Singapore is known as a country that has a high cost of living. Based on a survey conducted by CEOWORLD Magazine, Singapore is ranked 4th in the world as the most expensive city to live in after Zurich, Paris and Hong Kong.
What makes the cost of living in Singapore so expensive? Now, since I personally live in Singapore, I will give you an idea of the cost of spending in this country. (1 SGD = IDR 10,700 per June 2021).
The cost of renting an apartment in Singapore
The main factors that make living in Singapore expensive are apartment rental fees. Maybe because the country is small, the land is also limited, so property prices soar.
The location of course greatly affects the rental price as well. The closer to the city, the more expensive it will be. From my experience, if you want rent a studio type apartment in a suburban area or not in the city center, you can still get a price of around SGD 1,200.
If you want to rent only 1 room and stay the same landlord or share the others may still be around SGD 600 – 800 in the suburbs.
If you are in the city area, you may not get that price anymore. Now I live in Joo Chiat area for rent 1 room only SGD 1,400. If you want to take your own unit, maybe you have to expect at a price of approx. SGD 2,000 – 2,500.
In Singapore there are 2 types of apartments which are commonly referred to as “Condo” and “HDB”. The condo has more complete facilities such as a gym, swimming pool.
Meanwhile, HDB has fewer facilities because actually HDB is a subsidized apartment for local people here. So Condo prices are usually more expensive than HDB.
If you live the same landlord Usually, you don’t need to think about electricity costs and others. But if you want to rent your own unit, there are other additional costs.
Also read: Tips for renting an apartment in Singapore, must read!
Cost of eating in Singapore
The cost of eating in Singapore is still quite affordable. If you want to save money, you can eat at Hawker’s Centersort of food court which sells various types of food.
You can still get SGD 4-6 for one meal at Hawker’s Center. The expensive thing is if you eat at a restaurant, at least the price for 1 portion is SGD 10-20.
The price of coffee is usually in SGD 5 – 6. For fast food like McDonalds or KFC the price for a set is usually SGD 10.
Prices of daily necessities
I shop for daily necessities at a supermarket called NTUC Fairprice. This supermarket is the largest and has many branches in Singapore.
There is also a market, but I personally rarely shop at the market. Some prices for everyday items (I took the cheapest prices only):
- Rice (5kg): SGD 8
- Eggs (10 pieces): SGD 2
- Fresh milk (2L): SGD 6
- Tomatoes (600gr): SGD 1.8
- Chicken (300gr): SGD 3
- Indomie (5 pieces): SGD 2
The prices for daily necessities are still okay. Maybe in the market it will be cheaper too. Cooking yourself will definitely be cheaper when compared to eating out.
Also read: Send Money From Singapore to Indonesia with Transferwise
The cost of public transportation in Singapore
Public transportation in Singapore is quite good, there are buses and also MRT. You can buy a card EZ-Link let me get a discount.
The cost for the bus if the short distance is < 5km around SGD 1. If the MRT is also SGD 1-2. For full public transportation fares in Singapore, you can see here.
The basic fare for a taxi starts at SGD 4 plus SGD 0.70 per km. You can also take Grab, a short distance is usually at SGD 6.
Other Expenses
Most other costs for packages mobile and internet, about SGD 20 per month. Other costs are at least personal expenses for shopping.
There are many tourist attractions in Singapore, some are free, but the paid ones are pretty good too. So if you want to go for a walk, prepare your budget again.
So what is the total cost per month in Singapore for 1 person?
Back again to lifestyle each. But the estimated total monthly costs in Singapore for 1 person are:
| Save Life | Medium Life | Luxury living | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment Rent | SGD 800 | SGD 1,500 | SGD 2,500 |
| Eat | SGD 300 | SGD 500 | SGD 2,000 |
| Transportation | SGD 100 | SGD 300 | SGD 800 |
| Recreational expenses and others | SGD 100 | SGD 300 | SGD 1,000 |
| Total | SGD 1,300 | SGD 2,600 | SGD 6,300 |
Conclusion
I myself feel that the cost of living in Singapore is indeed expensive, especially in the cost of renting an apartment. For food and daily needs, you can still find cheap ones.
If you live frugally, you can only spend SGD 1,300 per month for living expenses in Singapore. If you want it to be a bit nice and comfortable, just be prepared to spend around SGD 2,600.
Still want to live in Singapore? Haha. Hopefully you will have an idea, so when you move to Singapore you won’t be surprised.
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