Cost of Living · US vs SG
🇺🇸 New York vs 🇸🇬 Singapore: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,410 in United States vs $1,772 in Singapore — 26.47% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Singapore
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -29.38%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -29.38%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -29.38%
Closest to United States prices
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -9.45%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -9.46%
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -9.47%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | United States | Singapore | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,750 | $1,236 (1,615 SGD) | -29.38% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,400 | $989 (1,292 SGD) | -29.38% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $3,200 | $2,260 (2,954 SGD) | -29.38% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $18.00 | $13.70 (18 SGD) | -23.89% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $75.00 | $57.06 (75 SGD) | -23.92% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $11.00 | $8.58 (11 SGD) | -22% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.10 | $0.90 (1 SGD) | -18.18% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.20 | $2.62 (3 SGD) | -18.13% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.40 | $2.79 (4 SGD) | -17.94% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $10.00 | $8.20 (11 SGD) | -18% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $4.00 | $3.28 (4 SGD) | -18% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.80 | $3.93 (5 SGD) | -18.12% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $12.00 | $9.84 (13 SGD) | -18% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $2.00 | $1.64 (2 SGD) | -18% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $6.00 | $4.57 (6 SGD) | -23.83% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $8.00 | $7.24 (9 SGD) | -9.5% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $5.00 | $3.80 (5 SGD) | -24% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.30 | $1.89 (2 SGD) | -17.83% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $65.00 | $50.70 (66 SGD) | -22% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.75 | $2.15 (3 SGD) | -21.82% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $4.00 | $3.04 (4 SGD) | -24% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.80 | $1.37 (2 SGD) | -23.89% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.95 | $0.86 (1 SGD) | -9.47% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $200 | $156 (204 SGD) | -22% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $70.00 | $54.60 (71 SGD) | -22% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $45.00 | $35.10 (46 SGD) | -22% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $50.00 | $38.04 (50 SGD) | -23.92% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $14.00 | $10.65 (14 SGD) | -23.93% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $30.00 | $22.83 (30 SGD) | -23.9% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $55.00 | $49.80 (65 SGD) | -9.45% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $90.00 | $81.49 (107 SGD) | -9.46% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $250 | $190 (249 SGD) | -23.92% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Singapore than United States?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,772 in Singapore versus $2,410 in United States — 26.47% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Singapore?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.57 in Singapore (≈ 5.97 SGD), versus about $6.00 in United States.
- How much is rent in Singapore compared to United States?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,236/month in Singapore versus $1,750/month in United States (-29.38%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.