Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surat Thani and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $3,493 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani and in Singapore actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $775 in Surat Thani versus $3,493 in Singapore.

Surat Thani $775
Singapore $3,493

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Surat Thani versus $5,174 in Singapore.

Surat Thani $1,414
Singapore $5,174

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,053 in Surat Thani versus $6,855 in Singapore.

Surat Thani $2,053
Singapore $6,855

Living in Surat Thani costs roughly 78% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Surat Thani is 43% below, Singapore is 158% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 ฿63.0

$11.74 SGD 15.02

-83.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 ฿597

$74.3 SGD 95.1

-75.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ฿151

$8.76 SGD 11.21

-48.52%

Cappuccino

$1.50 ฿50.2

$5.32 SGD 6.80

-71.80%

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

$0.50 ฿16.68

$1.89 SGD 2.42

-73.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.66

$1.21 SGD 1.55

-76.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿85.4

$8.46 SGD 10.82

-69.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ฿123

$9.83 SGD 12.57

-62.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$2.91 SGD 3.72

-42.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ฿39.89

$2.52 SGD 3.22

-52.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.13

$2.86 SGD 3.66

-59.09%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.4

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-48.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 ฿641

$20.88 SGD 26.71

-8.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ฿111

$9.92 SGD 12.69

-66.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 ฿249

$25.77 SGD 32.98

-71.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿97.2

$4.70 SGD 6.02

-38.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$3.08 SGD 3.94

-45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$4.74 SGD 6.06

-62.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.19 SGD 2.80

-6.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.57

$2.57 SGD 3.29

-49.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.90

$2.32 SGD 2.97

-40.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.24

$1.86 SGD 2.39

-40.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.66

$1.39 SGD 1.78

-70.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 ฿103

$13.80 SGD 17.66

-77.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ฿630

$23.29 SGD 29.81

-19.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ฿51.6

$4.77 SGD 6.10

-67.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿60.7

$4.69 SGD 6.00

-61.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ฿34.00

$1.60 SGD 2.04

-36.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.95 ฿700

$96.0 SGD 123

-78.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.50

$3.61 SGD 4.61

-67.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ฿21.05

$0.79 SGD 1.02

-20.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.49 ฿117

$16.63 SGD 21.28

-79.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.93

$2.56 SGD 3.28

-54.69%

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

$26.6K ฿890.1K

$157.0K SGD 200.8K

-83.03%

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

$27.3K ฿911.7K

$149.8K SGD 191.7K

-81.79%

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

$72.9 ฿2,437

$172 SGD 220

-57.55%

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

$11.12 ฿372

$12.13 SGD 15.53

-8.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 ฿579

$28.02 SGD 35.86

-38.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.24 ฿1,612

$108 SGD 138

-55.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 ฿385

$12.24 SGD 15.67

-5.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ฿151

$12.03 SGD 15.39

-62.34%

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

$549 ฿18.3K

$1,473 SGD 1,885

-62.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿386.5K

$28.7K SGD 36.8K

-59.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ฿2,070

$78.0 SGD 99.9

-20.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.16 ฿974

$50.9 SGD 65.1

-42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 ฿3,252

$109 SGD 139

-10.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 ฿2,892

$123 SGD 158

-29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,910

$2,917 SGD 3,733

-91.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 ฿4,985

$2,161 SGD 2,765

-93.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 ฿38.4K

$5,769 SGD 7,383

-80.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ฿23.7K

$3,849 SGD 4,925

-81.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 ฿74.4K

$23.2K SGD 29.7K

-90.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,404 ฿46.9K

$16.9K SGD 21.7K

-91.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,547 SGD 5,818

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.44

128.28%

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

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surat Thani

$244 31.5%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 87.5% $214

Accommodation & Living

Surat Thani

$149 19.3%

Singapore

$2.2K 61.8% 1348% $2K

Clothing & Footwear

Surat Thani

$124 16%

Singapore

$162 4.7% 31.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surat Thani

$101 13.1%

Singapore

$212 6.1% 109% $111

Eating Out

Surat Thani

$70 9%

Singapore

$258 7.4% 269% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Surat Thani

$57 7.4%

Singapore

$132 3.8% 131% $75

Getting Around

Surat Thani

$29 3.8%

Singapore

$110 3.2% 274% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $237 in Surat Thani and $2,917 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Surat Thani vs $74.0 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $458 per month, with Surat Thani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

22:25 10:25 PM

1 h ahead of Surat Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

132,040

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Surat Thani Singapore 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Surat Thani
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

Surat Thani vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat Thani is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 351% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,163 in Surat Thani and $5,240 in Singapore 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: $237 in Surat Thani versus $2,917 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $775 per month in Surat Thani versus $3,493 in Singapore – a 351% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surat Thani runs roughly 358% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $3,493 in Singapore, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Surat Thani 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, Surat Thani 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.

Expats usually find Surat Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 351% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.