Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Busan: $1,627 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Busan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $1,627 in Busan.

Singapore $3,454
Busan $1,627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $2,557 in Busan.

Singapore $5,224
Busan $2,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $3,486 in Busan.

Singapore $6,994
Busan $3,486

Living in Singapore is roughly 112% more expensive than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 158% above, Busan 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$7.25 ₩9,718

59.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$48.28 ₩64.7K

47.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$6.47 ₩8,664

35.39%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$3.65 ₩4,888

43.84%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.77 ₩2,373

3.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$1.39 ₩1,866

-10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.78

$3.83 ₩5,137

119.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$4.37 ₩5,857

129.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$2.32 ₩3,107

26.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$3.26 ₩4,373

-24.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$3.11 ₩4,167

-12.86%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.62 ₩3,506

42.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.57

$11.18 ₩15.0K

92.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.19

$10.38 ₩13.9K

-8.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.26

$25.03 ₩33.5K

3.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-59.35%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$3.54 ₩4,738

-12.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$7.86 ₩10.5K

-41.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$5.85 ₩7,845

-61.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$5.88 ₩7,883

-57.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$3.39 ₩4,545

-29.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$2.73 ₩3,657

-34.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$1.32 ₩1,771

14.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.15

$3.33 ₩4,459

325.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$18.44 ₩24.7K

29.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$2.38 ₩3,184

89.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$3.48 ₩4,657

31.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$1.19 ₩1,589

32.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$59.1 ₩79.2K

63.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$3.60 ₩4,828

0.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.72 ₩962

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.71

$16.66 ₩22.3K

-2.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.36 ₩1,826

84.56%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$29.8K ₩40.0M

422.38%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.6K

$33.8K ₩45.3M

331.62%

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

$175 SGD 224

$196 ₩263.2K

-10.90%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$36.52 ₩48.9K

-65.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.10

$27.50 ₩36.9K

-3.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$62.5 ₩83.7K

78.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.45

$9.62 ₩12.9K

25.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$12.04 ₩16.1K

-3.65%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$637 ₩853.9K

129.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$21.6K ₩28.9M

31.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$106 ₩142.3K

-23.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$65.6 ₩87.8K

-22.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$94.5 ₩126.6K

18.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$128 ₩171.7K

1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$734 ₩983.3K

297.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,724

$365 ₩488.8K

483.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,239

$1,341 ₩1.8M

321.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,080

$701 ₩939.4K

465.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$10.0K ₩13.4M

135.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$6,421 ₩8.6M

162.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$2,841 ₩3.8M

53.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

4.22

-42.18%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Busan

$365 22.7% 82.9% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Busan

$483 30.1% 5.6% $26

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Busan

$162 10.1% 36.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Busan

$260 16.2% 21.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Busan

$177 11.1% 5.6% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Busan

$87 5.4% 35.8% $48

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Busan

$71 4.4% 35.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $734 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 54% 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 $48.00 in Busan. Groceries flip the comparison at $457 vs $483, with Singapore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

3,586,079

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Busan 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Busan

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 Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busan wins on cost – living expenses run 112% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Busan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 54% 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 $734 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Busan runs roughly 63% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Singapore versus $637 in Busan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,627 in Busan versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Busan but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Busan 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 Busan 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 Busan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.