Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Koh Lipe

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lipe: $2,083 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 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
100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
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Koh Lipe Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $2,083 in Koh Lipe.

Singapore $3,454
Koh Lipe $2,083

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $3,633 in Koh Lipe.

Singapore $5,224
Koh Lipe $3,633

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $5,183 in Koh Lipe.

Singapore $6,994
Koh Lipe $5,183

Living in Singapore is roughly 66% more expensive than in Koh Lipe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 158% above, Koh Lipe 55% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$7.32 ฿245

57.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$52.6 ฿1,761

35.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$14.01 ฿469

-37.47%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$4.35 ฿146

20.69%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.50 ฿50.2

22.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.79 ฿26.36

58.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.78

$4.04 ฿135

108.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$5.80 ฿194

72.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$2.14 ฿71.8

37.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.73 ฿57.9

42.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$1.97 ฿66.0

37.56%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.69 ฿90.0

38.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.57

$24.13 ฿808

-10.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.19

$4.12 ฿138

131.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.26

$13.94 ฿467

86.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$3.69 ฿124

21.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$2.03 ฿68.1

53.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.82 ฿94.5

63.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$2.56 ฿85.7

-12.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.80 ฿60.4

38.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.71 ฿57.4

39.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.38 ฿46.15

28.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.64 ฿21.26

135.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.15

$5.45 ฿182

160.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$23.53 ฿788

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$2.18 ฿72.9

106.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$3.48 ฿116

31.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$3.43 ฿115

-53.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$4.50 ฿151

-19.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$1.59 ฿53.2

-49.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.71

$5.78 ฿194

179.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$2.17 ฿72.7

15.67%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$40.8K ฿1.4M

281.64%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.6K

$39.7K ฿1.3M

267.20%

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

$175 SGD 224

$113 ฿3,775

55.23%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$12.76 ฿427

-2.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.10

$19.37 ฿649

37.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$64.9 ฿2,171

72.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.45

$13.63 ฿456

-11.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$9.39 ฿314

23.54%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$690 ฿23.1K

112.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$14.5K ฿485.7K

95.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$66.9 ฿2,238

21.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$29.89 ฿1,001

69.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$99.4 ฿3,329

12.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$92.6 ฿3,099

40.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$1,850 ฿61.9K

57.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,724

$1,170 ฿39.2K

81.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,239

$5,267 ฿176.3K

7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,080

$2,976 ฿99.6K

33.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$8,743 ฿292.7K

169.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$6,355 ฿212.8K

164.78%

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 Lipe: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.2% 45% $958

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Koh Lipe

$334 16% 27% $124

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Koh Lipe

$194 9.3% 24.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Koh Lipe

$145 7% 32.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Koh Lipe

$130 6.2% 22.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Koh Lipe

$84 4% 37.9% $51

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3% 76.3% $84

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 $1,850 in Koh Lipe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $53.0 in Koh Lipe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $334 per month, with Koh Lipe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

13:01 1:01 PM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

800

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Koh Lipe 770 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Koh Lipe

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 Lipe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Lipe wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Koh Lipe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $5,180 in Singapore and $3,124 in Koh Lipe 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 $1,850 in Koh Lipe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Singapore versus $690 in Koh Lipe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lipe – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Koh Lipe is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Lipe 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 Lipe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.