Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Semarang

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $599 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $34,800 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Semarang

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $599 in Semarang, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Semarang $599

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $945 in Semarang, rent included.

Singapore $5,265
Semarang $945

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $1,292 in Semarang, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Semarang $1,292

Singapore costs about 485% more than Semarang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 159% above the global median, while Semarang is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

746.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$10.63 Rp 191.3K

564.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$3.07 Rp 55.3K

178.50%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$1.28 Rp 23.1K

306.25%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$0.48 Rp 8,633

268.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.20 Rp 3,641

515.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$1.62 Rp 29.2K

409.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$3.39 Rp 61.1K

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.07 Rp 19.3K

184.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

186.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

266.67%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

184.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$3.99 Rp 71.9K

429.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$2.44 Rp 44.0K

305.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$7.53 Rp 135.5K

237.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

120.77%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

146.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

156.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

49.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$1.37 Rp 24.6K

87.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

15.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

107.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.42 Rp 7,529

242.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$1.96 Rp 35.3K

612.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$24.63 Rp 443.3K

-4.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

167.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$2.00 Rp 36.1K

122.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$0.21 Rp 3,778

647.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$14.21 Rp 255.8K

559.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$0.47 Rp 8,539

674.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.27 Rp 4,808

181.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$2.72 Rp 49.0K

493.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

198.78%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$25.2K Rp 453.9M

515.32%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$32.3K Rp 581.4M

359.76%

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

$172 SGD 220

$85.9 Rp 1.5M

99.69%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

369.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$19.37 Rp 348.6K

35.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$20.70 Rp 372.6K

421.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$4.68 Rp 84.2K

163.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$2.19 Rp 39.4K

431.51%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$51.1 Rp 920.3K

2796.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$2,063 Rp 37.1M

1273.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$35.51 Rp 639.1K

126.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$29.67 Rp 534.1K

68.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$56.9 Rp 1.0M

96.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$38.38 Rp 690.8K

235.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$231 Rp 4.1M

1207.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$138 Rp 2.5M

1478.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$498 Rp 9.0M

1073.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$378 Rp 6.8M

969.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$1,211 Rp 21.8M

1865.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$825 Rp 14.9M

1929.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$191 Rp 3.4M

2198.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

8.82

-72.34%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Semarang: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Semarang

$138 23% 93.7% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Semarang

$186 31% 59.4% $272

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Semarang

$53 8.9% 79.2% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Semarang

$108 18% 48.6% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Semarang

$72 12.1% 56.8% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Semarang

$25 4.2% 80.9% $106

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Semarang

$17 2.8% 84.3% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,015 in Singapore versus $231 in Semarang. 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 2198% 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 $71.0 in Singapore versus $11.00 in Semarang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $186 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇩 Semarang

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

1,555,984

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Between locations

Singapore Semarang 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Semarang

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 Semarang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Singapore is pricier by about 485%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $898 in Semarang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semarang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Singapore and $11.00 in Semarang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,500 in Singapore and $599 in Semarang. That's a gap of about 485%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Semarang, where all-in costs run around $599, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Semarang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Semarang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Semarang. 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.