Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surfers Paradise and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Surfers Paradise: $2,824 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
Learn more

Surfers Paradise Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

Jump to prices

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,824 in Surfers Paradise versus $3,500 in Singapore.

Surfers Paradise $2,824
Singapore $3,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,398 in Surfers Paradise versus $5,265 in Singapore.

Surfers Paradise $4,398
Singapore $5,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,973 in Surfers Paradise versus $7,030 in Singapore.

Surfers Paradise $5,973
Singapore $7,030

Living in Surfers Paradise costs roughly 19% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Surfers Paradise 109% above, Singapore 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 A$24.87

$11.76 SGD 15.05

47.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$150

$70.6 SGD 90.4

48.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 A$15.55

$8.55 SGD 10.94

26.90%

Cappuccino

$4.10 A$5.87

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-21.15%

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

$2.81 A$4.03

$1.77 SGD 2.27

58.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 A$3.44

$1.23 SGD 1.58

95.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.86 A$11.26

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.27

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-22.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.38

$3.04 SGD 3.90

-45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 A$3.87

$2.55 SGD 3.26

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.45

$2.86 SGD 3.66

-15.73%

Eggs

$4.90 A$7.02

$3.53 SGD 4.52

38.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 A$12.43

$21.12 SGD 27.03

-58.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 A$13.01

$9.90 SGD 12.67

-8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.73

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-43.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.62

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-14.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.41

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-1.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.83

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-28.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.93

$2.23 SGD 2.85

117.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.04

$2.57 SGD 3.29

9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.49

$2.29 SGD 2.93

6.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.43

$1.87 SGD 2.39

27.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 A$2.97

$1.44 SGD 1.84

43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$37.58 A$53.8

$13.97 SGD 17.88

169.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 A$20.43

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-39.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.97 A$8.55

$4.54 SGD 5.80

31.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 A$7.33

$4.44 SGD 5.68

15.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$1.57 SGD 2.01

-78.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.8 SGD 120

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 A$3.01

$3.64 SGD 4.66

-42.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 A$2.32

$0.76 SGD 0.97

113.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.24 A$50.5

$16.14 SGD 20.66

118.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.86

$2.45 SGD 3.14

-46.94%

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

$27.0K A$38.7K

$155.2K SGD 198.6K

-82.58%

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

$28.3K A$40.6K

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-80.91%

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

$212 A$304

$172 SGD 220

23.73%

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

$29.92 A$42.87

$12.39 SGD 15.86

141.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$79.4

$26.21 SGD 33.54

111.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 A$94.6

$108 SGD 138

-38.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.45 A$20.70

$12.31 SGD 15.75

17.38%

Cinema Ticket

$17.42 A$24.95

$11.64 SGD 14.90

49.66%

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

$1,944 A$2,785

$1,481 SGD 1,895

31.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.7K

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-56.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 A$119

$80.6 SGD 103

3.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 A$78.9

$50.1 SGD 64.1

9.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$159

$112 SGD 143

-0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 A$174

$129 SGD 165

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,912 A$2,739

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-36.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 A$2,250

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-27.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,770 A$5,400

$5,842 SGD 7,476

-35.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,067 A$4,393

$4,044 SGD 5,175

-24.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,895 A$8,444

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-75.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,954 A$7,096

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-70.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,288 A$4,710

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-25.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

2.44

138.11%

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

Last update for Surfers Paradise: 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

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 38.2% $600

Groceries & Markets

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 20.5% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5%

Singapore

$210 6% 29.4% $87

Eating Out

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 13.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 30.2% $30

Getting Around

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 830% $96

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,912 in Surfers Paradise and $3,015 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 33% 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: $105 in Surfers Paradise vs $71.0 in Singapore. Groceries flip the comparison at $380 vs $458, with Surfers Paradise cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

06:21 6:21 AM

2 h behind Surfers Paradise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,668

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surfers Paradise Singapore 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Surfers Paradise
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

Surfers Paradise vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surfers Paradise is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 33% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,912 in Surfers Paradise versus $3,015 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,944 in Surfers Paradise versus $1,481 in Singapore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Surfers Paradise – a meal for two runs $105 versus $71.0 in Singapore. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Surfers Paradise is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Surfers Paradise 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 Surfers Paradise gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.