Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Koh Lanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lanta: $907 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $30,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lanta
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Koh Lanta Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Koh Lanta

🇹🇭 Thailand

$907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Koh Lanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $907 in Koh Lanta.

Singapore $3,454
Koh Lanta $907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $1,498 in Koh Lanta.

Singapore $5,224
Koh Lanta $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $2,089 in Koh Lanta.

Singapore $6,994
Koh Lanta $2,089

Living in Singapore is roughly 281% more expensive than in Koh Lanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Koh Lanta is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$3.62 ฿121

218.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$25.92 ฿868

174.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$6.84 ฿229

28.07%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$2.26 ฿75.5

132.30%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$0.78 ฿25.96

134.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.36 ฿12.15

247.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.78

$2.08 ฿69.6

304.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$2.95 ฿98.7

239.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.53 ฿51.4

92.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.31 ฿43.96

88.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$1.36 ฿45.45

99.26%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$1.87 ฿62.6

99.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.57

$17.72 ฿593

21.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.19

$3.00 ฿101

217.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.26

$9.85 ฿330

163.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.55 ฿85.4

75.69%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$1.52 ฿50.9

104.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.04 ฿68.3

126.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$1.91 ฿63.8

16.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.30 ฿43.56

92.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.20 ฿40.09

98.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.02 ฿34.11

74.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.46 ฿15.55

228.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.15

$3.80 ฿127

273.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$16.52 ฿553

44.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.62 ฿54.4

178.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.53 ฿84.7

80.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$1.83 ฿61.3

-13.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$2.42 ฿81.1

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.82 ฿27.40

-2.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.71

$3.00 ฿100

439.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.18 ฿39.60

112.71%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$21.4K ฿716.8K

627.96%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.6K

$20.9K ฿698.6K

598.55%

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

$175 SGD 224

$93.3 ฿3,122

87.69%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$10.49 ฿351

18.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.10

$16.60 ฿556

60.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$44.05 ฿1,475

153.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.45

$9.20 ฿308

31.20%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$6.55 ฿219

77.10%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$491 ฿16.4K

198.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$10.5K ฿351.4K

170.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$59.6 ฿1,997

36.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$27.29 ฿914

85.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$90.7 ฿3,038

23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$83.0 ฿2,778

56.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$439 ฿14.7K

564.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,724

$280 ฿9,373

660.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,239

$1,264 ฿42.3K

347.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,080

$716 ฿24.0K

453.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$2,095 ฿70.2K

1026.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,519 ฿50.9K

1007.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.57

-56.19%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Koh Lanta: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Koh Lanta

$280 30.2% 86.8% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Koh Lanta

$241 26% 47.3% $217

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Koh Lanta

$97 10.5% 62% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Koh Lanta

$120 13% 43.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Koh Lanta

$117 12.7% 30.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Koh Lanta

$57 6.2% 57.6% $78

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Koh Lanta

$14 * 1.5% 87.5% $96

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $26.00 in Koh Lanta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $241 per month, with Koh Lanta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Koh Lanta

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

32,000

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Koh Lanta 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Koh Lanta

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 Koh Lanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Koh Lanta differ by about 281% in total monthly costs ($3,454 vs $907 including rent). Koh Lanta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $5,180 in Singapore and $1,361 in Koh Lanta to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,916 in Singapore versus $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Singapore versus $491 in Koh Lanta. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lanta – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $907 in Koh Lanta versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Lanta but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Lanta 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 Koh Lanta 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 Koh Lanta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 281% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.