Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Shiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,191 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Shiga

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

A single person spends $3,500 per month in Singapore vs $1,191 in Shiga, rent included.

Singapore $3,500
Shiga $1,191

A couple spends around $5,265 per month in Singapore vs $1,880 in Shiga, rent included.

Singapore $5,265
Shiga $1,880

A family of three spends $7,030 per month in Singapore vs $2,568 in Shiga, rent included.

Singapore $7,030
Shiga $2,568

Singapore costs about 194% more than Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 159% above the global median, while Shiga is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$6.14 ¥970

91.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$31.73 ¥5,013

122.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$4.96 ¥783

72.38%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$2.90 ¥458

79.31%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.28 ¥202

38.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.69 ¥108

78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$2.69 ¥425

207.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$3.50 ¥554

190.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.28 ¥203

137.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.29 ¥204

97.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$3.81 ¥602

-24.93%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$2.05 ¥325

72.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$9.35 ¥1,478

125.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$9.43 ¥1,490

4.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$18.30 ¥2,891

38.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.26 ¥515

40.18%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$2.01 ¥318

55.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$2.04 ¥322

131.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.10 ¥647

-45.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$1.57 ¥248

63.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$1.17 ¥184

95.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.30 ¥205

43.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.86 ¥136

67.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.88 ¥614

260.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$9.26 ¥1,462

153.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.95 ¥308

132.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$3.14 ¥495

41.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.10 ¥174

42.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$52.9 ¥8,350

77.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.70 ¥584

-1.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$3.09 ¥488

-75.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$21.14 ¥3,340

-23.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.04 ¥165

135.58%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

615.41%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

880.45%

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

$172 SGD 220

$137 ¥21.6K

25.23%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$24.21 ¥3,825

-48.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$18.71 ¥2,955

40.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$52.5 ¥8,288

105.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$11.77 ¥1,859

-1.10%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$518 ¥81.8K

186.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

120.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$47.28 ¥7,469

70.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$30.38 ¥4,800

64.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$73.6 ¥11.6K

51.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$91.0 ¥14.4K

41.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$536 ¥84.7K

462.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$329 ¥52.1K

558.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,113 ¥175.8K

424.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$724 ¥114.3K

458.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$4,138 ¥653.7K

474.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$1,525 ¥241.0K

998.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$1,192 ¥188.3K

267.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

2.21

10.41%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Shiga

$330 27.7% 84.8% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Shiga

$293 24.6% 35.9% $164

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Shiga

$127 10.7% 50.3% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Shiga

$180 15.1% 14.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Shiga

$109 9.2% 34.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 42.1% $55

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 28.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,015 in Singapore versus $536 in Shiga. 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 268% 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 $32.00 in Shiga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $458 vs $293 – making Shiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

23,836

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Shiga 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,500 in Singapore, $1,191 in Shiga – roughly 194% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,251 per month in Singapore and $1,787 in Shiga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,481 per month in Singapore and $518 in Shiga. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Singapore, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shiga, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Singapore at $3,500. In Shiga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shiga – 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 Shiga. 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.