Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Singapore

Name: Singapore
Address: SG

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,457 a month against $3,480 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index
168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
Learn more

Singapore Living Index

Jump to prices

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,457

/mo nomad

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,457 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,480 in Singapore, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,457
Singapore $3,480

A couple spends around $3,550 per month in the United Kingdom vs $5,194 in Singapore, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,550
Singapore $5,194

A family of three spends $4,643 per month in the United Kingdom vs $6,908 in Singapore, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,643
Singapore $6,908

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,143–$4,086) than in Singapore ($3,453–$3,453), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is roughly 29% lower than in Singapore on average.

Both the United Kingdom and Singapore are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 83%, Singapore by 160%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.38 £16.16

$11.88 SGD 15.21

79.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 £63.9

$69.9 SGD 89.5

20.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.96

$8.76 SGD 11.22

20.32%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.66

$5.09 SGD 6.52

-4.72%

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

$2.53 £1.91

$1.85 SGD 2.36

36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.39

$1.18 SGD 1.52

55.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 £5.14

$8.33 SGD 10.67

-18.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 £4.92

$10.29 SGD 13.17

-36.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.27

$2.95 SGD 3.77

-43.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$2.48 SGD 3.18

-31.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.70

$2.78 SGD 3.56

-19.06%

Eggs

$3.96 £2.99

$3.60 SGD 4.61

10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 £7.20

$21.49 SGD 27.52

-55.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.77

$9.65 SGD 12.35

-7.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 £11.11

$25.13 SGD 32.18

-41.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 £2.20

$4.57 SGD 5.85

-36.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.98 SGD 3.82

-45.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.16

$4.66 SGD 5.97

-38.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 £2.60

$2.27 SGD 2.90

51.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.30

$2.58 SGD 3.31

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$2.31 SGD 2.96

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.93

$1.84 SGD 2.36

-33.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.46 SGD 1.86

13.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.34 £17.63

$14.16 SGD 18.12

64.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 £8.10

$23.82 SGD 30.49

-55.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.27

$4.61 SGD 5.90

-34.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.50

$4.60 SGD 5.89

-28.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.48 £2.63

$1.59 SGD 2.03

118.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £76.0

$93.9 SGD 120

7.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.07

$3.58 SGD 4.59

50.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 £1.79

$0.76 SGD 0.97

213.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.80 £20.25

$16.21 SGD 20.75

65.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.52

$2.44 SGD 3.12

-17.62%

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

$38.0K £28.7K

$160.5K SGD 205.5K

-76.34%

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

$40.6K £30.7K

$148.0K SGD 189.6K

-72.58%

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

$318 £240

$171 SGD 220

85.27%

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

$18.35 £13.87

$12.22 SGD 15.64

50.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.75 £31.55

$26.34 SGD 33.73

58.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.41 £35.07

$110 SGD 141

-57.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 £13.82

$12.40 SGD 15.88

47.42%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 £10.04

$11.85 SGD 15.17

12.07%

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

$1,731 £1,308

$1,490 SGD 1,908

16.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K £16.8K

$28.1K SGD 35.9K

-20.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.4 £69.9

$80.8 SGD 104

14.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 £34.96

$51.2 SGD 65.5

-9.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 £76.5

$110 SGD 140

-7.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.7

$129 SGD 165

-21.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 £998

$3,011 SGD 3,855

-56.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 £821

$2,135 SGD 2,734

-49.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 £1,631

$5,793 SGD 7,417

-62.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 £1,290

$3,921 SGD 5,020

-56.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,523 £4,174

$23.4K SGD 30.0K

-76.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,320 £3,265

$16.9K SGD 21.6K

-74.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 £2,466

$4,341 SGD 5,559

-24.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

2.44

118.03%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 3, 2026

Last update for Singapore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Singapore

$2.1K 61.6% 96.6% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$378 15.4%

Singapore

$210 6.1% 44.4% $168

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$325 13.3%

Singapore

$257 7.4% 21.1% $69

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.4%

Singapore

$456 13.2% 49.4% $151

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Singapore

$167 4.8% 8.5% $13

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$132 5.4%

Singapore

$108 3.1% 18.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$73 3%

Singapore

$134 3.9% 83.4% $61

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,253 in the United Kingdom vs $2,916 in Singapore. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,853 in London and $2,916 in Singapore.

Average salary: $3,229 in the United Kingdom vs $4,369 in Singapore. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 133% higher in Singapore.

Dining out costs 17% more in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 35% higher in Singapore.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

7 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

5,866,139

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.697 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom Singapore 10,860 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The United Kingdom is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 42% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Singapore: a central one-bedroom averages $2,916 versus $1,253 in the United Kingdom.

$4,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in the United Kingdom, but in Singapore it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

The United Kingdom is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.