Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,454 in Singapore versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Singapore $3,454
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,224 in Singapore versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Singapore $5,224
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,994 in Singapore versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Singapore $6,994
Phuket $2,822

Living in Singapore is roughly 190% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$4.35 ฿146

165.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$32.45 ฿1,091

119.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$8.42 ฿283

4.04%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$2.81 ฿94.4

86.83%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$0.87 ฿29.42

110.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$0.46 ฿15.46

171.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$2.59 ฿86.9

225.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$3.64 ฿123

175.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.71 ฿57.4

71.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$1.45 ฿48.62

70.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$1.56 ฿52.5

73.72%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$2.10 ฿70.6

77.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$19.53 ฿656

10.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$3.40 ฿114

180.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$11.14 ฿375

133.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.83 ฿95.2

58.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$1.62 ฿54.6

91.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$2.22 ฿74.8

108.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$2.15 ฿72.2

3.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$1.49 ฿50.2

67.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$1.33 ฿44.59

78.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.07 ฿35.87

66.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$0.51 ฿17.08

196.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$4.38 ฿147

223.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$18.77 ฿631

26.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$1.74 ฿58.5

159.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$2.78 ฿93.3

64.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$2.17 ฿72.9

-27.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$22.28 ฿749

332.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$3.02 ฿101

20.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$1.06 ฿35.57

-24.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$3.71 ฿125

336.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.43 ฿48.08

75.52%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$26.3K ฿885.8K

491.59%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$26.2K ฿881.0K

456.30%

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

$175 SGD 224

$96.7 ฿3,250

81.07%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$11.41 ฿384

9.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$17.11 ฿575

55.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$52.8 ฿1,775

111.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$11.07 ฿372

9.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$7.65 ฿257

51.63%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$555 ฿18.7K

163.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$11.3K ฿379.3K

151.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$63.4 ฿2,132

28.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$28.61 ฿962

76.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$96.7 ฿3,252

15.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$88.6 ฿2,979

46.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$735 ฿24.7K

296.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$458 ฿15.4K

364.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$2,102 ฿70.7K

169.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$1,187 ฿39.9K

234.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$3,493 ฿117.4K

575.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$2,491 ฿83.8K

575.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$501 ฿16.8K

772.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.57

-56.19%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 78.5% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 41.4% $189

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 53.4% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 41.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 25.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 49.5% $67

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 64.4% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,916 in Singapore and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 772% 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 Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Phuket 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 190% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 772% 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 $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,463 in Singapore versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Singapore. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $3,454 in Singapore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Singapore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Singapore and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 190% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.