Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $3,493 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
Learn more

Surat Thani Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,493

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Surat Thani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,493 in Singapore versus $775 in Surat Thani.

Singapore $3,493
Surat Thani $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,174 in Singapore versus $1,414 in Surat Thani.

Singapore $5,174
Surat Thani $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,855 in Singapore versus $2,053 in Surat Thani.

Singapore $6,855
Surat Thani $2,053

Living in Singapore is roughly 351% more expensive than in Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Surat Thani is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.74 SGD 15.02

$1.89 ฿63.0

521.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 SGD 95.1

$17.87 ฿597

315.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.21

$4.51 ฿151

94.24%

Cappuccino

$5.32 SGD 6.80

$1.50 ฿50.2

254.67%

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

$1.89 SGD 2.42

$0.50 ฿16.68

278.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SGD 1.55

$0.29 ฿9.66

317.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SGD 10.82

$2.56 ฿85.4

230.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.83 SGD 12.57

$3.69 ฿123

166.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 SGD 3.72

$1.66 ฿55.4

75.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 SGD 3.22

$1.19 ฿39.89

111.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$1.17 ฿39.13

144.44%

Eggs

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$1.87 ฿62.4

94.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.88 SGD 26.71

$19.18 ฿641

8.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 SGD 12.69

$3.33 ฿111

197.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.77 SGD 32.98

$7.44 ฿249

246.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 SGD 6.02

$2.91 ฿97.2

61.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 SGD 3.94

$1.68 ฿56.3

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 SGD 6.06

$1.76 ฿58.7

169.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 SGD 2.80

$2.05 ฿68.4

6.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$1.30 ฿43.57

97.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 SGD 2.97

$1.37 ฿45.90

69.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.11 ฿37.24

67.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 SGD 1.78

$0.41 ฿13.66

239.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 SGD 17.66

$3.07 ฿103

349.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.29 SGD 29.81

$18.86 ฿630

23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.77 SGD 6.10

$1.54 ฿51.6

209.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 SGD 6.00

$1.82 ฿60.7

157.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 SGD 2.04

$1.02 ฿34.00

56.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 SGD 123

$20.95 ฿700

358.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 SGD 4.61

$1.18 ฿39.50

205.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 SGD 1.02

$0.63 ฿21.05

25.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 SGD 21.28

$3.49 ฿117

376.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 SGD 3.28

$1.16 ฿38.93

120.69%

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

$157.0K SGD 200.8K

$26.6K ฿890.1K

489.31%

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

$149.8K SGD 191.7K

$27.3K ฿911.7K

449.22%

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

$172 SGD 220

$72.9 ฿2,437

135.55%

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

$12.13 SGD 15.53

$11.12 ฿372

9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 SGD 35.86

$17.32 ฿579

61.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$48.24 ฿1,612

123.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.24 SGD 15.67

$11.52 ฿385

6.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 SGD 15.39

$4.53 ฿151

165.56%

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

$1,473 SGD 1,885

$549 ฿18.3K

168.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

$11.6K ฿386.5K

148.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 SGD 99.9

$61.9 ฿2,070

26.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 SGD 65.1

$29.16 ฿974

74.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 SGD 139

$97.3 ฿3,252

11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SGD 158

$86.5 ฿2,892

42.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,917 SGD 3,733

$237 ฿7,910

1132.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 SGD 2,765

$149 ฿4,985

1348.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,769 SGD 7,383

$1,150 ฿38.4K

401.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,849 SGD 4,925

$709 ฿23.7K

442.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.2K SGD 29.7K

$2,226 ฿74.4K

941.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K SGD 21.7K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

1106.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,547 SGD 5,818

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.57

-56.19%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 20, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 61.8%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 93.1% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 46.7% $214

Eating Out

Singapore

$258 7.4%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 72.9% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$212 6.1%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 52.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$162 4.7%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 23.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$132 3.8%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 56.6% $75

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 73.3% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,917 in Singapore and $237 in Surat Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Singapore vs $18.00 in Surat Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $244 per month, with Surat Thani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

22:29 10:29 PM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

132,040

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Surat Thani 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat Thani is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 351% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,240 in Singapore and $1,163 in Surat Thani to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,917 in Singapore versus $237 in Surat Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,493 per month in Singapore versus $775 in Surat Thani – a 351% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surat Thani runs roughly 358% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $3,493 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 351% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.