Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Townsville: $2,740 a month against $3,500 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Singapore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

133

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,740

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,740 in Townsville versus $3,500 in Singapore.

Townsville $2,740
Singapore $3,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,002 in Townsville versus $5,265 in Singapore.

Townsville $4,002
Singapore $5,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,265 in Townsville versus $7,030 in Singapore.

Townsville $5,265
Singapore $7,030

Living in Townsville costs roughly 22% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Townsville 103% above, Singapore 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.94 A$30.13

$11.76 SGD 15.05

78.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 A$97.3

$70.6 SGD 90.4

-4.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 A$16.82

$8.55 SGD 10.94

36.73%

Cappuccino

$3.60 A$5.18

$5.20 SGD 6.66

-30.77%

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

$2.49 A$3.59

$1.77 SGD 2.27

40.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 A$3.43

$1.23 SGD 1.58

93.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.10 A$11.66

$8.26 SGD 10.58

-1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 A$9.98

$10.17 SGD 13.01

-31.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 A$2.66

$3.04 SGD 3.89

-39.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 A$3.15

$2.55 SGD 3.26

-14.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 A$2.06

$2.86 SGD 3.66

-50.00%

Eggs

$5.30 A$7.63

$3.53 SGD 4.51

50.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 A$11.29

$21.12 SGD 27.02

-62.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 A$14.29

$9.90 SGD 12.67

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 A$19.05

$25.42 SGD 32.53

-47.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.69

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-13.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.80

$3.13 SGD 4.00

-15.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.13

$4.72 SGD 6.04

-24.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 A$6.05

$2.23 SGD 2.85

88.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$2.57 SGD 3.29

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$2.29 SGD 2.93

10.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 A$3.30

$1.87 SGD 2.39

22.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.08

$1.44 SGD 1.84

48.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.34 A$43.66

$13.97 SGD 17.88

117.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 A$14.92

$23.48 SGD 30.05

-55.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.70 A$9.65

$4.54 SGD 5.80

47.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$12.15

$4.44 SGD 5.68

90.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 A$3.02

$1.57 SGD 2.01

33.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 A$111

$93.8 SGD 120

-17.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 A$5.63

$3.64 SGD 4.66

7.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 A$3.42

$0.76 SGD 0.97

211.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.6 A$75.6

$16.14 SGD 20.66

225.65%

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)

$28.0K A$40.4K

$155.2K SGD 198.5K

-81.92%

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

$34.0K A$48.9K

$148.5K SGD 190.0K

-77.11%

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

$379 A$546

$172 SGD 220

120.99%

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

$35.76 A$51.5

$12.39 SGD 15.86

188.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 A$97.2

$26.21 SGD 33.54

157.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.6

$108 SGD 138

-48.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.74 A$28.40

$12.31 SGD 15.75

60.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 A$21.96

$11.64 SGD 14.90

31.10%

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

$2,105 A$3,029

$1,481 SGD 1,895

42.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K A$30.4K

$28.3K SGD 36.3K

-25.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 A$132

$80.6 SGD 103

14.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 A$101

$50.1 SGD 64.1

39.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 A$234

$112 SGD 143

45.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 A$186

$129 SGD 165

0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 A$1,892

$3,015 SGD 3,858

-56.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 A$1,694

$2,171 SGD 2,778

-45.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 A$3,551

$5,842 SGD 7,475

-57.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 A$2,995

$4,044 SGD 5,174

-48.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,850 A$6,979

$23.8K SGD 30.4K

-79.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,960 A$5,699

$16.8K SGD 21.4K

-76.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,115 A$5,921

$4,385 SGD 5,611

-6.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

2.44

127.05%

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

Last update for Townsville: 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

Townsville

$1.2K 43%

Singapore

$2.2K 62% 84.4% $994

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$482 17.6%

Singapore

$210 6% 56.4% $272

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$370 13.5%

Singapore

$458 13.1% 23.8% $88

Eating Out

Townsville

$320 11.7%

Singapore

$256 7.3% 20% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$204 7.5%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 18.2% $37

Getting Around

Townsville

$101 3.7%

Singapore

$107 3.1% 6.2% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.1%

Singapore

$131 3.8% 53% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,315 in Townsville and $3,015 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 7% 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: $68.0 in Townsville vs $71.0 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $370 vs $458 per month, with Townsville cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

2 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.695 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 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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Townsville Singapore 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
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

Townsville vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Townsville is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 7% 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: $1,315 in Townsville versus $3,015 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,740 per month in Townsville versus $3,500 in Singapore – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Townsville runs roughly 22% less than in Singapore. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,740 in Townsville versus $3,500 in Singapore, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Townsville but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Townsville 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, Townsville 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 Townsville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.