Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Seoul: $1,794 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Seoul

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $1,794 in Seoul, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Seoul $1,794

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $2,863 in Seoul, rent included.

Singapore $5,265
Seoul $2,863

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $3,931 in Seoul, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Seoul $3,931

Singapore costs about 95% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Singapore and Seoul sit above the global median – Singapore by 159%, Seoul by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$8.80 ₩11.7K

33.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$68.4 ₩90.9K

3.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$7.54 ₩10.0K

13.40%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$4.23 ₩5,624

22.93%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.63 ₩2,167

8.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.74 ₩985

66.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$3.64 ₩4,843

126.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$6.15 ₩8,175

65.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$2.01 ₩2,679

51.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$3.13 ₩4,164

-18.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$4.32 ₩5,744

-33.80%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$3.61 ₩4,794

-2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$17.83 ₩23.7K

18.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$10.45 ₩13.9K

-5.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$25.80 ₩34.3K

-1.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$7.66 ₩10.2K

-40.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.38 ₩4,499

-7.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$5.81 ₩7,723

-18.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$6.41 ₩8,520

-65.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$3.75 ₩4,983

-31.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.54 ₩3,375

-9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.84 ₩3,782

-34.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$1.11 ₩1,472

29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.35 ₩4,455

317.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$18.49 ₩24.6K

26.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$2.40 ₩3,185

89.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$3.37 ₩4,480

31.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.14 ₩1,521

37.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$46.11 ₩61.3K

103.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.49 ₩4,643

4.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.63 ₩840

20.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$8.86 ₩11.8K

82.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.51 ₩2,005

62.25%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$29.3K ₩38.9M

430.04%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

426.44%

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

$172 SGD 220

$218 ₩289.2K

-21.13%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$35.15 ₩46.7K

-64.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$21.29 ₩28.3K

23.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$58.1 ₩77.2K

86.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$16.10 ₩21.4K

-23.54%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.31 ₩15.0K

2.92%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$1,948 ₩2.6M

-23.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$22.9K ₩30.4M

24.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$57.0 ₩75.8K

41.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$33.39 ₩44.4K

50.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$71.5 ₩95.0K

56.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$82.5 ₩109.7K

56.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$901 ₩1.2M

234.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$612 ₩813.5K

254.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$2,526 ₩3.4M

131.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$1,266 ₩1.7M

219.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$29.4K ₩39.1M

-19.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$11.9K ₩15.8M

40.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$3,650 ₩4.9M

20.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

4.08

-40.20%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Seoul

$612 34.1% 71.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Seoul

$477 26.6% 4.2% $19

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Seoul

$184 10.2% 28.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Seoul

$274 15.3% 30.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 34.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Seoul

$81 4.5% 38.6% $51

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Seoul

$57 3.2% 46.7% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,015 in Singapore versus $901 in Seoul. 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 20% 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 $68.0 in Seoul. Groceries tell a different story – $458 in Singapore vs $477 in Seoul – so Singapore wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

9,509,458 Capital

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Singapore Seoul 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Seoul

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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Singapore costs about 95% more than Seoul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $2,692 in Seoul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 103% less in Seoul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,481 per month in Singapore and $1,948 in Seoul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seoul, where all-in costs run around $1,794, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Seoul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Seoul – 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 Seoul. 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.