Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Changwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Changwon: $1,538 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
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Changwon Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Changwon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,538 in Changwon.

Singapore $3,500
Changwon $1,538

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $2,371 in Changwon.

Singapore $5,265
Changwon $2,371

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $3,204 in Changwon.

Singapore $7,030
Changwon $3,204

Living in Singapore is roughly 128% more expensive than in Changwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Changwon 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$7.54 ₩10.0K

55.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$28.15 ₩37.4K

150.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$5.24 ₩6,968

63.17%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.70 ₩4,923

40.54%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.79 ₩2,383

-1.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$1.01 ₩1,338

21.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.03 ₩4,023

172.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$4.18 ₩5,563

143.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$2.24 ₩2,983

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$3.20 ₩4,254

-20.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$3.20 ₩4,257

-10.63%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.61 ₩3,476

35.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$10.83 ₩14.4K

95.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-6.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$24.43 ₩32.5K

4.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$11.09 ₩14.7K

-58.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.62 ₩4,807

-13.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$8.02 ₩10.7K

-41.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$6.01 ₩7,991

-62.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$5.82 ₩7,745

-55.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$3.28 ₩4,358

-30.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.82 ₩3,746

-33.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.33 ₩1,771

8.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.39 ₩4,508

312.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$18.77 ₩25.0K

25.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$2.34 ₩3,114

94.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$3.35 ₩4,451

32.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$0.98 ₩1,300

60.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.91 ₩3,874

25.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.78 ₩1,031

-2.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$16.59 ₩22.1K

-2.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.36 ₩1,806

80.15%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$29.3K ₩39.0M

429.61%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$33.1K ₩44.0M

349.05%

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

$172 SGD 220

$199 ₩264.0K

-13.59%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$36.37 ₩48.4K

-65.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$26.52 ₩35.3K

-1.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$52.5 ₩69.8K

105.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$12.48 ₩16.6K

-1.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$10.99 ₩14.6K

5.91%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$629 ₩836.2K

135.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$21.9K ₩29.2M

29.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$106 ₩140.8K

-23.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$64.4 ₩85.6K

-22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$92.8 ₩123.4K

20.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$127 ₩168.7K

1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$543 ₩722.4K

454.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$378 ₩502.1K

474.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,240 ₩1.6M

371.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$753 ₩1.0M

437.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$7,598 ₩10.1M

213.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$6,197 ₩8.2M

170.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,705 ₩2.3M

157.15%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Changwon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Changwon

$378 24.6% 82.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Changwon

$483 31.4% 5.5% $25

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Changwon

$155 10.1% 39.4% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Changwon

$261 17% 24.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Changwon

$175 11.4% 5% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Changwon

$74 4.8% 43.3% $57

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Changwon

$11 * 0.7% 90% $97

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $543 in Changwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 157% 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 $28.00 in Changwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $483, with Singapore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇰🇷 Changwon

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

1,055,839

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Changwon 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Changwon

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 Changwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Changwon differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($3,500 vs $1,538 including rent). Changwon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 157% 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 $543 in Changwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Singapore pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $3,500 per month in Singapore versus $1,538 in Changwon – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,538 in Changwon versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Changwon but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Changwon 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 Changwon 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 Changwon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.