Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Richmond

For one person, living is cheaper in Richmond: $2,450 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
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Richmond Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Richmond

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Richmond

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $2,450 in Richmond.

Singapore $3,500
Richmond $2,450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $3,462 in Richmond.

Singapore $5,265
Richmond $3,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $4,475 in Richmond.

Singapore $7,030
Richmond $4,475

Living in Singapore is roughly 43% more expensive than in Richmond, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Richmond 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$10.31 A$14.76

14.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$82.2 A$118

-14.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$12.34 A$17.68

-30.71%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.43 A$4.91

51.60%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$3.15 A$4.52

-43.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$2.47 A$3.54

-50.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.46 A$4.96

138.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$8.55 A$12.24

18.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.90

$1.54 A$2.21

97.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$2.89 A$4.14

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$2.64 A$3.77

8.33%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.52

$5.58 A$7.99

-36.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.03

$6.98 A$10.00

202.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.14 A$10.23

38.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$6.98 A$9.99

264.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.97 A$5.69

15.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.14 A$4.49

-0.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$3.13 A$4.48

50.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.79 A$6.87

-53.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$2.97 A$4.25

-13.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.48 A$3.56

-7.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.46 A$3.53

-23.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.55 A$2.22

-7.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$34.20 A$48.99

-59.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$7.12 A$10.20

229.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$5.71 A$8.18

-20.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$5.32 A$7.63

-16.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$2.67 A$3.83

-41.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$76.2 A$109

23.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$4.53 A$6.49

-19.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$1.36 A$1.95

-44.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$29.85 A$42.76

-45.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.47 A$2.11

66.67%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.6K

$28.4K A$40.7K

445.64%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$26.8K A$38.3K

454.99%

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

$172 SGD 220

$227 A$326

-24.51%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$28.05 A$40.18

-55.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$57.1 A$81.9

-54.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$58.2 A$83.4

85.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$18.55 A$26.57

-33.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$15.01 A$21.50

-22.45%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$2,346 A$3,360

-36.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$29.5K A$42.2K

-3.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$79.1 A$113

1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$50.6 A$72.5

-0.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$119 A$170

-6.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$134 A$192

-4.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$1,215 A$1,741

148.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$1,235 A$1,769

75.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,476

$2,462 A$3,527

137.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,175

$1,784 A$2,555

126.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$5,764 A$8,257

312.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$4,275 A$6,124

291.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.9

-58.64%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Richmond: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Richmond

$1.2K 50.4% 43.1% $936

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Richmond

$326 13.3% 28.9% $132

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Richmond

$218 8.9% 15% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Richmond

$312 12.8% 48.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Richmond

$172 7% 3.2% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Richmond

$88 3.6% 32.8% $43

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Richmond

$98 4% 8.6% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $1,215 in Richmond. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $82.0 in Richmond. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $326, with Richmond cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇦🇺 Richmond

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

3 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

28,587

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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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 Richmond: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Richmond wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Singapore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Richmond the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $5,251 in Singapore and $3,674 in Richmond 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 $1,215 in Richmond. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,500 per month in Singapore versus $2,450 in Richmond – a 43% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Richmond runs roughly 23% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,450 in Richmond versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Richmond but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Richmond 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 Richmond 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 Richmond gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.