Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Kanazawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kanazawa: $1,304 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kanazawa
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Kanazawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Kanazawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Kanazawa

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $1,304 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Kanazawa $1,304

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $2,052 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Singapore $5,265
Kanazawa $2,052

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $2,800 in Kanazawa, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Kanazawa $2,800

Singapore costs about 169% more than Kanazawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Singapore sits 159% above the global median, while Kanazawa is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$7.44 ¥1,175

58.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$31.25 ¥4,937

125.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$4.99 ¥788

71.34%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$2.38 ¥377

118.49%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.13 ¥178

56.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.58 ¥92.2

112.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$2.01 ¥318

310.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$2.27 ¥359

348.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.56 ¥247

94.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.33 ¥210

91.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$5.52 ¥873

-48.19%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.02 ¥320

74.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$12.81 ¥2,024

64.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$9.52 ¥1,505

3.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$32.49 ¥5,132

-21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.69 ¥584

23.85%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$2.32 ¥366

34.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$6.14 ¥970

-23.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.15 ¥655

-46.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$3.68 ¥582

-30.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$3.43 ¥542

-33.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.28 ¥202

46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.96 ¥151

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.43 ¥542

307.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$7.96 ¥1,257

194.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.95 ¥308

132.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$1.52 ¥240

192.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.52 ¥240

3.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$54.2 ¥8,568

72.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.08 ¥487

18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$3.11 ¥491

-75.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$26.94 ¥4,257

-40.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.05 ¥167

133.33%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$20.1K ¥3.2M

671.25%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$16.4K ¥2.6M

805.77%

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

$172 SGD 220

$146 ¥23.1K

17.18%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$23.56 ¥3,722

-47.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$42.65 ¥6,738

-38.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$42.05 ¥6,644

156.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.47 ¥1,812

1.48%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$318 ¥50.2K

365.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$6,093 ¥962.6K

365.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$49.09 ¥7,756

64.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$24.98 ¥3,947

100.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$46.39 ¥7,329

140.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$64.3 ¥10.2K

100.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$454 ¥71.8K

563.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$356 ¥56.2K

509.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,004 ¥158.6K

481.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$767 ¥121.2K

427.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$4,757 ¥751.5K

400.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$1,885 ¥297.9K

788.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,869 ¥295.3K

134.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.28

7.02%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kanazawa: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Kanazawa

$356 27.3% 83.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Kanazawa

$384 29.4% 16.2% $74

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Kanazawa

$125 9.6% 51.3% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Kanazawa

$213 16.3% 1.2% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Kanazawa

$83 6.4% 50.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Kanazawa

$65 5% 50.5% $66

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Kanazawa

$79 6.1% 26.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,015 in Singapore versus $454 in Kanazawa. 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 135% 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 $31.00 in Kanazawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $384 – making Kanazawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Kanazawa

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

465,699

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Kanazawa 5,170 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Kanazawa

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 Kanazawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,500 in Singapore, $1,304 in Kanazawa – roughly 169% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $1,955 in Kanazawa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kanazawa, 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 $1,304 in Kanazawa. That's a gap of about 169%.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Kanazawa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kanazawa, where all-in costs run around $1,304, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Kanazawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kanazawa – 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 Kanazawa. 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.