Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Korla

For one person, living is cheaper in Korla: $675 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $35,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Korla
Learn more

Korla Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Korla

🇨🇳 China

$675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Korla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $675 in Korla.

Singapore $3,594
Korla $675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $1,052 in Korla.

Singapore $5,314
Korla $1,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,428 in Korla.

Singapore $7,033
Korla $1,428

Living in Singapore is roughly 432% more expensive than in Korla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Korla is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$3.04 ¥20.22

280.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$16.27 ¥108

334.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$5.36 ¥35.70

57.84%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$2.87 ¥19.14

80.49%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.43 ¥2.88

327.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.24 ¥1.59

412.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$0.93 ¥6.20

921.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$1.54 ¥10.24

540.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$1.23 ¥8.17

145.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.88 ¥5.83

203.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.65 ¥4.34

326.15%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$1.58 ¥10.53

135.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$6.06 ¥40.38

246.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$2.49 ¥16.55

299.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$10.04 ¥66.9

150.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$1.98 ¥13.18

131.82%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$1.27 ¥8.47

143.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$1.81 ¥12.08

156.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$0.76 ¥5.09

186.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$0.51 ¥3.39

356.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.58 ¥3.84

298.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$0.50 ¥3.32

272.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.45 ¥3.03

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$2.98 ¥19.84

373.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$10.38 ¥69.2

123.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.15 ¥7.64

311.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$1.48 ¥9.87

223.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

$0.31 ¥2.07

393.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

$17.83 ¥119

441.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$1.32 ¥8.76

171.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.21 ¥1.40

261.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$7.46 ¥49.69

127.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.20 ¥8.01

105.00%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$17.9K ¥119.1K

791.23%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$14.4K ¥95.8K

982.13%

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

$168 SGD 215

$67.2 ¥448

149.87%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$5.53 ¥36.81

121.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$11.30 ¥75.3

149.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

$42.06 ¥280

163.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

$15.19 ¥101

-23.63%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$5.28 ¥35.16

131.82%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$162 ¥1,081

1069.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$9,003 ¥60.0K

334.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$18.17 ¥121

338.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$21.98 ¥146

130.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$106 ¥706

5.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$45.34 ¥302

174.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,089

$283 ¥1,886

1026.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,892

$187 ¥1,245

1107.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,910

$595 ¥3,964

937.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,170

$369 ¥2,458

993.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$3,270 ¥21.8K

620.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

$1,929 ¥12.8K

755.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

$761 ¥5,069

494.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

3.39

-28.02%

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Korla: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Korla

$187 27.7% 91.7% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Korla

$159 23.5% 65.4% $300

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Korla

$85 12.6% 67.2% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Korla

$84 12.4% 59.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Korla

$86 12.8% 47.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Korla

$53 7.8% 61.1% $82

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Korla

$21 3.2% 80.5% $89

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,191 in Singapore and $283 in Korla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $16 in Korla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $159 per month, with Korla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇨🇳 Korla

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

01:57 1:57 AM

2 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

779,352

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Korla 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Korla

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 Korla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Korla wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Korla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Singapore is about 5.9 times higher, 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: $3,191 in Singapore versus $283 in Korla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Korla runs roughly 82% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,899 in Singapore versus $162 in Korla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $675 in Korla versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $800 budget is realistic in Korla but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Korla 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.

Expats usually find Korla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.