Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Pohang

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,362 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Pohang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,362 in Pohang.

Singapore $3,500
Pohang $1,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $1,682 in Pohang.

Singapore $5,265
Pohang $1,682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $2,002 in Pohang.

Singapore $7,030
Pohang $2,002

Living in Singapore is roughly 157% more expensive than in Pohang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Pohang 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$5.91 ₩7,857

98.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$22.55 ₩30.0K

213.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$6.52 ₩8,675

31.13%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.02 ₩4,012

72.19%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.48 ₩1,967

19.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.53 ₩710

132.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.64 ₩4,836

126.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$3.81 ₩5,062

166.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$2.36 ₩3,142

28.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$3.25 ₩4,319

-21.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$1.46 ₩1,940

95.89%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.73 ₩3,634

29.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$10.95 ₩14.6K

92.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$10.36 ₩13.8K

-4.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$24.86 ₩33.1K

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$2.20 ₩2,929

107.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.61 ₩4,798

-13.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-40.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$2.92 ₩3,879

-23.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$5.00 ₩6,653

-48.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$3.41 ₩4,532

-32.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.27 ₩3,015

-17.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.34 ₩1,785

7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.31 ₩4,407

322.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$6.49 ₩8,631

261.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.53 ₩2,031

196.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$3.49 ₩4,638

27.22%

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

$3.30 ₩4,388

10.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.58 ₩766

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$16.64 ₩22.1K

-3.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.24 ₩1,647

97.58%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$29.5K ₩39.2M

426.34%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$28.4K ₩37.8M

422.95%

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

$172 SGD 220

$102 ₩136.1K

67.61%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$36.26 ₩48.2K

-65.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$26.84 ₩35.7K

-2.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$30.38 ₩40.4K

255.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$7.43 ₩9,884

65.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.38 ₩15.1K

2.28%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$637 ₩847.5K

132.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$21.8K ₩29.0M

30.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$105 ₩139.2K

-23.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$64.3 ₩85.5K

-22.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$92.5 ₩122.9K

20.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$111 ₩147.9K

15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$447 ₩594.3K

385.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$2,990 ₩4.0M

460.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$2,240 ₩3.0M

95.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

4.22

-42.18%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Pohang

$447 32.8% 79.4% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Pohang

$386 28.3% 15.8% $72

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Pohang

$137 10.1% 46.5% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Pohang

$165 12.2% 21.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Pohang

$168 12.3% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Pohang

$53 3.9% 59.5% $78

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5% 94.2% $101

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

Cost Breakdown

Singapore pays 96% 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 $23.00 in Pohang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $386 per month, with Pohang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇰🇷 Pohang

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

514,869

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Pohang 4,670 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Pohang

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 Pohang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pohang wins on cost – living expenses run 157% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pohang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 96% higher in Singapore, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Singapore versus $637 in Pohang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pohang – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,362 in Pohang versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pohang but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Pohang 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 Pohang 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 Pohang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 157% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.