Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,018 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $29,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan.

Singapore $3,454
Koh Phangan $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $1,673 in Koh Phangan.

Singapore $5,224
Koh Phangan $1,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $2,328 in Koh Phangan.

Singapore $6,994
Koh Phangan $2,328

Living in Singapore is roughly 239% more expensive than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Koh Phangan is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$4.05 ฿136

184.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$29.43 ฿989

141.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$7.59 ฿255

15.42%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$2.50 ฿84.2

110.00%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$0.81 ฿27.09

125.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.45 ฿15.01

177.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$2.30 ฿77.4

266.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$3.41 ฿114

193.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.59 ฿53.5

84.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.36 ฿45.86

81.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$1.50 ฿50.5

80.67%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.05 ฿68.9

81.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$18.36 ฿617

17.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$3.17 ฿107

200.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$10.61 ฿357

144.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.79 ฿93.9

60.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$1.54 ฿51.7

101.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.10 ฿70.5

120.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$1.95 ฿65.7

14.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.44 ฿48.39

73.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.25 ฿41.97

90.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.02 ฿34.39

74.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.48 ฿16.09

214.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$4.15 ฿139

241.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$17.24 ฿580

37.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.69 ฿56.7

166.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.63 ฿88.6

73.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$2.00 ฿67.2

-21.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$2.60 ฿87.4

39.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$0.93 ฿31.19

-13.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$3.37 ฿113

380.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.29 ฿43.20

94.57%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$24.1K ฿809.2K

547.58%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$24.1K ฿810.2K

504.85%

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

$175 SGD 224

$98.9 ฿3,324

77.02%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$11.05 ฿371

12.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$16.87 ฿567

57.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$53.1 ฿1,784

110.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$10.77 ฿362

12.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$7.53 ฿253

54.05%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$557 ฿18.7K

162.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$11.7K ฿392.3K

143.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$64.0 ฿2,151

27.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$28.52 ฿959

77.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$95.9 ฿3,223

16.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$86.9 ฿2,922

49.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$513 ฿17.2K

468.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$321 ฿10.8K

562.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$1,442 ฿48.5K

292.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$843 ฿28.4K

370.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$2,420 ฿81.4K

875.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,779 ฿59.8K

845.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$709 ฿23.8K

516.50%

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 Phangan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Koh Phangan

$321 31.6% 84.9% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Koh Phangan

$253 24.9% 44.8% $205

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.7% 57.6% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Koh Phangan

$127 12.5% 40.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.2% 26.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 49.4% $67

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Koh Phangan

$15 * 1.5% 86.2% $95

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 $513 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 516% 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 $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $253 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Koh Phangan 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Koh Phangan

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 Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Koh Phangan differ by about 239% in total monthly costs ($3,454 vs $1,018 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 516% 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: $2,916 in Singapore versus $513 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 81% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,454 per month in Singapore versus $1,018 in Koh Phangan – a 239% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,018 in Koh Phangan versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Phangan 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 Phangan 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 Phangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 239% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.