Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $3,523 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $32,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,523

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Singapore and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,523 in Singapore versus $791 in China.

Singapore $3,523
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,260 in Singapore versus $1,251 in China.

Singapore $5,260
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,996 in Singapore versus $1,711 in China.

Singapore $6,996
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $3,544–$3,544 in Singapore. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Singapore is roughly 345% more expensive than in China on average.

Singapore (159% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.66 SGD 14.95

$2.98 ¥19.84

291.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 SGD 95.2

$22.09 ¥147

236.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 SGD 10.80

$5.20 ¥34.66

62.12%

Cappuccino

$5.08 SGD 6.51

$2.97 ¥19.77

71.04%

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

$1.90 SGD 2.43

$0.48 ¥3.19

295.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 SGD 1.64

$0.30 ¥2.01

326.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.67 SGD 11.11

$1.08 ¥7.19

702.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.94 SGD 12.74

$2.28 ¥15.18

335.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.01 SGD 3.86

$1.80 ¥11.98

67.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 SGD 3.26

$1.68 ¥11.17

51.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 SGD 3.51

$0.92 ¥6.14

197.83%

Eggs

$3.74 SGD 4.79

$1.61 ¥10.75

132.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.17 SGD 27.13

$13.38 ¥89.2

58.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.64 SGD 12.35

$3.35 ¥22.31

187.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.69 SGD 32.92

$11.35 ¥75.7

126.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$1.82 ¥12.14

151.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 SGD 3.96

$1.31 ¥8.71

135.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 SGD 6.06

$1.49 ¥9.91

217.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 SGD 2.91

$1.27 ¥8.49

78.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 SGD 3.32

$0.71 ¥4.74

264.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 SGD 3.08

$0.93 ¥6.22

158.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 SGD 2.50

$0.62 ¥4.12

214.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 SGD 1.82

$0.56 ¥3.75

153.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.12 SGD 18.09

$3.78 ¥25.19

273.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.34 SGD 29.90

$12.13 ¥80.9

92.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 SGD 5.88

$0.83 ¥5.55

453.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 SGD 5.94

$1.68 ¥11.23

175.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 SGD 2.04

$0.29 ¥1.92

448.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.3 SGD 123

$17.83 ¥119

440.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 SGD 4.81

$1.49 ¥9.91

151.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 SGD 0.98

$0.37 ¥2.50

105.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.66 SGD 21.35

$7.10 ¥47.31

134.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 SGD 3.17

$1.26 ¥8.39

96.03%

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

$154.9K SGD 198.5K

$19.4K ¥129.6K

696.74%

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

$153.9K SGD 197.2K

$17.5K ¥116.9K

777.58%

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

$173 SGD 222

$54.6 ¥364

217.32%

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

$12.14 SGD 15.55

$8.73 ¥58.2

39.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.72 SGD 36.80

$11.07 ¥73.8

159.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 144

$40.77 ¥272

175.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.08 SGD 15.47

$14.48 ¥96.5

-16.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 SGD 15.30

$6.78 ¥45.19

76.11%

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

$1,878 SGD 2,406

$517 ¥3,443

263.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

$19.8K ¥132.0K

44.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 SGD 101

$46.53 ¥310

68.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 SGD 64.3

$35.66 ¥238

40.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 SGD 141

$77.0 ¥513

43.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 SGD 158

$80.3 ¥535

53.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,069 SGD 3,932

$386 ¥2,572

695.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 SGD 2,800

$235 ¥1,563

831.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,992 SGD 7,678

$822 ¥5,478

629.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,981 SGD 5,101

$453 ¥3,020

778.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.8K SGD 29.3K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

386.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

596.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,528 SGD 5,801

$1,093 ¥7,286

314.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

3.46

-29.48%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.2K 62%

China

$235 29.6% 89.3% $2K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$458 13%

China

$210 26.5% 54.2% $248

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.3%

China

$88 11.1% 65.5% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.1%

China

$74 9.4% 65.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$163 4.6%

China

$108 13.6% 34% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$136 3.9%

China

$54 6.9% 60.1% $82

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.1%

China

$22 2.8% 79.7% $88

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $3,098 in Singapore, $298 in China. Capital cities: $3,098 in Singapore vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $4,464 in Singapore, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 940% higher in Singapore.

Dining out costs 236% more in Singapore.

Public transport is 439% more expensive in Singapore.

Salaries are about 5.1 times higher in Singapore, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Singapore.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

Same time as Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,866,139

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.701 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.701 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore China 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $3,523 in Singapore, there’s a 345% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $3,098 in Singapore and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Singapore may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.