Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Matsudo

For one person, living is cheaper in Matsudo: $1,200 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Matsudo
Learn more

Matsudo Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Matsudo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Matsudo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,200 in Matsudo.

Singapore $3,500
Matsudo $1,200

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $1,896 in Matsudo.

Singapore $5,265
Matsudo $1,896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $2,593 in Matsudo.

Singapore $7,030
Matsudo $2,593

Living in Singapore is roughly 192% more expensive than in Matsudo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 159% above, Matsudo is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$6.47 ¥1,023

81.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$37.31 ¥5,895

89.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$5.02 ¥793

70.32%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.43 ¥542

51.60%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.10 ¥174

60.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.78 ¥124

57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$2.45 ¥387

237.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$3.17 ¥501

220.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.44 ¥227

111.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.65 ¥260

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$3.59 ¥567

-20.33%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.09 ¥330

68.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$10.21 ¥1,613

106.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$6.06 ¥957

63.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$14.09 ¥2,226

80.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$4.81 ¥759

-4.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$2.29 ¥361

36.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$2.94 ¥464

60.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.21 ¥666

-47.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$2.64 ¥417

-2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.67 ¥421

-14.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.15 ¥181

62.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.76 ¥120

89.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.79 ¥599

268.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$6.21 ¥981

278.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.63 ¥258

178.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$2.01 ¥318

120.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.53 ¥241

2.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$53.9 ¥8,521

73.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.17 ¥501

14.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$2.74 ¥433

-72.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$18.67 ¥2,950

-13.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.04 ¥164

135.58%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$21.4K ¥3.4M

623.88%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$15.7K ¥2.5M

848.71%

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

$172 SGD 220

$130 ¥20.5K

32.08%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$21.89 ¥3,458

-43.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$30.21 ¥4,772

-13.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$55.9 ¥8,832

93.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$12.39 ¥1,957

-6.05%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$628 ¥99.3K

135.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

90.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$54.9 ¥8,670

46.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$33.28 ¥5,257

50.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$61.5 ¥9,718

81.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$71.8 ¥11.3K

79.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$456 ¥72.1K

560.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$348 ¥54.9K

524.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,160 ¥183.3K

403.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$738 ¥116.6K

447.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$4,559 ¥720.3K

421.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$1,840 ¥290.7K

810.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.25

8.44%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Matsudo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Matsudo

$348 29% 84% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Matsudo

$279 23.2% 39.1% $179

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Matsudo

$134 11.2% 47.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Matsudo

$182 15.2% 13.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Matsudo

$100 8.3% 40.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Matsudo

$81 6.7% 38.6% $51

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Matsudo

$77 6.4% 28.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $456 in Matsudo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $37.00 in Matsudo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $279 per month, with Matsudo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Matsudo

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

485,803

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Matsudo 5,340 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Matsudo

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 Matsudo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matsudo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 192% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,251 in Singapore and $1,800 in Matsudo 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: $3,015 in Singapore versus $456 in Matsudo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Matsudo runs roughly 74% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Singapore versus $628 in Matsudo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,200 in Matsudo versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Matsudo but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Matsudo 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 Matsudo 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 Matsudo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.