Cost of Living · CN vs SG
🇨🇳 Shanghai vs 🇸🇬 Singapore: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,011 in China vs $1,772 in Singapore — 75.24% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Singapore
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 19.44%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 20.07%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 20.14%
Closest to China prices
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +90.09%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +90.08%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +90.08%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | China | Singapore | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $650 | $1,236 (1,615 SGD) | +90.08% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $520 | $989 (1,292 SGD) | +90.09% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,189 | $2,260 (2,954 SGD) | +90.08% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.27 | $13.70 (18 SGD) | +65.66% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $34.45 | $57.06 (75 SGD) | +65.63% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.42 | $8.58 (11 SGD) | +58.3% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.62 | $0.90 (1 SGD) | +45.16% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.82 | $2.62 (3 SGD) | +43.96% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.93 | $2.79 (4 SGD) | +44.56% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.68 | $8.20 (11 SGD) | +44.37% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.27 | $3.28 (4 SGD) | +44.49% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.93 (5 SGD) | +43.96% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.81 | $9.84 (13 SGD) | +44.49% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.14 | $1.64 (2 SGD) | +43.86% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.76 | $4.57 (6 SGD) | +65.58% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.03 | $7.24 (9 SGD) | +20.07% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.30 | $3.80 (5 SGD) | +65.22% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.31 | $1.89 (2 SGD) | +44.27% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.05 | $50.70 (66 SGD) | +58.19% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.36 | $2.15 (3 SGD) | +58.09% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.84 | $3.04 (4 SGD) | +65.22% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.83 | $1.37 (2 SGD) | +65.06% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.86 (1 SGD) | +19.44% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $98.60 | $156 (204 SGD) | +58.22% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $34.51 | $54.60 (71 SGD) | +58.22% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.19 | $35.10 (46 SGD) | +58.18% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $22.97 | $38.04 (50 SGD) | +65.61% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.43 | $10.65 (14 SGD) | +65.63% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $13.78 | $22.83 (30 SGD) | +65.67% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.45 | $49.80 (65 SGD) | +20.14% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $67.82 | $81.49 (107 SGD) | +20.16% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $115 | $190 (249 SGD) | +65.64% |
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 more expensive is Singapore than China?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,772 in Singapore versus $1,011 in China — 75.24% more. 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 $2.76 in China.
- How much is rent in Singapore compared to China?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,236/month in Singapore versus $650/month in China (+90.08%). 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.