Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $426 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $36,300 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$426

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Dhaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $426 in Dhaka.

Singapore $3,454
Dhaka $426

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $735 in Dhaka.

Singapore $5,224
Dhaka $735

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $1,043 in Dhaka.

Singapore $6,994
Dhaka $1,043

Living in Singapore is roughly 710% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Dhaka is 68% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$2.49 ৳306

363.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$13.06 ৳1,605

445.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$4.83 ৳594

81.37%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 ৳606

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ৳504

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$2.34 ৳287

124.36%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$0.30 ৳37.39

510.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.16 ৳19.96

681.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$0.80 ৳98.1

267.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$0.65 ৳79.3

280.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$0.71 ৳87.3

281.69%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$1.21 ৳149

208.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$8.67 ৳1,065

148.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$3.21 ৳395

196.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$6.70 ৳823

287.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.73 ৳335

64.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$0.88 ৳109

253.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.37 ৳291

94.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$0.65 ৳79.6

243.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$0.24 ৳29.20

941.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$0.49 ৳60.7

385.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$0.32 ৳38.88

456.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.30 ৳37.31

403.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.07 ৳1,483

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 ৳677

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 ৳819

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$3.23 ৳396

339.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$0.42 ৳52.1

276.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$22.54 ৳2,770

327.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$1.19 ৳147

205.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.40 ৳48.60

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$3.35 ৳411

382.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.15 ৳141

118.26%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$30.3K ৳3.7M

414.53%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

341.28%

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

$175 SGD 224

$46.32 ৳5,692

277.85%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$4.33 ৳532

187.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$10.63 ৳1,306

150.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$16.37 ৳2,012

581.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$16.14 ৳1,983

-25.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$4.13 ৳508

180.87%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$90.7 ৳11.1K

1513.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$2,649 ৳325.5K

970.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$16.48 ৳2,025

394.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$21.00 ৳2,580

140.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$50.3 ৳6,175

122.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$36.46 ৳4,480

256.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$152 ৳18.6K

1822.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$73.6 ৳9,044

2790.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$436 ৳53.6K

1197.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$214 ৳26.3K

1755.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$1,622 ৳199.3K

1355.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$761 ৳93.5K

2110.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$249 ৳30.6K

1654.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

10.48

-76.72%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Dhaka

$74 17.1% 96.5% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Dhaka

$123 28.5% 73.2% $335

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Dhaka

$64 15% 74.9% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Dhaka

$61 14.3% 71.4% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Dhaka

$56 13% 66.8% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Dhaka

$25 5.7% 81.7% $110

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Dhaka

$27 6.4% 75.1% $83

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $152 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 1655% 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 $13.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $123 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

2 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, 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).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Dhaka 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Dhaka

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 Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhaka is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 710% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1655% 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 $152 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,454 per month in Singapore versus $426 in Dhaka – a 710% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dhaka runs roughly 327% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $426 in Dhaka versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dhaka but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Dhaka 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 Dhaka 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 Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 710% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.