Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Morioka

For one person, living is cheaper in Morioka: $1,190 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Singapore
🇸🇬 Singapore
$3,500
/mo nomad
Morioka
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,190
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Morioka

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $1,190 in Morioka, rent included.

  • Singapore $3,500
  • Morioka $1,190

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $1,943 in Morioka, rent included.

  • Singapore $5,265
  • Morioka $1,943

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $2,696 in Morioka, rent included.

  • Singapore $7,030
  • Morioka $2,696

Singapore costs about 194% more than Morioka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 159% above the global median, while Morioka is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.76 SGD 15.05
$6.13 ¥969
91.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.6 SGD 90.4
$31.46 ¥4,971
124.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 SGD 10.94
$5.15 ¥813
66.02%
Cappuccino
$5.20 SGD 6.66
$2.96 ¥468
75.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 SGD 2.27
$1.20 ¥189
47.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 SGD 1.58
$0.79 ¥124
55.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.26 SGD 10.58
$2.66 ¥421
210.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$10.17 SGD 13.01
$3.11 ¥491
227.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$3.04 SGD 3.89
$1.46 ¥230
108.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.55 SGD 3.26
$1.55 ¥244
64.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.86 SGD 3.66
$4.23 ¥668
-32.39%
Eggs
$3.53 SGD 4.51
$2.03 ¥320
73.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.12 SGD 27.02
$9.04 ¥1,428
133.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.90 SGD 12.67
$7.42 ¥1,172
33.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.42 SGD 32.53
$17.65 ¥2,788
44.02%
Apples (1kg)
$4.57 SGD 5.85
$3.97 ¥627
15.11%
Banana (1kg)
$3.13 SGD 4.00
$2.24 ¥355
39.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.72 SGD 6.04
$3.10 ¥489
52.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.23 SGD 2.85
$4.29 ¥678
-48.02%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 SGD 3.29
$2.56 ¥405
0.39%
Onion (1kg)
$2.29 SGD 2.93
$2.22 ¥352
3.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.87 SGD 2.39
$1.18 ¥187
58.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 SGD 1.84
$0.94 ¥148
53.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.97 SGD 17.88
$4.13 ¥653
238.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.48 SGD 30.05
$6.81 ¥1,076
244.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.54 SGD 5.80
$1.68 ¥266
170.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.44 SGD 5.68
$2.33 ¥368
90.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.57 SGD 2.01
$1.50 ¥236
4.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$93.8 SGD 120
$54.5 ¥8,603
72.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 SGD 4.66
$3.13 ¥494
16.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 SGD 0.97
$2.63 ¥415
-71.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.14 SGD 20.66
$21.32 ¥3,368
-24.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.45 SGD 3.14
$1.09 ¥172
124.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$155.2K SGD 198.5K
$20.2K ¥3.2M
666.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$148.5K SGD 190.0K
$15.1K ¥2.4M
884.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 SGD 220
$132 ¥20.8K
30.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.39 SGD 15.86
$23.69 ¥3,743
-47.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.21 SGD 33.54
$31.46 ¥4,970
-16.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$108 SGD 138
$51.7 ¥8,167
108.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.31 SGD 15.75
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.64 SGD 14.90
$11.07 ¥1,749
5.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,481 SGD 1,895
$545 ¥86.1K
171.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.3K SGD 36.3K
$12.2K ¥1.9M
132.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$80.6 SGD 103
$50.8 ¥8,018
58.72%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.1 SGD 64.1
$35.59 ¥5,623
40.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 SGD 143
$57.1 ¥9,025
95.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 SGD 165
$96.3 ¥15.2K
33.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,015 SGD 3,858
$552 ¥87.1K
446.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,171 SGD 2,778
$323 ¥51.0K
572.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,842 SGD 7,475
$1,157 ¥182.8K
404.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,044 SGD 5,174
$842 ¥133.0K
380.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$23.8K SGD 30.4K
$4,122 ¥651.2K
477.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$16.8K SGD 21.4K
$1,502 ¥237.3K
1015.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Singapore
Morioka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,385 SGD 5,611
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.44
2.21
10.41%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Morioka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Singapore
$2.2K
Morioka
$323 85.1% $1.8K
Groceries & Markets
Singapore
$458
Morioka
$294 35.7% $164
Eating Out
Singapore
$256
Morioka
$127 50.2% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Singapore
$210
Morioka
$187 11.1% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Singapore
$167
Morioka
$108 35.4% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Singapore
$131
Morioka
$74 43.8% $57
Getting Around
Singapore
$107
Morioka
$77 28.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Singapore versus $31.00 in Morioka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $294 – making Morioka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇯🇵 Morioka
🕒 Local time
16:22 4:22 PM
17:22 5:22 PM
1 h ahead of Singapore
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,535,002 Capital
289,731
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Singapore Morioka 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Singapore
  • Morioka

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 Morioka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Singapore and in Morioka compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,500 in Singapore, $1,190 in Morioka – roughly 194% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Singapore compared to Morioka?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $1,785 in Morioka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Singapore and Morioka?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Morioka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 56% more in Singapore, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Singapore and $31.00 in Morioka. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Morioka, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Morioka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Singapore or Morioka?
Families tend to lean toward Morioka – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Singapore or Morioka safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Singapore and Morioka?
If budget matters most, go with Morioka. 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.

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