Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $3,544 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,544

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,544 in Singapore versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Singapore $3,544
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,318 in Singapore versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Singapore $5,318
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,093 in Singapore versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Singapore $7,093
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Singapore is roughly 60% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 160% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 SGD 14.89

$16.65 €14.96

-30.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 SGD 95.4

$61.7 €55.5

20.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 SGD 10.69

$11.36 €10.20

-26.50%

Cappuccino

$5.24 SGD 6.71

$2.97 €2.67

76.43%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$2.29 €2.06

-20.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 SGD 1.64

$1.74 €1.56

-26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 SGD 10.68

$3.40 €3.06

145.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.99 SGD 12.80

$3.31 €2.97

201.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.99 SGD 3.83

$1.16 €1.04

157.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 SGD 3.31

$1.91 €1.72

35.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.55

$1.51 €1.36

83.44%

Eggs

$3.76 SGD 4.82

$4.02 €3.61

-6.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.85 SGD 26.71

$12.94 €11.62

61.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 SGD 12.82

$7.77 €6.99

28.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.28 SGD 32.39

$17.76 €15.96

42.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.52 SGD 5.79

$2.30 €2.07

96.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 SGD 4.09

$1.73 €1.56

84.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$1.86 €1.67

145.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 SGD 2.78

$2.59 €2.33

-16.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 SGD 3.18

$1.82 €1.64

36.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$1.97 €1.77

18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 SGD 2.44

$1.47 €1.32

29.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SGD 1.85

$0.72 €0.65

101.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.85 SGD 17.74

$6.58 €5.92

110.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 SGD 29.95

$5.61 €5.04

316.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 SGD 6.01

$1.36 €1.22

244.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 SGD 6.15

$2.14 €1.92

124.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 SGD 1.94

$2.33 €2.10

-34.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.6 SGD 124

$44.68 €40.14

116.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 SGD 4.76

$3.85 €3.46

-3.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 SGD 1.03

$1.07 €0.96

-24.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.41 SGD 21.03

$16.46 €14.79

-0.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.53 SGD 3.24

$2.20 €1.98

15.00%

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

$156.9K SGD 201.0K

$34.2K €30.7K

358.91%

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

$154.6K SGD 198.0K

$38.7K €34.8K

299.12%

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

$170 SGD 218

$161 €145

5.34%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.88

$18.41 €16.54

-32.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 SGD 35.90

$32.74 €29.41

-14.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 143

$44.55 €40.03

150.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.09 SGD 15.49

$19.10 €17.16

-36.70%

Cinema Ticket

$12.21 SGD 15.65

$9.60 €8.62

27.19%

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

$1,878 SGD 2,406

$668 €600

181.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K SGD 37.3K

$17.6K €15.8K

65.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 SGD 98.4

$102 €91.7

-24.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 SGD 66.0

$44.46 €39.95

15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 SGD 137

$98.5 €88.5

8.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SGD 158

$124 €111

-0.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 SGD 3,969

$1,608 €1,445

92.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,213 SGD 2,836

$1,190 €1,069

85.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,983 SGD 7,667

$2,812 €2,527

112.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 SGD 5,238

$2,013 €1,809

103.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.1K SGD 29.6K

$7,839 €7,043

194.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.7K SGD 21.4K

$4,576 €4,111

265.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,464 SGD 5,720

$1,575 €1,415

183.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

3.85

-36.62%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 46.2% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 12.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 40.5% $186

Eating Out

Singapore

$255 7.2%

Lisbon

$243 11% 4.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 5.9%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 1% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$161 4.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 2.8% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$136 3.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 53.1% $72

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 42.8% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,098 in Singapore and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Singapore vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

8 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.7 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.7 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Between locations

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From you

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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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Lisbon differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($3,544 vs $2,210 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Singapore is about 2.8 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: $3,098 in Singapore versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,878 in Singapore versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $3,544 in Singapore, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon 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 Lisbon 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 Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.