

$0.21 Rp 3,857

623.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.6 SGD 124

$10.00 Rp 181.7K

866.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 SGD 4.76

$0.47 Rp 8,527

689.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 SGD 1.03

$0.36 Rp 6,525

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.41 SGD 21.04

$3.18 Rp 57.7K

416.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 SGD 3.25

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

169.15%

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

$156.9K SGD 201.2K

$20.3K Rp 369.8M

671.20%

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

$154.6K SGD 198.2K

$30.1K Rp 547.2M

413.38%

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

$170 SGD 218

$68.7 Rp 1.2M

147.28%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.89

$3.91 Rp 71.0K

216.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 SGD 35.92

$18.11 Rp 329.1K

54.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 143

$20.19 Rp 367.0K

451.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.09 SGD 15.50

$8.73 Rp 158.7K

38.49%

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 SGD 15.65

$2.88 Rp 52.4K

323.96%

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

$1,878 SGD 2,408

$105 Rp 1.9M

1691.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K SGD 37.3K

$8,060 Rp 146.5M

261.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 SGD 98.5

$42.93 Rp 780.3K

78.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 SGD 66.1

$27.03 Rp 491.3K

90.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 SGD 138

$84.1 Rp 1.5M

27.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SGD 158

$62.7 Rp 1.1M

96.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 SGD 3,972

$204 Rp 3.7M

1422.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 SGD 2,837

$156 Rp 2.8M

1316.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,983 SGD 7,671

$495 Rp 9.0M

1109.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 SGD 5,241

$411 Rp 7.5M

894.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.1K SGD 29.6K

$1,207 Rp 21.9M

1815.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.7K SGD 21.4K

$752 Rp 13.7M

2120.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,464 SGD 5,724

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 25, 2026

Last update for Binjai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62.5%

Binjai

$156 24.5% 92.9% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 12.9%

Binjai

$194 30.4% 57.7% $264

Eating Out

Singapore

$255 7.2%

Binjai

$60 9.4% 76.4% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 5.9%

Binjai

$91 14.2% 56.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$161 4.6%

Binjai

$98 15.3% 39.6% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$136 3.8%

Binjai

$26 4.1% 80.9% $110

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Binjai

$13 2.1% 88.1% $97

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,098 in Singapore and $204 in Binjai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74 in Singapore vs $15 in Binjai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $194 per month, with Binjai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇩 Binjai

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

267,901

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.701 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.701 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Binjai 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Binjai

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 Binjai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binjai is about 82% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $5,316 in Singapore and $956 in Binjai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,098 in Singapore versus $204 in Binjai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,544 per month in Singapore versus $638 in Binjai – Binjai is about 82% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Binjai runs roughly 90% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $638 in Binjai versus $3,544 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Binjai but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Binjai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Binjai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Singapore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Binjai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.