Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Ibaraki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,130 a month against $3,493 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,493

/mo nomad

Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Ibaraki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,493 in Singapore versus $1,130 in Ibaraki.

Singapore $3,493
Ibaraki $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,174 in Singapore versus $1,756 in Ibaraki.

Singapore $5,174
Ibaraki $1,756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,855 in Singapore versus $2,383 in Ibaraki.

Singapore $6,855
Ibaraki $2,383

Living in Singapore is roughly 209% more expensive than in Ibaraki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Ibaraki is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.74 SGD 15.02

$6.43 ¥1,016

82.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 SGD 95.1

$30.94 ¥4,888

140.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.21

$4.95 ¥781

76.97%

Cappuccino

$5.32 SGD 6.80

$3.04 ¥480

75.00%

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

$1.89 SGD 2.42

$1.15 ¥182

64.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SGD 1.55

$0.75 ¥119

61.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SGD 10.82

$2.66 ¥421

218.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.83 SGD 12.57

$3.16 ¥499

211.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 SGD 3.72

$2.70 ¥427

7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 SGD 3.22

$1.54 ¥244

63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$4.04 ¥638

-29.21%

Eggs

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.12 ¥334

71.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.88 SGD 26.71

$10.53 ¥1,663

98.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 SGD 12.69

$6.66 ¥1,053

48.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.77 SGD 32.98

$16.42 ¥2,594

56.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 SGD 6.02

$3.79 ¥599

24.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 SGD 3.94

$2.26 ¥357

36.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 SGD 6.06

$2.81 ¥443

68.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 SGD 2.80

$4.08 ¥645

-46.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$2.43 ¥384

5.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 SGD 2.97

$2.56 ¥404

-9.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.24 ¥196

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 SGD 1.78

$0.85 ¥134

63.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 SGD 17.66

$3.33 ¥526

314.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.29 SGD 29.81

$6.66 ¥1,052

249.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.77 SGD 6.10

$1.78 ¥282

167.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 SGD 6.00

$2.15 ¥340

118.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 SGD 2.04

$1.68 ¥266

-4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 SGD 123

$54.3 ¥8,582

76.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 SGD 4.61

$4.65 ¥735

-22.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 SGD 1.02

$2.81 ¥444

-71.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 SGD 21.28

$18.30 ¥2,890

-9.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 SGD 3.28

$1.13 ¥178

126.55%

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

$157.0K SGD 200.8K

$21.4K ¥3.4M

634.84%

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

$149.8K SGD 191.7K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

889.45%

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

$172 SGD 220

$136 ¥21.5K

26.35%

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

$12.13 SGD 15.53

$23.88 ¥3,773

-49.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 SGD 35.86

$31.10 ¥4,913

-9.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$51.5 ¥8,140

109.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.24 SGD 15.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 SGD 15.39

$12.95 ¥2,046

-7.10%

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

$1,473 SGD 1,885

$464 ¥73.3K

217.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

111.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 SGD 99.9

$26.48 ¥4,184

194.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 SGD 65.1

$31.63 ¥4,997

60.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 SGD 139

$67.2 ¥10.6K

61.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SGD 158

$79.9 ¥12.6K

54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,917 SGD 3,733

$401 ¥63.4K

626.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 SGD 2,765

$260 ¥41.1K

730.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,769 SGD 7,383

$1,102 ¥174.2K

423.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,849 SGD 4,925

$528 ¥83.3K

629.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.2K SGD 29.7K

$3,937 ¥622.0K

488.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K SGD 21.7K

$1,554 ¥245.6K

989.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,547 SGD 5,818

$2,553 ¥403.3K

78.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.21

10.41%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ibaraki: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 61.8%

Ibaraki

$260 23% 88% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Ibaraki

$300 26.5% 34.6% $158

Eating Out

Singapore

$258 7.4%

Ibaraki

$130 11.5% 49.7% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$212 6.1%

Ibaraki

$191 16.9% 9.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$162 4.7%

Ibaraki

$92 8.2% 43.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$132 3.8%

Ibaraki

$77 6.9% 41.4% $55

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Ibaraki

$80 7.1% 27.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,917 in Singapore and $401 in Ibaraki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 78% 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: $74.0 in Singapore vs $31.00 in Ibaraki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $300 per month, with Ibaraki cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

287,730

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Singapore Ibaraki 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Ibaraki differ by about 209% in total monthly costs ($3,493 vs $1,130 including rent). Ibaraki is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% 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: $2,917 in Singapore versus $401 in Ibaraki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibaraki – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $74.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,130 in Ibaraki versus $3,493 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ibaraki but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki 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 Ibaraki gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.