Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Surfers Paradise

For one person, living is cheaper in Surfers Paradise: $2,824 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Surfers Paradise

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,500 in Singapore versus $2,824 in Surfers Paradise.

Singapore $3,500
Surfers Paradise $2,824

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,265 in Singapore versus $4,398 in Surfers Paradise.

Singapore $5,265
Surfers Paradise $4,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,030 in Singapore versus $5,973 in Surfers Paradise.

Singapore $7,030
Surfers Paradise $5,973

Living in Singapore is roughly 24% more expensive than in Surfers Paradise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Singapore 159% above, Surfers Paradise 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.76 SGD 15.05

$17.36 A$24.87

-32.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 SGD 90.4

$105 A$150

-32.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 SGD 10.94

$10.85 A$15.55

-21.20%

Cappuccino

$5.20 SGD 6.66

$4.10 A$5.87

26.83%

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

$1.77 SGD 2.27

$2.81 A$4.03

-37.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$2.40 A$3.44

-48.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 SGD 10.58

$7.86 A$11.26

5.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.17 SGD 13.01

$7.87 A$11.27

29.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SGD 3.90

$1.66 A$2.38

83.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 SGD 3.26

$2.70 A$3.87

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$2.41 A$3.45

18.67%

Eggs

$3.53 SGD 4.52

$4.90 A$7.02

-27.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.12 SGD 27.03

$8.68 A$12.43

143.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 SGD 12.67

$9.09 A$13.01

8.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.42 SGD 32.53

$14.47 A$20.73

75.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.85

$3.92 A$5.62

16.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 SGD 4.00

$3.08 A$4.41

1.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 SGD 6.04

$3.37 A$4.83

40.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.85

$4.84 A$6.93

-53.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$2.82 A$4.04

-8.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.29 SGD 2.93

$2.44 A$3.49

-6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 SGD 2.39

$2.39 A$3.43

-21.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SGD 1.84

$2.07 A$2.97

-30.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 SGD 17.88

$37.58 A$53.8

-62.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.48 SGD 30.05

$14.26 A$20.43

64.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 SGD 5.80

$5.97 A$8.55

-23.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 SGD 5.68

$5.12 A$7.33

-13.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.57 SGD 2.01

$0.34 A$0.49

361.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.10 A$3.01

73.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$1.62 A$2.32

-53.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.14 SGD 20.66

$35.24 A$50.5

-54.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 SGD 3.14

$1.30 A$1.86

88.46%

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

$155.2K SGD 198.6K

$27.0K A$38.7K

474.03%

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

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

$28.3K A$40.6K

423.85%

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

$172 SGD 220

$212 A$304

-19.18%

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

$12.39 SGD 15.86

$29.92 A$42.87

-58.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.21 SGD 33.54

$55.4 A$79.4

-52.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$66.1 A$94.6

63.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.31 SGD 15.75

$14.45 A$20.70

-14.81%

Cinema Ticket

$11.64 SGD 14.90

$17.42 A$24.95

-33.18%

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

$1,481 SGD 1,895

$1,944 A$2,785

-23.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

$12.4K A$17.7K

129.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 SGD 103

$83.1 A$119

-3.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SGD 64.1

$55.1 A$78.9

-8.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$111 A$159

0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 SGD 165

$121 A$174

6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,015 SGD 3,858

$1,912 A$2,739

57.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,171 SGD 2,778

$1,570 A$2,250

38.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,842 SGD 7,476

$3,770 A$5,400

54.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,044 SGD 5,175

$3,067 A$4,393

31.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

$5,895 A$8,444

303.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

$4,954 A$7,096

238.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,385 SGD 5,611

$3,288 A$4,710

33.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

5.81

-58.00%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6% 27.7% $600

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5% 17% $78

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5% 15.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$210 6%

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5% 41.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$167 4.8%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$131 3.8%

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6% 23.2% $30

Getting Around

Singapore

$107 3.1%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 89.2% $96

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,015 in Singapore and $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 33% 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 $105 in Surfers Paradise. Groceries flip the comparison at $458 vs $380, with Surfers Paradise cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

2 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

19,668

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Singapore Surfers Paradise 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Surfers Paradise

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 Surfers Paradise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surfers Paradise is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 33% 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 $1,912 in Surfers Paradise. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,481 in Singapore versus $1,944 in Surfers Paradise. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surfers Paradise – a meal for two runs $105 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Surfers Paradise is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Surfers Paradise 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 Surfers Paradise gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.