Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Gimcheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Gimcheon: $1,319 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Gimcheon
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Gimcheon Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Gimcheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,319

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Gimcheon

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $1,319 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Gimcheon $1,319

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $1,779 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Singapore $5,265
Gimcheon $1,779

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $2,239 in Gimcheon, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Gimcheon $2,239

Singapore costs about 165% more than Gimcheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Singapore sits 159% above the global median, while Gimcheon is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$6.09 ₩8,091

93.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$34.04 ₩45.3K

107.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$6.71 ₩8,928

27.42%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.70 ₩4,921

40.54%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.61 ₩2,136

9.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.63 ₩842

95.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.52 ₩4,683

134.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$4.47 ₩5,939

127.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$2.24 ₩2,975

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$3.21 ₩4,264

-20.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$2.26 ₩3,010

26.55%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$3.31 ₩4,401

6.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$15.79 ₩21.0K

33.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.71 ₩10.3K

28.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$11.34 ₩15.1K

124.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$7.77 ₩10.3K

-41.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.24 ₩4,302

-3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$7.36 ₩9,792

-35.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$6.78 ₩9,020

-67.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$3.56 ₩4,735

-27.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.41 ₩3,203

-4.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.04 ₩2,712

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.48 ₩1,971

-2.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.44 ₩4,572

306.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$18.48 ₩24.6K

27.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$2.31 ₩3,071

96.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.03 ₩1,367

52.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.93 ₩3,895

24.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.66 ₩877

15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.15 ₩1,525

113.04%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$29.5K ₩39.2M

425.79%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$35.9K ₩47.8M

313.24%

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

$172 SGD 220

$213 ₩283.8K

-19.62%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$44.15 ₩58.7K

-71.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$20.62 ₩27.4K

27.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$70.7 ₩93.9K

52.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.36 ₩15.1K

2.46%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$303 ₩403.1K

388.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$17.7K ₩23.5M

60.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$66.7 ₩88.7K

20.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$64.2 ₩85.3K

-21.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$74.1 ₩98.5K

50.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$98.6 ₩131.1K

30.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$296 ₩393.1K

919.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$244 ₩324.3K

789.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,930 ₩2.6M

127.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

4.1

-40.49%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gimcheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Gimcheon

$244 18.5% 88.8% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Gimcheon

$408 * 30.9% 10.8% $49

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Gimcheon

$149 11.3% 41.9% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Gimcheon

$278 21.1% 32.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Gimcheon

$137 10.4% 18.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Gimcheon

$93 7.1% 28.9% $38

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Gimcheon

$10 * 0.8% 90.4% $97

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 $296 in Gimcheon. 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 127% 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 $34.00 in Gimcheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $408 – making Gimcheon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇰🇷 Gimcheon

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

143,056

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Gimcheon 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Gimcheon

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 Gimcheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $1,979 in Gimcheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gimcheon, 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 $1,319 in Gimcheon. That's a gap of about 165%.

Kindergarten costs $1,481 per month in Singapore and $303 in Gimcheon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gimcheon, where all-in costs run around $1,319, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Gimcheon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gimcheon – 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 Gimcheon. 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.