Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Shimla

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $307 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $39,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
Learn more

Shimla Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Shimla

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

A single person spends $3,594 per month in Singapore vs $307 in Shimla, rent included.

Singapore $3,594
Shimla $307

A couple spends around $5,314 per month in Singapore vs $500 in Shimla, rent included.

Singapore $5,314
Shimla $500

A family of three spends $7,033 per month in Singapore vs $694 in Shimla, rent included.

Singapore $7,033
Shimla $694

Singapore costs about 1070% more than Shimla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Singapore sits 166% above the global median, while Shimla is 77% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$1.61 ₹151

619.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$10.43 ₹979

577.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$3.14 ₹295

169.43%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$0.84 ₹78.9

516.67%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.37 ₹34.89

397.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.11 ₹9.88

1018.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$1.57 ₹148

505.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$2.13 ₹200

362.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$0.69 ₹64.9

337.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$0.40 ₹37.40

567.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.59 ₹55.6

369.49%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$0.84 ₹78.7

342.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$4.33 ₹407

385.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$3.18 ₹298

212.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$1.81 ₹170

153.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$0.71 ₹66.8

335.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$0.65 ₹60.7

613.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$0.48 ₹45.02

354.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$0.28 ₹25.95

732.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.34 ₹32.15

579.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$0.20 ₹18.76

830.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.30 ₹28.41

416.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$3.42 ₹321

312.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$8.22 ₹772

182.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.49 ₹140

217.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$2.10 ₹197

128.10%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.84 ₹361

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

$0.22 ₹20.66

595.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

$7.98 ₹749

1108.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$1.08 ₹102

231.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.34 ₹31.47

123.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$1.08 ₹101

1472.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$1.05 ₹98.7

134.29%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$8,473 ₹795.6K

1781.06%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$17.9K ₹1.7M

768.63%

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

$168 SGD 215

$18.37 ₹1,725

814.21%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$3.23 ₹304

278.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$7.05 ₹662

299.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

$14.09 ₹1,323

685.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

$10.67 ₹1,002

8.72%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$3.09 ₹290

296.12%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$42.31 ₹3,973

4387.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$2,170 ₹203.8K

1702.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$24.95 ₹2,343

219.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$21.61 ₹2,029

134.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$38.77 ₹3,640

187.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$25.88 ₹2,430

381.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,089

$87.8 ₹8,247

3533.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,892

$52.3 ₹4,911

4215.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,910

$204 ₹19.2K

2919.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,170

$124 ₹11.7K

3143.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$561 ₹52.7K

4101.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

$558 ₹52.4K

2860.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

$617 ₹58.0K

633.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

8.25

-70.42%

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Shimla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Shimla

$52 17% 97.7% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Shimla

$98 31.9% 78.7% $361

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Shimla

$46 15.1% 82.1% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Shimla

$29 9.3% 86.2% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Shimla

$50 16.3% 69.7% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Shimla

$20 6.6% 85% $115

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Shimla

$12 3.8% 89.4% $98

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,191 in Singapore versus $88 in Shimla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Singapore are about 7.3 times higher, 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 in Singapore versus $10 in Shimla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $459 vs $98 – making Shimla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇳 Shimla

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

04:58 4:58 AM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

170,000

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.53 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Shimla 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Shimla

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 Shimla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,594 in Singapore, $307 in Shimla – Shimla comes out roughly 91% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,392 per month in Singapore and $461 in Shimla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shimla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $88 there versus $3,191 in Singapore.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Singapore and $10 in Shimla. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,594 in Singapore and $307 in Shimla. That makes Shimla about 91% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shimla, where all-in costs run around $307, than in Singapore at $3,594. In Shimla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Shimla. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.