Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Osaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Osaka: $1,400 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $24,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Osaka
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Osaka Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Osaka

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,400

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Osaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $1,400 in Osaka.

Singapore $3,454
Osaka $1,400

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $1,991 in Osaka.

Singapore $5,224
Osaka $1,991

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $2,582 in Osaka.

Singapore $6,994
Osaka $2,582

Living in Singapore is roughly 147% more expensive than in Osaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 158% above, Osaka 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$6.19 ¥978

86.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$31.80 ¥5,026

123.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$4.93 ¥780

77.69%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$3.00 ¥474

75.00%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.45 ¥228

26.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.72 ¥113

73.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$2.62 ¥415

221.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$3.91 ¥618

156.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.46 ¥230

101.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.31 ¥207

88.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$5.25 ¥830

-48.38%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.03 ¥321

83.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$9.77 ¥1,544

120.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$9.22 ¥1,458

3.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$17.95 ¥2,838

44.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$3.29 ¥519

36.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$2.00 ¥317

55.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.11 ¥333

118.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$4.11 ¥649

-45.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.51 ¥239

65.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.19 ¥187

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.30 ¥206

36.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.86 ¥137

75.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$3.82 ¥604

271.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$9.74 ¥1,540

144.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.87 ¥296

141.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$3.15 ¥498

45.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$1.34 ¥211

17.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$32.68 ¥5,165

194.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$3.85 ¥609

-5.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$3.19 ¥504

-74.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$21.93 ¥3,466

-26.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.10 ¥173

128.18%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$21.5K ¥3.4M

624.59%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

863.32%

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

$175 SGD 224

$140 ¥22.1K

24.94%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$24.14 ¥3,816

-48.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$30.58 ¥4,834

-12.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$49.41 ¥7,810

125.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$18.41 ¥2,910

-34.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$12.27 ¥1,939

-5.46%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$511 ¥80.8K

186.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$13.1K ¥2.1M

116.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$47.50 ¥7,508

71.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$30.12 ¥4,761

67.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$73.4 ¥11.6K

52.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$91.0 ¥14.4K

42.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$704 ¥111.2K

314.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$508 ¥80.3K

318.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$1,751 ¥276.8K

222.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$765 ¥120.9K

418.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$6,208 ¥981.2K

280.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,938 ¥306.4K

768.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$2,346 ¥370.8K

86.23%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Osaka: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Osaka

$508 36.9% 76.1% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Osaka

$301 21.9% 34.2% $156

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Osaka

$130 9.5% 49.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Osaka

$195 14.2% 9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Osaka

$109 7.9% 35.2% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Osaka

$74 5.4% 45.1% $61

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Osaka

$58 4.2% 47.6% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $704 in Osaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 86% 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 Osaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $301 per month, with Osaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Osaka

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

15:00 3:00 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

2,691,185

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.64 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.64 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Singapore Osaka 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Osaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Osaka differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($3,454 vs $1,400 including rent). Osaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% 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 $704 in Osaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Osaka runs roughly 195% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Singapore versus $511 in Osaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,400 in Osaka versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Osaka but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Osaka 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 Osaka 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 Osaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.