Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunshine Coast and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunshine Coast: $2,249 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sunshine Coast
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,249
/mo nomad
Singapore
🇸🇬 Singapore
$3,500
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sunshine Coast and in Singapore

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sunshine Coast and in Singapore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,249 in Sunshine Coast versus $3,500 in Singapore.

  • Sunshine Coast $2,249
  • Singapore $3,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,383 in Sunshine Coast versus $5,265 in Singapore.

  • Sunshine Coast $3,383
  • Singapore $5,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,517 in Sunshine Coast versus $7,030 in Singapore.

  • Sunshine Coast $4,517
  • Singapore $7,030

Living in Sunshine Coast costs roughly 36% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sunshine Coast 67% above, Singapore 159% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.10 A$24.60
$11.76 SGD 15.05
45.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.6 A$109
$70.6 SGD 90.4
7.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.63 A$15.29
$8.55 SGD 10.94
24.33%
Cappuccino
$4.13 A$5.95
$5.20 SGD 6.66
-20.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 A$3.96
$1.77 SGD 2.27
55.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 A$3.84
$1.23 SGD 1.58
117.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.85 A$11.29
$8.26 SGD 10.58
-4.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.66 A$13.90
$10.17 SGD 13.01
-5.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 A$1.89
$3.04 SGD 3.89
-56.91%
White Bread (500g)
$1.94 A$2.79
$2.55 SGD 3.26
-23.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.00 A$2.87
$2.86 SGD 3.66
-30.07%
Eggs
$4.67 A$6.72
$3.53 SGD 4.51
32.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.89 A$15.67
$21.12 SGD 27.02
-48.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.99 A$11.50
$9.90 SGD 12.67
-19.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.85 A$30.00
$25.42 SGD 32.53
-17.98%
Apples (1kg)
$3.08 A$4.43
$4.57 SGD 5.85
-32.60%
Banana (1kg)
$2.45 A$3.53
$3.13 SGD 4.00
-21.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.05 A$4.39
$4.72 SGD 6.04
-35.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.01 A$5.77
$2.23 SGD 2.85
79.82%
Potato (1kg)
$2.05 A$2.95
$2.57 SGD 3.29
-20.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.61 A$2.32
$2.29 SGD 2.93
-29.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.25 A$3.24
$1.87 SGD 2.39
20.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.25 A$3.24
$1.44 SGD 1.84
56.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$46.90 A$67.5
$13.97 SGD 17.88
235.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.63 A$22.50
$23.48 SGD 30.05
-33.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.40 A$7.77
$4.54 SGD 5.80
18.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.06 A$8.71
$4.44 SGD 5.68
36.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.42 A$2.05
$1.57 SGD 2.01
-9.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.59 A$58.4
$93.8 SGD 120
-56.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.12 A$3.04
$3.64 SGD 4.66
-41.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 A$2.32
$0.76 SGD 0.97
111.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.11 A$52.0
$16.14 SGD 20.66
123.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 A$1.87
$2.45 SGD 3.14
-46.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.4K A$45.2K
$155.2K SGD 198.5K
-79.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.2K A$43.5K
$148.5K SGD 190.0K
-79.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 A$202
$172 SGD 220
-18.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$42.80 A$61.6
$12.39 SGD 15.86
245.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$66.3 A$95.4
$26.21 SGD 33.54
152.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.61 A$71.4
$108 SGD 138
-54.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.54 A$23.80
$12.31 SGD 15.75
34.36%
Cinema Ticket
$15.38 A$22.13
$11.64 SGD 14.90
32.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,080 A$2,993
$1,481 SGD 1,895
40.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$28.3K SGD 36.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.5 A$91.3
$80.6 SGD 103
-21.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$111 A$160
$50.1 SGD 64.1
121.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.7 A$142
$112 SGD 143
-11.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$99.9 A$144
$129 SGD 165
-22.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 A$1,709
$3,015 SGD 3,858
-60.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,024 A$1,473
$2,171 SGD 2,778
-52.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,848 A$2,659
$5,842 SGD 7,475
-68.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,749 A$2,517
$4,044 SGD 5,174
-56.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,633 A$8,106
$23.8K SGD 30.4K
-76.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,228 A$7,523
$16.8K SGD 21.4K
-68.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sunshine Coast
Singapore
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,483 A$5,012
$4,385 SGD 5,611
-20.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.75
2.44
135.66%

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

Last update for Sunshine Coast: October 12, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sunshine Coast
$1K
Singapore
$2.2K 112% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Sunshine Coast
$373
Singapore
$458 22.9% $85
Eating Out
Sunshine Coast
$299
Singapore
$256 14.3% $43
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sunshine Coast
$250
Singapore
$210 15.8% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Sunshine Coast
$168
Singapore
$167 0.5% $0.8
Sport & Entertainment
Sunshine Coast
$80
Singapore
$131 63.4% $51
Getting Around
Sunshine Coast
$56
Singapore
$107 90.3% $51

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,187 in Sunshine Coast and $3,015 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 26% 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: $76.0 in Sunshine Coast vs $71.0 in Singapore. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $458, with Sunshine Coast cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast
🇸🇬 Singapore
🕒 Local time
02:50 2:50 AM
00:50 12:50 AM
2 h behind Sunshine Coast
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
284,131
5,535,002 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.695 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sunshine Coast Singapore 6,120 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Singapore

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
Sunshine Coast vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Singapore cheaper than Sunshine Coast?
Sunshine Coast is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Sunshine Coast or Singapore?
On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Singapore. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Sunshine Coast and Singapore?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,187 in Sunshine Coast versus $3,015 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Sunshine Coast and in Singapore?
All in, you'll spend $2,249 per month in Sunshine Coast versus $3,500 in Singapore – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Sunshine Coast runs roughly 131% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Sunshine Coast or in Singapore?
At $2,249 in Sunshine Coast versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Sunshine Coast but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Sunshine Coast the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Sunshine Coast or in Singapore?
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.
Which city is safer, Sunshine Coast or Singapore?
Safety-wise, Sunshine Coast and Singapore are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Sunshine Coast gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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