Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Kyoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyoto: $1,229 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Kyoto
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Kyoto Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Kyoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Kyoto

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $1,229 in Kyoto, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Kyoto $1,229

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $1,987 in Kyoto, rent included.

Singapore $5,265
Kyoto $1,987

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $2,745 in Kyoto, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Kyoto $2,745

Singapore costs about 185% more than Kyoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 159% above the global median, while Kyoto is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$9.52 ¥1,504

23.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$31.84 ¥5,031

121.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$5.00 ¥791

71.00%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.35 ¥529

55.22%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$0.83 ¥132

113.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.73 ¥115

68.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.18 ¥503

159.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$5.51 ¥870

84.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.55 ¥244

96.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.63 ¥258

56.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$5.74 ¥907

-50.17%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.12 ¥335

66.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$8.57 ¥1,353

146.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.58 ¥1,197

30.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$10.70 ¥1,690

137.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$5.16 ¥815

-11.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$2.27 ¥359

37.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$4.94 ¥781

-4.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$3.51 ¥555

-36.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$1.94 ¥307

32.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$1.66 ¥262

37.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.18 ¥187

58.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.99 ¥156

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.86 ¥610

261.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$7.52 ¥1,189

212.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.56 ¥247

191.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$3.27 ¥517

35.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.48 ¥234

6.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$63.5 ¥10.0K

47.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.25 ¥513

12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$3.77 ¥596

-79.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$28.62 ¥4,521

-43.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.06 ¥167

131.13%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

612.34%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

882.05%

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

$172 SGD 220

$102 ¥16.1K

68.75%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$23.50 ¥3,712

-47.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$31.15 ¥4,921

-15.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$52.3 ¥8,265

106.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$19.00 ¥3,001

-35.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$12.06 ¥1,905

-3.48%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$642 ¥101.5K

130.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$6,412 ¥1.0M

342.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$56.8 ¥8,980

41.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$45.66 ¥7,214

9.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$69.4 ¥11.0K

61.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$105 ¥16.5K

23.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$552 ¥87.1K

446.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$325 ¥51.4K

567.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,743 ¥275.4K

235.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$766 ¥121.0K

428.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$2,241 ¥354.0K

961.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$1,270 ¥200.7K

1218.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,889 ¥298.5K

132.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.23

9.42%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kyoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Kyoto

$325 26.5% 85% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Kyoto

$291 23.7% 36.5% $167

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Kyoto

$165 13.4% 35.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Kyoto

$156 12.7% 25.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Kyoto

$124 10.1% 25.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Kyoto

$76 6.2% 41.8% $55

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Kyoto

$91 7.4% 14.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,015 in Singapore versus $552 in Kyoto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 132% higher in Singapore, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Singapore versus $32.00 in Kyoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $291 – making Kyoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Kyoto

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

17:22 5:22 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

1,475,183

💱 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 →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Singapore vs Kyoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,500 in Singapore, $1,229 in Kyoto – roughly 185% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $1,844 in Kyoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kyoto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Singapore, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Singapore and $32.00 in Kyoto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kyoto, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Kyoto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Kyoto has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,229 in Kyoto to $3,500 in Singapore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kyoto. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.