Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Nam Dinh

For one person, living is cheaper in Nam Dinh: $783 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Nam Dinh
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Nam Dinh Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Nam Dinh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Nam Dinh

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $783 in Nam Dinh, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Nam Dinh $783

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

Singapore $5,265
Nam Dinh $1,265

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $1,747 in Nam Dinh, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Nam Dinh $1,747

Singapore costs about 347% more than Nam Dinh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 159% above the global median, while Nam Dinh is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$2.14 ₫55.3K

449.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$22.61 ₫585.4K

212.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$4.31 ₫111.6K

98.38%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$1.89 ₫49.1K

175.13%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$0.51 ₫13.1K

247.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.30 ₫7,668

310.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$1.06 ₫27.5K

679.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$1.89 ₫48.8K

438.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.47 ₫37.9K

106.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.06 ₫27.6K

140.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$0.74 ₫19.2K

286.49%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$1.50 ₫38.8K

135.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$10.21 ₫264.4K

106.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$3.80 ₫98.4K

160.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$9.97 ₫258.1K

154.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.39 ₫87.8K

34.81%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$1.04 ₫26.9K

200.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$1.32 ₫34.2K

257.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$1.15 ₫29.7K

93.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$0.92 ₫23.8K

179.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$1.09 ₫28.1K

110.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$0.55 ₫14.2K

240.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.52 ₫13.4K

176.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$1.39 ₫35.9K

905.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$12.51 ₫324.0K

87.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$0.88 ₫22.8K

415.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$1.74 ₫45.1K

155.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$0.32 ₫8,215

390.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$6.71 ₫173.7K

1297.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$0.74 ₫19.0K

391.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.60 ₫15.5K

26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$2.36 ₫61.0K

583.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$0.88 ₫22.8K

178.41%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$31.0K ₫802.2M

400.73%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$29.7K ₫769.8M

399.44%

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

$172 SGD 220

$85.6 ₫2.2M

100.32%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$5.31 ₫137.5K

133.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$8.66 ₫224.3K

202.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$22.24 ₫575.8K

385.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$7.64 ₫197.8K

61.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$4.34 ₫112.3K

168.20%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$161 ₫4.2M

817.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$27.7K ₫718.2M

2.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$48.87 ₫1.3M

64.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$26.46 ₫684.9K

89.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$83.5 ₫2.2M

33.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$79.5 ₫2.1M

62.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$415 ₫10.7M

627.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$274 ₫7.1M

692.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$756 ₫19.6M

672.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$624 ₫16.2M

548.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$2,789 ₫72.2M

753.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$1,323 ₫34.2M

1166.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

8.28

-70.53%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nam Dinh: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Nam Dinh

$274 35% 87.4% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Nam Dinh

$194 24.8% 57.6% $263

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Nam Dinh

$65 8.3% 74.6% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Nam Dinh

$100 12.7% 52.6% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Nam Dinh

$107 13.7% 35.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Nam Dinh

$31 4% 76.5% $100

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Nam Dinh

$12 1.5% 89.1% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,015 in Singapore versus $415 in Nam Dinh. 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 $23.00 in Nam Dinh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $194 – making Nam Dinh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇻🇳 Nam Dinh

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

179,229

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Nam Dinh 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Nam Dinh

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 Nam Dinh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 347%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $1,174 in Nam Dinh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,500 in Singapore and $783 in Nam Dinh. That's a gap of about 347%.

Public transport costs about 1297% less in Nam Dinh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nam Dinh, where all-in costs run around $783, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Nam Dinh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nam Dinh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Nam Dinh. 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.