Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Surat

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat: $808 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $33,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Surat
Learn more

Surat Living Index

Jump to prices

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Surat

🇮🇳 India

$808

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Surat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $808 in Surat.

Singapore $3,594
Surat $808

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $861 in Surat.

Singapore $5,314
Surat $861

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $914 in Surat.

Singapore $7,033
Surat $914

Living in Singapore is roughly 345% more expensive than in Surat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Surat is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.80

$3.10 ₹293

273.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.3

$10.72 ₹1,012

559.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.81

$3.25 ₹307

160.31%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.62

$1.87 ₹176

177.01%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.35

$0.32 ₹29.99

475.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.15 ₹14.05

720.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.14

$3.13 ₹296

203.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.60

$3.45 ₹326

185.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.86

$0.71 ₹66.8

325.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.41

$0.48 ₹45.21

456.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.72 ₹67.6

284.72%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.76

$0.96 ₹90.6

287.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.85

$4.45 ₹421

372.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.71

$2.86 ₹270

247.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.12

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.87

$1.68 ₹159

173.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.95

$0.63 ₹59.3

390.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.93

$0.78 ₹74.1

494.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.78

$0.57 ₹54.1

282.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.98

$0.38 ₹36.08

513.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.44 ₹41.49

425.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.38

$0.50 ₹47.17

272.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.30 ₹28.05

416.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.03

$5.11 ₹483

176.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.70

$7.47 ₹706

211.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.04

$1.88 ₹177

151.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.12

$3.00 ₹283

59.67%

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

$6.28 ₹593

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.95

$0.22 ₹20.82

595.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 123

$3.14 ₹297

2971.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.58

$0.65 ₹61.0

450.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$0.20 ₹18.89

280.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.70

$1.08 ₹102

1472.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.14

$1.15 ₹109

113.91%

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

$159.4K SGD 203.7K

$11.4K ₹1.1M

1294.94%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.0K

$18.8K ₹1.8M

726.55%

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

$168 SGD 215

$37.48 ₹3,540

348.08%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.64

$3.69 ₹349

231.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.02

$7.46 ₹704

277.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 141

$18.93 ₹1,789

484.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.83

$5.23 ₹494

121.80%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.64

$2.99 ₹283

309.36%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,427

$33.96 ₹3,208

5491.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.0K

$1,265 ₹119.5K

2993.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$22.77 ₹2,151

249.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 64.8

$25.28 ₹2,388

100.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$41.77 ₹3,946

167.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 159

$32.83 ₹3,101

279.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,079

$207 ₹19.6K

1441.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,884

$490 ₹46.3K

360.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,889

$392 ₹37.0K

1474.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,157

$242 ₹22.8K

1569.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.1K

$664 ₹62.8K

3447.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.1K

$370 ₹34.9K

4365.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,784

$283 ₹26.7K

1499.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

9.17

-73.39%

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Surat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Surat

$490 60.7% 78.3% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Surat

$102 12.7% 77.7% $357

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Surat

$81 10.1% 68.7% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Surat

$49 6% 76.7% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Surat

$55 6.8% 66.5% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Surat

$25 3.1% 81.6% $110

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Surat

$5.7 0.7% 94.8% $104

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,191 in Singapore and $207 in Surat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $11 in Surat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $102 per month, with Surat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇮🇳 Surat

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

12:26 12:26 PM

2 h 30 min behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

6,936,534

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.782 USD

1 SGD = 0.697 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.697 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Singapore Surat 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Surat

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat is about 78% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Singapore is about 16 times higher, 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: $3,191 in Singapore versus $207 in Surat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $3,594 per month in Singapore versus $808 in Surat – Surat is about 78% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Surat runs roughly 97% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $808 in Surat versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Surat but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Surat 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 are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Surat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.