Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Suginami-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Suginami-ku: $1,256 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Suginami-ku
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Suginami-ku Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Suginami-ku

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Suginami-ku

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 Suginami-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku.

Singapore $3,500
Suginami-ku $1,256

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $1,994 in Suginami-ku.

Singapore $5,265
Suginami-ku $1,994

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $2,732 in Suginami-ku.

Singapore $7,030
Suginami-ku $2,732

Living in Singapore is roughly 179% more expensive than in Suginami-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 159% above, Suginami-ku is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$6.34 ¥1,002

85.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$40.62 ¥6,418

73.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$5.12 ¥810

66.99%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$3.47 ¥548

49.86%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$1.05 ¥166

68.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.78 ¥124

57.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$2.56 ¥404

222.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$3.18 ¥503

219.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.44 ¥227

111.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.70 ¥269

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$3.65 ¥576

-21.64%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$1.97 ¥312

79.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$10.52 ¥1,661

100.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$5.99 ¥946

65.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$14.18 ¥2,241

79.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$5.81 ¥917

-21.34%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$2.75 ¥434

13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$2.80 ¥442

68.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.08 ¥645

-45.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$2.65 ¥418

-3.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.64 ¥416

-13.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$1.23 ¥194

52.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$0.81 ¥128

77.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$3.82 ¥604

265.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$6.48 ¥1,024

262.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$1.79 ¥283

153.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$2.03 ¥320

118.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.39 ¥219

12.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$46.37 ¥7,326

102.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$3.21 ¥508

13.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$2.76 ¥435

-72.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$20.79 ¥3,285

-22.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.11 ¥175

120.72%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$21.0K ¥3.3M

639.24%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$18.1K ¥2.9M

722.37%

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

$172 SGD 220

$130 ¥20.6K

31.52%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$23.89 ¥3,774

-48.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$31.49 ¥4,974

-16.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$58.1 ¥9,175

86.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$12.85 ¥2,030

-9.42%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$631 ¥99.7K

134.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

91.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$61.4 ¥9,697

31.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$36.64 ¥5,789

36.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$60.3 ¥9,528

85.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$102 ¥16.1K

26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$477 ¥75.3K

532.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$377 ¥59.6K

475.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$979 ¥154.7K

496.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$803 ¥126.9K

403.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$4,685 ¥740.1K

407.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$1,700 ¥268.6K

885.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$2,799 ¥442.2K

56.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

22.00%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Suginami-ku: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Suginami-ku

$377 30% 82.6% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Suginami-ku

$289 23% 36.9% $169

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Suginami-ku

$134 10.7% 47.5% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Suginami-ku

$186 14.8% 11.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Suginami-ku

$117 9.3% 29.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Suginami-ku

$84 6.7% 36.2% $48

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Suginami-ku

$69 5.5% 35.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $477 in Suginami-ku. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 57% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Singapore vs $41.00 in Suginami-ku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $289 per month, with Suginami-ku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Suginami-ku

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

540,180

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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Between locations

Singapore Suginami-ku 5,310 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Singapore
Suginami-ku

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 Suginami-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suginami-ku is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 179% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 57% higher in Singapore, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,015 in Singapore versus $477 in Suginami-ku. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,500 per month in Singapore versus $1,256 in Suginami-ku – a 179% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Suginami-ku runs roughly 102% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,256 in Suginami-ku versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Suginami-ku but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Suginami-ku the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Singapore and Suginami-ku are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Suginami-ku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 179% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.