Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Nara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nara: $1,215 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Nara
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Nara Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Nara

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Nara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,215 in Nara.

Singapore $3,500
Nara $1,215

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $1,828 in Nara.

Singapore $5,265
Nara $1,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $2,442 in Nara.

Singapore $7,030
Nara $2,442

Living in Singapore is roughly 188% more expensive than in Nara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 159% above, Nara is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$6.40 ¥1,011

83.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$31.96 ¥5,049

120.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$5.10 ¥805

67.65%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$2.48 ¥392

109.68%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.30 ¥206

36.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.75 ¥119

64.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.10 ¥489

166.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$3.06 ¥483

232.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.50 ¥238

102.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.34 ¥211

90.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$4.05 ¥640

-29.38%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.13 ¥336

65.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$9.60 ¥1,517

120.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.01 ¥1,108

41.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$17.82 ¥2,815

42.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.41 ¥539

34.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$1.99 ¥315

57.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$2.01 ¥317

134.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.01 ¥633

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$1.57 ¥248

63.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$1.16 ¥184

97.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.12 ¥177

66.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.81 ¥128

77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.82 ¥604

265.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$9.49 ¥1,500

147.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.93 ¥305

135.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$2.13 ¥337

108.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.55 ¥245

1.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$72.0 ¥11.4K

30.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.23 ¥510

12.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$2.83 ¥447

-73.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$15.70 ¥2,480

2.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.11 ¥175

120.72%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$21.9K ¥3.5M

609.06%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

897.23%

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

$172 SGD 220

$115 ¥18.2K

48.68%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$24.28 ¥3,836

-48.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$30.63 ¥4,840

-14.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$82.2 ¥13.0K

31.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$7.44 ¥1,176

65.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.85 ¥1,872

-1.77%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$511 ¥80.8K

189.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

121.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$48.43 ¥7,652

66.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$30.90 ¥4,882

62.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$59.5 ¥9,398

87.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$88.7 ¥14.0K

45.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$404 ¥63.8K

646.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$333 ¥52.7K

551.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$810 ¥128.0K

621.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$544 ¥86.0K

642.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$2,669 ¥421.6K

791.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$1,959 ¥309.5K

755.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,110 ¥175.3K

295.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.02

20.79%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Nara

$333 27.4% 84.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Nara

$282 23.2% 38.5% $176

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Nara

$126 10.4% 50.7% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Nara

$170 14% 19% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Nara

$102 8.4% 38.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Nara

$106 8.7% 19.4% $25

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Nara

$96 7.9% 11.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $404 in Nara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 295% 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 $32.00 in Nara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $282 per month, with Nara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Nara

🕒 Local time

09:02 9:02 AM

10:02 10:02 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

355,280

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Singapore Nara 4,970 km ≈ 7 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 Nara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 188% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 295% 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: $3,015 in Singapore versus $404 in Nara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nara – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,500 per month in Singapore versus $1,215 in Nara – a 188% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,215 in Nara versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nara but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Nara 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 Nara 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 Nara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 188% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.