Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $3,493 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,493

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in Wakayama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,493 in Singapore versus $1,276 in Wakayama.

Singapore $3,493
Wakayama $1,276

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,174 in Singapore versus $2,031 in Wakayama.

Singapore $5,174
Wakayama $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,855 in Singapore versus $2,785 in Wakayama.

Singapore $6,855
Wakayama $2,785

Living in Singapore is roughly 174% more expensive than in Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Singapore is 158% above, Wakayama is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.74 SGD 15.02

$6.47 ¥1,022

81.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 SGD 95.1

$31.22 ¥4,932

138.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.21

$4.89 ¥773

79.14%

Cappuccino

$5.32 SGD 6.80

$2.46 ¥389

116.26%

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

$1.89 SGD 2.42

$1.25 ¥197

51.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 SGD 1.55

$0.86 ¥136

40.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SGD 10.82

$3.20 ¥506

164.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.83 SGD 12.57

$1.85 ¥293

431.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 SGD 3.72

$1.57 ¥248

85.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 SGD 3.22

$1.53 ¥242

64.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 SGD 3.66

$4.27 ¥675

-33.02%

Eggs

$3.64 SGD 4.66

$2.11 ¥334

72.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.88 SGD 26.71

$16.04 ¥2,534

30.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 SGD 12.69

$7.05 ¥1,114

40.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.77 SGD 32.98

$17.10 ¥2,701

50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 SGD 6.02

$8.20 ¥1,296

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 SGD 3.94

$3.02 ¥478

1.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 SGD 6.06

$5.15 ¥814

-7.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 SGD 2.80

$7.94 ¥1,255

-72.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 SGD 3.29

$4.01 ¥633

-35.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 SGD 2.97

$4.59 ¥726

-49.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 SGD 2.39

$1.14 ¥179

63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 SGD 1.78

$0.88 ¥139

57.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 SGD 17.66

$3.99 ¥630

245.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.29 SGD 29.81

$9.33 ¥1,475

149.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.77 SGD 6.10

$2.49 ¥393

91.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 SGD 6.00

$2.15 ¥340

118.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 SGD 2.04

$1.50 ¥236

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 SGD 123

$53.8 ¥8,496

78.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 SGD 4.61

$3.07 ¥485

17.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 SGD 1.02

$2.91 ¥460

-72.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.63 SGD 21.28

$15.69 ¥2,478

5.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.56 SGD 3.28

$1.06 ¥167

141.51%

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

$157.0K SGD 200.8K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

614.04%

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

$149.8K SGD 191.7K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

896.14%

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

$172 SGD 220

$117 ¥18.4K

47.13%

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

$12.13 SGD 15.53

$23.45 ¥3,705

-48.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.02 SGD 35.86

$31.45 ¥4,968

-10.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 SGD 138

$51.3 ¥8,109

110.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.24 SGD 15.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 SGD 15.39

$11.21 ¥1,771

7.31%

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

$1,473 SGD 1,885

$564 ¥89.1K

161.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

93.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 SGD 99.9

$49.37 ¥7,800

58.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 SGD 65.1

$35.42 ¥5,596

43.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 SGD 139

$59.4 ¥9,385

82.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SGD 158

$98.7 ¥15.6K

24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,917 SGD 3,733

$526 ¥83.1K

454.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 SGD 2,765

$337 ¥53.3K

540.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,769 SGD 7,383

$1,093 ¥172.7K

427.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,849 SGD 4,925

$738 ¥116.5K

421.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.2K SGD 29.7K

$4,206 ¥664.5K

451.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.9K SGD 21.7K

$1,756 ¥277.4K

864.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,547 SGD 5,818

$3,965 ¥626.4K

14.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

1.67

46.11%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 20, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 61.8%

Wakayama

$337 26.4% 84.4% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13.1%

Wakayama

$382 30% 16.5% $76

Eating Out

Singapore

$258 7.4%

Wakayama

$124 9.7% 51.9% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$212 6.1%

Wakayama

$172 13.5% 19% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$162 4.7%

Wakayama

$109 8.6% 32.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$132 3.8%

Wakayama

$74 5.8% 44.2% $58

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Wakayama

$77 6.1% 29.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,917 in Singapore and $526 in Wakayama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 15% 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: $74.0 in Singapore vs $31.00 in Wakayama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $458 vs $382 per month, with Wakayama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

06:14 6:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

1 h ahead of Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

362,163

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, 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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

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Between locations

Singapore Wakayama 4,900 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
Wakayama

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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wakayama is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 174% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $2,917 in Singapore versus $526 in Wakayama. 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 $1,276 in Wakayama – a 174% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Wakayama runs roughly 78% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,276 in Wakayama versus $3,493 in Singapore, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Wakayama but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Wakayama 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 Wakayama 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 Wakayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 174% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.