Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urumqi and Singapore

For one person, living is cheaper in Urumqi: $605 a month against $3,594 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $35,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Urumqi
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Urumqi Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Urumqi

🇨🇳 China

$605

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $605 in Urumqi versus $3,594 in Singapore.

Urumqi $605
Singapore $3,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $960 in Urumqi versus $5,314 in Singapore.

Urumqi $960
Singapore $5,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,315 in Urumqi versus $7,033 in Singapore.

Urumqi $1,315
Singapore $7,033

Living in Urumqi costs roughly 83% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Urumqi is 55% below, Singapore is 166% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.34 ¥22.25

$11.58 SGD 14.84

-71.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.34 ¥122

$70.7 SGD 90.5

-74.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 ¥34.51

$8.46 SGD 10.84

-38.77%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ¥18.92

$5.18 SGD 6.64

-45.17%

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

$0.43 ¥2.85

$1.84 SGD 2.36

-76.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.74

$1.23 SGD 1.58

-78.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 ¥7.40

$9.50 SGD 12.17

-88.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ¥12.37

$9.86 SGD 12.63

-81.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.16

$3.02 SGD 3.87

-59.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$2.67 SGD 3.42

-67.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ¥4.36

$2.77 SGD 3.54

-76.53%

Eggs

$1.48 ¥9.84

$3.72 SGD 4.77

-60.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 ¥39.06

$21.01 SGD 26.92

-72.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.41 ¥16.07

$9.95 SGD 12.75

-75.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.54 ¥63.6

$25.13 SGD 32.20

-62.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.49

$4.59 SGD 5.88

-55.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.65

$3.09 SGD 3.96

-62.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ¥12.28

$4.64 SGD 5.95

-60.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 ¥5.22

$2.18 SGD 2.79

-64.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 ¥3.37

$2.33 SGD 2.99

-78.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.16

$2.31 SGD 2.96

-72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ¥3.65

$1.86 SGD 2.39

-70.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.06

$1.55 SGD 1.98

-70.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 ¥19.57

$14.11 SGD 18.08

-79.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 ¥69.1

$23.24 SGD 29.78

-55.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ¥7.70

$4.73 SGD 6.06

-75.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 ¥10.12

$4.79 SGD 6.14

-68.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$1.53 SGD 1.96

-79.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.03 ¥120

$96.5 SGD 124

-81.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.78

$3.58 SGD 4.59

-58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.76 SGD 0.97

-59.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.38 ¥49.14

$16.98 SGD 21.75

-56.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ¥8.00

$2.46 SGD 3.15

-51.22%

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

$17.9K ¥119.3K

$159.4K SGD 204.2K

-88.77%

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

$14.3K ¥95.2K

$155.7K SGD 199.5K

-90.82%

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

$67.5 ¥450

$168 SGD 215

-59.78%

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

$5.53 ¥36.85

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-54.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.25 ¥74.9

$28.18 SGD 36.11

-60.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.23 ¥148

$111 SGD 142

-79.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.06 ¥67.0

$11.60 SGD 14.86

-13.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ¥39.06

$12.24 SGD 15.68

-52.12%

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

$148 ¥984

$1,899 SGD 2,433

-92.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.1K SGD 50.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 ¥343

$79.6 SGD 102

-35.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.81 ¥152

$50.7 SGD 65.0

-55.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥712

$112 SGD 143

-4.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.15 ¥294

$125 SGD 160

-64.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,772

$3,191 SGD 4,089

-91.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 ¥787

$2,257 SGD 2,892

-94.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥2,737

$6,173 SGD 7,910

-93.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 ¥1,683

$4,035 SGD 5,170

-93.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,869 ¥12.5K

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

-92.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,175 ¥7,828

$16.5K SGD 21.2K

-92.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,139 ¥7,585

$4,526 SGD 5,799

-74.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

2.44

38.93%

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

Last update for Urumqi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Singapore: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Urumqi

$156 25.8%

Singapore

$459 12.8% 194% $303

Accommodation & Living

Urumqi

$118 19.6%

Singapore

$2.3K 62.8% 1809% $2.1K

Clothing & Footwear

Urumqi

$101 16.8%

Singapore

$165 4.6% 62.5% $63

Eating Out

Urumqi

$88 14.6%

Singapore

$260 7.2% 194% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urumqi

$84 13.9%

Singapore

$208 5.8% 147% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Urumqi

$34 5.6%

Singapore

$135 3.8% 298% $101

Getting Around

Urumqi

$22 3.7%

Singapore

$110 3.1% 393% $88

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $266 in Urumqi and $3,191 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays about 4 times 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: $18 in Urumqi vs $71 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $156 vs $459 per month, with Urumqi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Urumqi

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

2 h ahead of Urumqi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,054,369

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 SGD = 0.78 USD

1 SGD = 0.698 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.78 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 SGD (1 SGD = 0.698 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Urumqi Singapore 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Urumqi
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

Urumqi vs Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Urumqi is about 83% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Urumqi. 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: $266 in Urumqi versus $3,191 in Singapore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $605 per month in Urumqi versus $3,594 in Singapore – Urumqi is about 83% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Urumqi runs roughly 81% less than in Singapore. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $605 in Urumqi versus $3,594 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Urumqi but tight or insufficient in Singapore. The gap between the two cities makes Urumqi 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.

Expats usually find Urumqi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.