Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $537 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $36,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Thimphu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,594 in Singapore versus $537 in Thimphu.

Singapore $3,594
Thimphu $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,314 in Singapore versus $842 in Thimphu.

Singapore $5,314
Thimphu $842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,033 in Singapore versus $1,147 in Thimphu.

Singapore $7,033
Thimphu $1,147

Living in Singapore is roughly 569% more expensive than in Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 166% above, Thimphu is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.58 SGD 14.84

$2.61 BTN 247

343.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 SGD 90.5

$14.40 BTN 1,362

390.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 SGD 10.84

$4.88 BTN 461

73.36%

Cappuccino

$5.18 SGD 6.64

$1.33 BTN 126

289.47%

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

$1.84 SGD 2.36

$0.50 BTN 47.22

268.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 SGD 1.58

$0.17 BTN 16.04

623.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.50 SGD 12.17

$2.69 BTN 255

253.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.86 SGD 12.63

$1.62 BTN 154

508.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 SGD 3.87

$0.82 BTN 77.2

268.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 SGD 3.42

$1.23 BTN 116

117.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.77 SGD 3.54

$0.90 BTN 85.5

207.78%

Eggs

$3.72 SGD 4.77

$2.10 BTN 198

77.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.01 SGD 26.92

$3.88 BTN 366

441.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 SGD 12.75

$4.81 BTN 455

106.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.13 SGD 32.20

$4.99 BTN 472

403.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$3.47 BTN 328

32.28%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$1.67 BTN 158

85.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 SGD 5.95

$1.68 BTN 159

176.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 SGD 2.79

$1.05 BTN 99.4

107.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 SGD 2.99

$0.71 BTN 67.5

228.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 SGD 2.96

$0.97 BTN 91.3

138.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$0.40 BTN 38.03

365.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SGD 1.98

$0.34 BTN 31.70

355.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 SGD 18.08

$4.18 BTN 395

237.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.24 SGD 29.78

$2.59 BTN 245

797.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$0.59 BTN 55.4

701.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 SGD 6.14

$1.11 BTN 105

331.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 SGD 1.96

$0.82 BTN 77.3

86.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 SGD 124

$5.42 BTN 512

1679.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 SGD 4.59

$0.54 BTN 51.2

562.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.97

$1.60 BTN 151

-52.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 SGD 21.75

$0.16 BTN 14.99

10512.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 SGD 3.15

$0.73 BTN 68.6

236.99%

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

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

$16.5K BTN 1.6M

863.20%

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

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

$15.1K BTN 1.4M

928.27%

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

$168 SGD 215

$34.01 BTN 3,215

393.80%

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

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$36.52 BTN 3,453

-66.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.18 SGD 36.11

$24.69 BTN 2,334

14.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$111 SGD 142

$47.44 BTN 4,485

133.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.60 SGD 14.86

$7.52 BTN 711

54.26%

Cinema Ticket

$12.24 SGD 15.68

$3.17 BTN 300

286.12%

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

$1,899 SGD 2,433

$44.60 BTN 4,216

4157.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

$589 BTN 55.7K

6540.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.6 SGD 102

$50.4 BTN 4,767

57.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 SGD 65.0

$24.63 BTN 2,329

105.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$69.1 BTN 6,530

61.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 SGD 160

$14.42 BTN 1,363

763.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,191 SGD 4,089

$130 BTN 12.3K

2355.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,257 SGD 2,892

$86.4 BTN 8,166

2512.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,173 SGD 7,910

$197 BTN 18.6K

3040.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,035 SGD 5,170

$155 BTN 14.7K

2499.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$6,816 BTN 644.4K

245.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

$391 BTN 37.0K

4123.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,526 SGD 5,799

$352 BTN 33.3K

1184.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

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

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8%

Thimphu

$86 16.1% 96.2% $2.2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$459 12.8%

Thimphu

$143 26.5% 69% $317

Eating Out

Singapore

$260 7.2%

Thimphu

$71 13.2% 72.7% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$208 5.8%

Thimphu

$95 17.7% 54.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$165 4.6%

Thimphu

$71 13.3% 56.7% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.8%

Thimphu

$54 10% 60.2% $81

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

Thimphu

$17 3.2% 84.3% $93

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,191 in Singapore and $130 in Thimphu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Singapore vs $14 in Thimphu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $143 per month, with Thimphu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

2 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.58 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, 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 = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.54 BTN (100 BTN = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.46 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Thimphu 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Thimphu

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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thimphu is about 85% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Singapore is about 13 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 $130 in Thimphu. 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 $537 in Thimphu – Thimphu is about 85% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Thimphu runs roughly 94% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $537 in Thimphu versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Thimphu but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Thimphu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Thimphu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Singapore, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Singapore and Thimphu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Thimphu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.