Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Pathein

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathein: $1,021 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Pathein
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Pathein Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Pathein

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Pathein

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,021 in Pathein.

Singapore $3,500
Pathein $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $1,830 in Pathein.

Singapore $5,265
Pathein $1,830

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $2,639 in Pathein.

Singapore $7,030
Pathein $2,639

Living in Singapore is roughly 243% more expensive than in Pathein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 159% above, Pathein is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$1.48 MMK 3,095

694.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$19.79 MMK 41.4K

256.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$7.97 MMK 16.7K

7.28%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$1.47 MMK 3,082

253.74%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$0.52 MMK 1,098

240.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.51 MMK 1,078

141.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$1.48 MMK 3,108

458.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$0.98 MMK 2,048

937.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.46 MMK 3,047

74.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$2.98 MMK 6,249

-4.03%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.47 MMK 5,165

42.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$40.74 MMK 85.3K

-48.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$5.92 MMK 12.4K

67.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$8.06 MMK 16.9K

215.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$10.02 MMK 21.0K

-54.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$10.08 MMK 21.1K

-53.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.91 MMK 10.3K

-54.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$4.07 MMK 8,530

-36.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.01 MMK 4,217

13.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$0.52 MMK 1,098

259.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$2.95 MMK 6,185

373.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$20.03 MMK 41.9K

17.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.48 MMK 3,094

206.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$1.98 MMK 4,152

124.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$1.02 MMK 2,145

-25.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$2.97 MMK 6,222

443.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.99 MMK 4,161

23.12%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$32.5K MMK 68.0M

377.46%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$31.4K MMK 65.7M

372.90%

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

$172 SGD 220

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$20.30 MMK 42.5K

-38.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$10.18 MMK 21.3K

157.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$151 MMK 316.3K

-28.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$2.05 MMK 4,298

467.80%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$396 MMK 829.8K

273.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$4,748 MMK 9.9M

497.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$20.34 MMK 42.6K

296.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$14.75 MMK 30.9K

239.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$49.03 MMK 102.7K

128.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$60.1 MMK 125.8K

114.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$401 MMK 840.1K

651.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$301 MMK 631.0K

620.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,089 MMK 2.3M

436.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$984 MMK 2.1M

310.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pathein: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Pathein

$301 29.5% 86.1% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Pathein

$397 * 38.9% 13.3% $61

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Pathein

$67 6.6% 73.8% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Pathein

$30 * 3% 85.5% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Pathein

$65 6.4% 61.2% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Pathein

$155 15.2% 18.2% $24

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Pathein

$5.1 * 0.5% 95.2% $102

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $401 in Pathein. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $20.00 in Pathein for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $397 per month, with Pathein cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇲🇲 Pathein

🕒 Local time

09:36 9:36 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

315,600

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MMK, 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).

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,354 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.25 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Pathein 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Pathein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore and Pathein differ by about 243% in total monthly costs ($3,500 vs $1,021 including rent). Pathein is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $5,251 in Singapore and $1,532 in Pathein to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,015 in Singapore versus $401 in Pathein. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Singapore versus $396 in Pathein. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pathein – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,021 in Pathein versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pathein but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Pathein 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 Pathein 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 Pathein gentler on the wallet – expenses run 243% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.