Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Kobe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kobe: $1,381 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Kobe
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Kobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Kobe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Kobe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,381 in Kobe.

Singapore $3,500
Kobe $1,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $2,056 in Kobe.

Singapore $5,265
Kobe $2,056

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $2,732 in Kobe.

Singapore $7,030
Kobe $2,732

Living in Singapore is roughly 154% more expensive than in Kobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Kobe 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$7.75 ¥1,224

51.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$30.99 ¥4,896

127.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$4.76 ¥752

79.62%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$2.34 ¥370

122.22%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.14 ¥180

55.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.62 ¥97.6

98.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$2.05 ¥324

302.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$2.33 ¥369

336.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.53 ¥242

98.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.25 ¥198

104.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$4.19 ¥662

-31.74%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.00 ¥317

76.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$12.57 ¥1,985

68.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.06 ¥1,115

40.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$17.20 ¥2,717

47.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$7.99 ¥1,263

-42.80%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$2.94 ¥464

6.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$5.09 ¥804

-7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$7.64 ¥1,208

-70.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$3.86 ¥610

-33.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$3.37 ¥533

-32.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.18 ¥186

58.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.88 ¥140

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.40 ¥538

310.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$8.29 ¥1,309

183.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.96 ¥310

131.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$1.50 ¥237

196.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.47 ¥232

6.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$64.1 ¥10.1K

46.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.17 ¥501

14.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$3.17 ¥501

-76.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$26.12 ¥4,127

-38.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.10 ¥173

122.73%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$20.1K ¥3.2M

670.69%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$15.5K ¥2.4M

860.33%

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

$172 SGD 220

$143 ¥22.6K

20.16%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$23.62 ¥3,732

-47.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$31.28 ¥4,942

-16.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$45.38 ¥7,170

138.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$11.47 ¥1,813

7.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.46 ¥1,810

1.57%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$317 ¥50.0K

367.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$6,099 ¥963.6K

364.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$49.73 ¥7,857

61.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$25.25 ¥3,988

98.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$46.07 ¥7,279

142.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$64.8 ¥10.2K

98.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$683 ¥107.8K

341.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$459 ¥72.5K

372.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,057 ¥166.9K

452.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$741 ¥117.1K

445.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$4,263 ¥673.4K

458.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$2,821 ¥445.7K

493.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,962 ¥310.0K

123.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.02

20.79%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kobe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Kobe

$459 33.3% 78.8% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Kobe

$356 25.8% 22.1% $101

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Kobe

$126 9.2% 50.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Kobe

$198 14.3% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Kobe

$84 6.1% 50% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Kobe

$68 5% 48% $63

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Kobe

$89 6.5% 17.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $683 in Kobe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 123% 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 $31.00 in Kobe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $356 per month, with Kobe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Kobe

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

1,537,272

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kobe 4,930 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Kobe

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 Kobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kobe wins on cost – living expenses run 154% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kobe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 123% 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 $683 in Kobe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kobe runs roughly 46% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Singapore versus $317 in Kobe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,381 in Kobe versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kobe but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Kobe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kobe delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kobe hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Singapore and Kobe 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 Kobe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 154% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.