Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Tak

For one person, living is cheaper in Tak: $938 a month against $3,493 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $30,700 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Tak
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Tak Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,493

/mo nomad

Tak

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Tak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,493 in Singapore versus $938 in Tak.

Singapore $3,493
Tak $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,174 in Singapore versus $1,488 in Tak.

Singapore $5,174
Tak $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,855 in Singapore versus $2,039 in Tak.

Singapore $6,855
Tak $2,039

Living in Singapore is roughly 273% more expensive than in Tak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Tak is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.74 SGD 15.02

$3.38 ฿113

247.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 SGD 95.1

$21.54 ฿720

244.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.21

$7.23 ฿242

21.16%

Cappuccino

$5.32 SGD 6.80

$1.74 ฿58.1

205.75%

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

$1.89 SGD 2.42

$0.60 ฿20.07

215.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SGD 1.55

$0.33 ฿10.93

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SGD 10.82

$1.91 ฿63.8

342.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.83 SGD 12.57

$3.08 ฿103

219.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 SGD 3.72

$1.57 ฿52.6

85.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 SGD 3.22

$1.34 ฿44.76

88.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$1.33 ฿44.41

115.04%

Eggs

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.16 ฿72.3

68.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.88 SGD 26.71

$16.40 ฿548

27.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 SGD 12.69

$2.90 ฿96.8

242.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.77 SGD 32.98

$11.41 ฿381

125.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 SGD 6.02

$2.91 ฿97.4

61.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 SGD 3.94

$1.03 ฿34.47

199.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 SGD 6.06

$2.26 ฿75.6

109.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 SGD 2.80

$2.21 ฿73.9

-0.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$1.49 ฿49.69

72.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 SGD 2.97

$1.06 ฿35.59

118.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.15 ฿38.47

61.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 SGD 1.78

$0.53 ฿17.70

162.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 SGD 17.66

$4.47 ฿149

208.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.29 SGD 29.81

$16.78 ฿561

38.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.77 SGD 6.10

$1.62 ฿54.3

194.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 SGD 6.00

$2.99 ฿100

56.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 SGD 2.04

$0.81 ฿27.11

97.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 SGD 123

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 SGD 4.61

$1.35 ฿45.00

167.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 SGD 1.02

$1.18 ฿39.33

-33.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 SGD 21.28

$5.56 ฿186

199.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 SGD 3.28

$1.51 ฿50.4

69.54%

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

$157.0K SGD 200.8K

$26.3K ฿877.5K

497.73%

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

$149.8K SGD 191.7K

$26.0K ฿870.1K

475.49%

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

$172 SGD 220

$85.9 ฿2,869

100.07%

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

$12.13 SGD 15.53

$12.38 ฿414

-2.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 SGD 35.86

$20.05 ฿670

39.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$41.87 ฿1,399

158.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.24 SGD 15.67

$14.06 ฿470

-12.94%

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 SGD 15.39

$5.92 ฿198

103.21%

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

$1,473 SGD 1,885

$595 ฿19.9K

147.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

$11.2K ฿373.1K

157.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 SGD 99.9

$43.91 ฿1,467

77.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 SGD 65.1

$30.26 ฿1,011

68.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 SGD 139

$80.4 ฿2,686

35.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SGD 158

$79.2 ฿2,647

55.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,917 SGD 3,733

$416 ฿13.9K

600.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 SGD 2,765

$314 ฿10.5K

588.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,769 SGD 7,383

$1,208 ฿40.4K

377.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,849 SGD 4,925

$692 ฿23.1K

455.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.2K SGD 29.7K

$2,060 ฿68.8K

1025.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K SGD 21.7K

$1,359 ฿45.4K

1146.03%

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 Tak: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 61.8%

Tak

$314 33.5% 85.5% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Tak

$247 26.4% 46% $211

Eating Out

Singapore

$258 7.4%

Tak

$89 9.5% 65.5% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$212 6.1%

Tak

$118 12.6% 44.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$162 4.7%

Tak

$105 11.2% 35.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$132 3.8%

Tak

$54 5.7% 59.3% $78

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Tak

$10 * 1.1% 90.5% $99

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 $2,917 in Singapore and $416 in Tak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Singapore vs $22.00 in Tak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $247 per month, with Tak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Tak

🕒 Local time

00:22 12:22 AM

23:22 11:22 PM

1 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

19,900

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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

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Between locations

Singapore Tak 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Tak

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 Tak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 273% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,240 in Singapore and $1,407 in Tak 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 $416 in Tak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,473 in Singapore versus $595 in Tak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tak – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $74.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Tak versus $3,493 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tak but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Tak 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 Tak 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 Tak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 273% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.