Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Chungju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,450 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
Learn more

Chungju Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Chungju

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $1,450 in Chungju, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Chungju $1,450

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $2,285 in Chungju, rent included.

Singapore $5,265
Chungju $2,285

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $3,121 in Chungju, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Chungju $3,121

Singapore costs about 141% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Singapore and Chungju sit above the global median – Singapore by 159%, Chungju by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$7.39 ₩9,829

59.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$47.62 ₩63.3K

48.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$6.59 ₩8,761

29.74%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.70 ₩4,915

40.54%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.81 ₩2,401

-2.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$1.41 ₩1,870

-12.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.82 ₩5,074

116.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$4.36 ₩5,797

133.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$2.28 ₩3,036

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$3.01 ₩4,007

-15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$3.05 ₩4,054

-6.23%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.63 ₩3,498

34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$11.21 ₩14.9K

88.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.67 ₩10.2K

29.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$24.54 ₩32.6K

3.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$8.71 ₩11.6K

-47.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.59 ₩4,769

-12.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$8.12 ₩10.8K

-41.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$5.79 ₩7,697

-61.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$5.87 ₩7,810

-56.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$3.39 ₩4,505

-32.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.76 ₩3,670

-32.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.29 ₩1,714

11.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.35 ₩4,449

317.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$18.30 ₩24.3K

28.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$2.39 ₩3,180

89.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$2.94 ₩3,913

51.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.14 ₩1,518

37.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.60 ₩4,785

1.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.74 ₩983

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$16.81 ₩22.3K

-3.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.35 ₩1,790

81.48%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$29.6K ₩39.4M

424.23%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$34.1K ₩45.4M

335.38%

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

$172 SGD 220

$201 ₩266.7K

-14.49%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$26.62 ₩35.4K

-53.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$27.03 ₩35.9K

-3.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$52.1 ₩69.2K

107.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$12.15 ₩16.2K

1.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.74 ₩15.6K

-0.85%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$632 ₩840.9K

134.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$21.6K ₩28.7M

31.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$73.4 ₩97.6K

9.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$38.03 ₩50.6K

31.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$75.5 ₩100.4K

47.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$113 ₩150.3K

14.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$490 ₩652.0K

514.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$356 ₩473.4K

509.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,179 ₩1.6M

395.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$733 ₩974.6K

451.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$7,100 ₩9.4M

235.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$5,588 ₩7.4M

199.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,678 ₩2.2M

161.34%

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 Chungju: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Chungju

$356 24.6% 83.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Chungju

$453 31.3% 1% $4.6

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Chungju

$164 11.3% 35.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Chungju

$254 17.5% 21% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Chungju

$135 9.3% 19.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Chungju

$76 5.2% 42.5% $56

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Chungju

$12 * 0.8% 89% $96

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,015 in Singapore versus $490 in Chungju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 161% higher in Singapore, 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 $71.0 in Singapore versus $48.00 in Chungju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $453 – making Chungju the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇰🇷 Chungju

🕒 Local time

07:51 7:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

208,529

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Chungju 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Chungju

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 Chungju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 141% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $2,175 in Chungju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chungju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,500 in Singapore and $1,450 in Chungju. That's a gap of about 141%.

Kindergarten costs $1,481 per month in Singapore and $632 in Chungju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chungju, where all-in costs run around $1,450, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Chungju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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