Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,852 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Singapore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $2,852 in Melbourne.

Singapore $3,454
Melbourne $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $4,297 in Melbourne.

Singapore $5,224
Melbourne $4,297

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $5,742 in Melbourne.

Singapore $6,994
Melbourne $5,742

Living in Singapore is roughly 21% more expensive than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 158% above, Melbourne 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$17.75 A$25.49

-35.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$84.8 A$122

-16.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$12.16 A$17.46

-27.96%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$3.93 A$5.64

33.59%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$3.14 A$4.51

-41.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$2.43 A$3.49

-48.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$9.90 A$14.22

-14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$8.29 A$11.91

20.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.55 A$2.22

89.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$3.01 A$4.32

-17.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$2.88 A$4.14

-5.90%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$5.44 A$7.82

-31.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$10.59 A$15.22

103.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$9.61 A$13.81

-0.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$14.99 A$21.54

73.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$4.15 A$5.96

7.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$3.05 A$4.38

1.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$3.30 A$4.74

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$4.76 A$6.83

-53.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$3.04 A$4.36

-17.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$2.55 A$3.66

-6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$2.48 A$3.56

-28.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$1.63 A$2.34

-7.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$44.07 A$63.3

-67.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$12.43 A$17.85

91.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$5.33 A$7.65

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$5.16 A$7.41

-11.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$3.84 A$5.52

-58.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$142 A$203

-31.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$4.40 A$6.32

-17.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$1.40 A$2.01

-42.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$29.83 A$42.84

-45.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.46 A$2.09

71.92%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$28.1K A$40.4K

453.75%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$25.9K A$37.3K

461.82%

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

$175 SGD 224

$233 A$334

-24.77%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$27.28 A$39.19

-54.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$57.0 A$81.9

-53.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$52.7 A$75.7

111.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$22.62 A$32.49

-46.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$17.10 A$24.57

-32.16%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$2,373 A$3,409

-38.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$30.5K A$43.8K

-6.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$78.2 A$112

4.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$50.5 A$72.5

0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$121 A$173

-7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$133 A$191

-2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$1,713 A$2,460

70.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$1,402 A$2,014

51.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$3,339 A$4,796

69.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$2,529 A$3,632

56.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$7,018 A$10.1K

236.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$6,767 A$9,721

148.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$4,228 A$6,074

3.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.9

-58.64%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 34.1% $726

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Melbourne

$385 13.5% 15.8% $72

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Melbourne

$314 11% 22.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Melbourne

$317 11.1% 48% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 2.4% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Melbourne

$87 3.1% 35.5% $48

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Melbourne

$168 5.9% 52.6% $58

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 3% 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 $85.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $457 vs $385, with Melbourne cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

13:40 1:40 PM

3 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Between locations

Singapore Melbourne 6,060 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
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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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Melbourne differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($3,454 vs $2,852 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 3% 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 $1,713 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Singapore versus $2,373 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Melbourne is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Melbourne 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 Melbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.