Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Chennai (Madras)

For one person, living is cheaper in Chennai (Madras): $441 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $37,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
Learn more

Chennai (Madras) Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,594 per month in Singapore vs $441 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Singapore $3,594
Chennai (Madras) $441

A couple spends around $5,314 per month in Singapore vs $741 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Singapore $5,314
Chennai (Madras) $741

A family of three spends $7,033 per month in Singapore vs $1,041 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Singapore $7,033
Chennai (Madras) $1,041

Singapore costs about 714% more than Chennai (Madras), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 166% above the global median, while Chennai (Madras) is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.80

$2.07 ₹196

459.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.3

$15.09 ₹1,425

368.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.81

$4.17 ₹394

102.88%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.62

$1.94 ₹184

167.01%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.35

$0.32 ₹30.12

475.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.18 ₹16.67

583.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.14

$1.59 ₹150

497.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.60

$3.12 ₹294

216.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.86

$0.59 ₹55.5

411.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.41

$0.52 ₹48.79

413.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.71 ₹66.7

290.14%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.76

$0.89 ₹84.5

317.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.85

$6.06 ₹572

246.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.71

$3.15 ₹298

215.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.12

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.87

$2.91 ₹275

57.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.95

$0.83 ₹78.1

272.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.93

$1.42 ₹134

226.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.78

$0.46 ₹43.71

373.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.98

$0.45 ₹42.54

417.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.45 ₹42.04

413.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.38

$0.54 ₹50.8

244.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.30 ₹28.75

416.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.03

$4.94 ₹467

185.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.70

$7.42 ₹700

213.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.04

$1.79 ₹169

164.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.12

$2.83 ₹268

69.26%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.85 ₹647

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.95

$0.30 ₹28.78

410.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 123

$10.40 ₹983

827.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.58

$1.03 ₹97.4

247.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.33 ₹31.50

130.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.70

$2.06 ₹195

724.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.14

$1.11 ₹105

121.62%

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

$159.4K SGD 203.7K

$11.5K ₹1.1M

1285.75%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.0K

$20.2K ₹1.9M

670.44%

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

$168 SGD 215

$38.94 ₹3,678

331.28%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.64

$4.05 ₹383

202.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.02

$8.47 ₹801

232.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 141

$14.01 ₹1,324

689.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.83

$6.60 ₹624

75.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.64

$2.41 ₹228

407.88%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,427

$87.3 ₹8,246

2074.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.0K

$3,410 ₹322.1K

1047.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$20.35 ₹1,922

291.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 64.8

$16.94 ₹1,601

199.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$35.90 ₹3,391

210.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 159

$30.15 ₹2,848

313.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,079

$191 ₹18.0K

1574.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,884

$125 ₹11.8K

1699.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,889

$565 ₹53.3K

993.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,157

$346 ₹32.7K

1065.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.1K

$1,882 ₹177.8K

1152.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.1K

$805 ₹76.0K

1952.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,784

$644 ₹60.8K

602.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

9.86

-75.25%

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chennai (Madras): November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$125 28.4% 94.4% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$116 26.4% 74.7% $343

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Chennai (Madras)

$69 15.5% 73.6% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$51 11.7% 75.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Chennai (Madras)

$47 10.5% 71.8% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$19 4.3% 86.1% $116

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.2% 87% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,191 in Singapore versus $191 in Chennai (Madras). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Singapore are about 7 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Singapore versus $15 in Chennai (Madras). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $459 vs $116 – making Chennai (Madras) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

4,681,087

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.782 USD

1 SGD = 0.697 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.697 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Chennai (Madras) 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 714% more than Chennai (Madras), and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,392 per month in Singapore and $662 in Chennai (Madras). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chennai (Madras), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $191 there versus $3,191 in Singapore.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,594 in Singapore and $441 in Chennai (Madras). That makes Chennai (Madras) about 88% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 89% less in Chennai (Madras). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chennai (Madras), where all-in costs run around $441, than in Singapore at $3,594. In Chennai (Madras) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chennai (Madras) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Chennai (Madras). If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.