Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Grafton

For one person, living is cheaper in Grafton: $2,437 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Grafton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $2,437 in Grafton.

Singapore $3,500
Grafton $2,437

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $3,470 in Grafton.

Singapore $5,265
Grafton $3,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $4,504 in Grafton.

Singapore $7,030
Grafton $4,504

Living in Singapore is roughly 44% more expensive than in Grafton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Grafton 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$17.31 A$24.90

-32.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$70.8 A$102

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$11.35 A$16.33

-24.67%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.28 A$4.72

58.54%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$2.74 A$3.95

-35.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$2.51 A$3.61

-51.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$8.37 A$12.05

-1.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$8.55 A$12.30

18.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.14 A$1.64

166.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$2.72 A$3.91

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$2.29 A$3.29

24.89%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$3.65 A$5.25

-3.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$8.99 A$12.94

134.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.74 A$11.14

27.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$14.00 A$20.15

81.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$2.84 A$4.09

60.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$1.36 A$1.96

130.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$3.03 A$4.36

55.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.80 A$6.90

-53.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$2.07 A$2.98

24.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.19 A$3.15

4.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.76 A$2.53

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.12 A$1.61

28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$29.96 A$43.12

-53.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$12.62 A$18.16

86.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$5.23 A$7.52

-13.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$5.04 A$7.25

-11.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$3.05 A$4.40

-48.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$92.3 A$133

1.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.95 A$4.24

23.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$1.86 A$2.68

-59.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$40.63 A$58.5

-60.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.31 A$1.89

87.02%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$27.4K A$39.4K

466.31%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$24.2K A$34.8K

514.25%

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

$172 SGD 220

$158 A$227

8.60%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$25.90 A$37.26

-52.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$48.09 A$69.2

-45.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$55.4 A$79.7

95.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$16.55 A$23.82

-25.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.76 A$16.92

-1.02%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$680 A$978

117.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$3,086 A$4,441

818.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$81.6 A$117

-1.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$43.48 A$62.6

15.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$111 A$159

1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$111 A$159

16.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$1,361 A$1,959

121.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$1,241 A$1,786

74.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$2,021 A$2,908

189.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$1,834 A$2,638

120.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$5,426 A$7,808

338.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$4,449 A$6,403

276.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$2,426 A$3,492

80.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.81

-58.00%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Grafton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Grafton

$1.2K 50.9% 42.8% $930

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Grafton

$321 13.2% 29.9% $137

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Grafton

$292 12% 14.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Grafton

$232 9.5% 10.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Grafton

$156 6.4% 6.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Grafton

$79 3.2% 39.9% $52

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Grafton

$117 4.8% 8.6% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $1,361 in Grafton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 81% 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 $71.0 in Grafton. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $321, with Grafton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇦🇺 Grafton

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

04:53 4:53 AM

3 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

19,255

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Between locations

Singapore Grafton 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Grafton

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 Grafton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Grafton differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($3,500 vs $2,437 including rent). Grafton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 81% 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 $1,361 in Grafton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Grafton – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,437 in Grafton versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Grafton but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Grafton 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 Grafton 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 Grafton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.