Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Sunshine Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunshine Coast: $2,249 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Sunshine Coast
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Sunshine Coast Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Sunshine Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,249

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Sunshine Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $2,249 in Sunshine Coast.

Singapore $3,500
Sunshine Coast $2,249

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $3,383 in Sunshine Coast.

Singapore $5,265
Sunshine Coast $3,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $4,517 in Sunshine Coast.

Singapore $7,030
Sunshine Coast $4,517

Living in Singapore is roughly 56% more expensive than in Sunshine Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Sunshine Coast 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$17.10 A$24.60

-31.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$75.6 A$109

-6.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$10.63 A$15.29

-19.57%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$4.13 A$5.95

25.91%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$2.75 A$3.96

-35.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$2.67 A$3.84

-53.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$7.85 A$11.29

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$9.66 A$13.90

5.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.89

$1.31 A$1.89

132.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$1.94 A$2.79

31.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$2.00 A$2.87

43.00%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.51

$4.67 A$6.72

-24.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.02

$10.89 A$15.67

93.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$7.99 A$11.50

23.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$20.85 A$30.00

21.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.08 A$4.43

48.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$2.45 A$3.53

27.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$3.05 A$4.39

54.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.01 A$5.77

-44.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$2.05 A$2.95

25.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$1.61 A$2.32

42.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.25 A$3.24

-16.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$2.25 A$3.24

-36.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$46.90 A$67.5

-70.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$15.63 A$22.50

50.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$5.40 A$7.77

-15.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$6.06 A$8.71

-26.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$1.42 A$2.05

10.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

$40.59 A$58.4

130.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.12 A$3.04

71.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$1.61 A$2.32

-52.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$36.11 A$52.0

-55.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.30 A$1.87

88.46%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

$31.4K A$45.2K

394.17%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$30.2K A$43.5K

391.66%

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

$172 SGD 220

$140 A$202

22.16%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$42.80 A$61.6

-71.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$66.3 A$95.4

-60.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$49.61 A$71.4

117.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$16.54 A$23.80

-25.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$15.38 A$22.13

-24.32%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$2,080 A$2,993

-28.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$63.5 A$91.3

26.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$111 A$160

-54.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$98.7 A$142

13.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$99.9 A$144

28.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$1,187 A$1,709

153.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$1,024 A$1,473

112.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,475

$1,848 A$2,659

216.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,174

$1,749 A$2,517

131.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$5,633 A$8,106

322.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$5,228 A$7,523

220.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$3,483 A$5,012

25.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.75

-57.57%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sunshine Coast: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Sunshine Coast

$1K 45.5% 52.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Sunshine Coast

$373 16.6% 18.6% $85

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Sunshine Coast

$299 13.3% 16.7% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Sunshine Coast

$250 11.1% 18.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Sunshine Coast

$168 7.5% 0.5% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Sunshine Coast

$80 3.6% 38.8% $51

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Sunshine Coast

$56 2.5% 47.5% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $1,187 in Sunshine Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 26% 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 $76.0 in Sunshine Coast. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $373, with Sunshine Coast cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

2 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

284,131

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Between locations

Singapore Sunshine Coast 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Sunshine Coast

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 Sunshine Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunshine Coast is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% 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 $1,187 in Sunshine Coast. 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 $2,249 in Sunshine Coast – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sunshine Coast runs roughly 131% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,249 in Sunshine Coast versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sunshine Coast but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.