Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Sapporo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sapporo: $1,404 a month against $3,493 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Singapore
🇸🇬 Singapore
$3,493
/mo nomad
Sapporo
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,404
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Sapporo

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

A single person spends $3,493 per month in Singapore vs $1,404 in Sapporo, rent included.

  • Singapore $3,493
  • Sapporo $1,404

A couple spends around $5,174 per month in Singapore vs $2,097 in Sapporo, rent included.

  • Singapore $5,174
  • Sapporo $2,097

A family of three spends $6,855 per month in Singapore vs $2,791 in Sapporo, rent included.

  • Singapore $6,855
  • Sapporo $2,791

Singapore costs about 149% more than Sapporo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Singapore and Sapporo sit above the global median – Singapore by 158%, Sapporo by 4%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.74 SGD 15.02
$6.20 ¥980
89.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.3 SGD 95.1
$28.04 ¥4,430
165.01%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 SGD 11.21
$5.30 ¥837
65.28%
Cappuccino
$5.32 SGD 6.80
$4.85 ¥767
9.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 SGD 2.42
$1.65 ¥261
14.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 SGD 1.55
$0.88 ¥139
37.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.46 SGD 10.82
$4.38 ¥693
93.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.83 SGD 12.57
$5.62 ¥889
74.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.91 SGD 3.72
$1.55 ¥244
87.74%
White Bread (500g)
$2.52 SGD 3.22
$1.35 ¥213
86.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.86 SGD 3.66
$3.91 ¥618
-26.85%
Eggs
$3.64 SGD 4.66
$1.76 ¥279
106.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$20.88 SGD 26.71
$9.42 ¥1,489
121.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.92 SGD 12.69
$6.76 ¥1,068
46.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.77 SGD 32.98
$25.61 ¥4,046
0.62%
Apples (1kg)
$4.70 SGD 6.02
$3.19 ¥504
47.34%
Banana (1kg)
$3.08 SGD 3.94
$3.12 ¥494
-1.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 SGD 6.06
$3.20 ¥506
48.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.19 SGD 2.80
$4.19 ¥663
-47.73%
Potato (1kg)
$2.57 SGD 3.29
$2.09 ¥331
22.97%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 SGD 2.97
$1.74 ¥275
33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.86 SGD 2.39
$1.49 ¥235
24.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 SGD 1.78
$0.45 ¥70.8
208.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.80 SGD 17.66
$4.00 ¥633
245.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$23.29 SGD 29.81
$8.19 ¥1,293
184.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.77 SGD 6.10
$1.92 ¥303
148.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.69 SGD 6.00
$3.17 ¥501
47.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.60 SGD 2.04
$1.60 ¥253
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.0 SGD 123
$48.16 ¥7,609
99.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.61 SGD 4.61
$4.02 ¥635
-10.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 SGD 1.02
$1.63 ¥257
-51.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.63 SGD 21.28
$16.05 ¥2,536
3.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.56 SGD 3.28
$1.11 ¥175
130.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$157.0K SGD 200.8K
$21.8K ¥3.4M
621.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$149.8K SGD 191.7K
$14.5K ¥2.3M
934.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 SGD 220
$336 ¥53.0K
-48.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.13 SGD 15.53
$25.59 ¥4,042
-52.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.02 SGD 35.86
$47.75 ¥7,544
-41.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$108 SGD 138
$48.58 ¥7,674
122.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.24 SGD 15.67
$3.22 ¥509
280.12%
Cinema Ticket
$12.03 SGD 15.39
$12.12 ¥1,915
-0.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,473 SGD 1,885
$319 ¥50.4K
362.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$28.7K SGD 36.8K
$9,987 ¥1.6M
187.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.0 SGD 99.9
$37.38 ¥5,905
108.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.9 SGD 65.1
$25.18 ¥3,978
102.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 SGD 139
$47.33 ¥7,478
129.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 SGD 158
$114 ¥18.0K
7.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,917 SGD 3,733
$453 ¥71.6K
544.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,161 SGD 2,765
$275 ¥43.4K
686.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,769 SGD 7,383
$824 ¥130.2K
600.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,849 SGD 4,925
$641 ¥101.3K
500.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$23.2K SGD 29.7K
$2,168 ¥342.5K
969.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$16.9K SGD 21.7K
$1,559 ¥246.4K
985.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Singapore
Sapporo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,547 SGD 5,818
$2,233 ¥352.9K
103.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.44
2.57
-5.06%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sapporo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Singapore
$2.2K
Sapporo
$275 87.3% $1.9K
Groceries & Markets
Singapore
$458
Sapporo
$312 31.8% $146
Eating Out
Singapore
$258
Sapporo
$167 35.3% $91
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Singapore
$212
Sapporo
$409 93% $197
Clothing & Footwear
Singapore
$162
Sapporo
$101 37.9% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Singapore
$132
Sapporo
$73 44.9% $59
Getting Around
Singapore
$110
Sapporo
$67 39.3% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,917 in Singapore versus $453 in Sapporo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 104% higher in Singapore, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Singapore versus $28.00 in Sapporo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $312 – making Sapporo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇯🇵 Sapporo
🕒 Local time
00:19 12:19 AM
01:19 1:19 AM
1 h ahead of Singapore
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,535,002 Capital
1,973,395
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Singapore Sapporo 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Singapore
  • Sapporo

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 Sapporo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sapporo cheaper than Singapore?
Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 149%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,240 per month in Singapore and $2,105 in Sapporo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sapporo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Singapore or in Sapporo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Singapore and $28.00 in Sapporo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Singapore and in Sapporo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,493 in Singapore and $1,404 in Sapporo. That's a gap of about 149%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Singapore or in Sapporo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sapporo, where all-in costs run around $1,404, than in Singapore at $3,493. In Sapporo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Singapore or Sapporo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sapporo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Singapore or Sapporo?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sapporo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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