Cost of Living · NL vs SG
🇳🇱 Amsterdam vs 🇸🇬 Singapore: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,019 in Netherlands vs $1,781 in Singapore — 12% cheaper.
- Essentials, Netherlands
- $2,019/mo
- Essentials, Singapore
- $1,781/mo
- Difference
- -12%
- 1-bed city rent, Singapore
- $1,243/mo
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Singapore
- Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -13%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -13%
- Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -13%
Closest to Netherlands prices
- Running shoes (brand): -4%
- Jeans (mid-range brand): -4%
- Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -4.1%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Netherlands | Singapore | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,433 | $1,243 (1,624 SGD) | -13% |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,146 | $994 (1,299 SGD) | -13% |
| Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,620 | $2,272 (2,970 SGD) | -13% |
| Food out | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $15.38 | $13.75 (18 SGD) | -11% |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | $64.10 | $57.31 (75 SGD) | -11% |
| Fast-food combo meal | $9.54 | $8.61 (11 SGD) | -9.7% |
| Groceries | |||
| Milk, 1L | $0.98 | $0.90 (1 SGD) | -8.2% |
| Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.85 | $2.63 (3 SGD) | -7.7% |
| Eggs, dozen | $3.03 | $2.80 (4 SGD) | -7.6% |
| Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.92 | $8.22 (11 SGD) | -7.8% |
| White rice, 1kg | $3.57 | $3.29 (4 SGD) | -7.8% |
| Apples, 1kg | $4.28 | $3.95 (5 SGD) | -7.7% |
| Local cheese, 1kg | $10.71 | $9.87 (13 SGD) | -7.8% |
| Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.78 | $1.64 (2 SGD) | -7.9% |
| Drinks | |||
| Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $5.13 | $4.58 (6 SGD) | -11% |
| Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.56 | $7.25 (9 SGD) | -4.1% |
| Cappuccino | $4.27 | $3.82 (5 SGD) | -11% |
| Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.05 | $1.89 (2 SGD) | -7.8% |
| Transport | |||
| Public transport, monthly pass | $56.36 | $50.90 (67 SGD) | -9.7% |
| Public transport, one-way | $2.38 | $2.15 (3 SGD) | -9.7% |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.42 | $3.06 (4 SGD) | -11% |
| Taxi, per km | $1.54 | $1.38 (2 SGD) | -10% |
| Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.90 | $0.86 (1 SGD) | -4.4% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $173 | $157 (205 SGD) | -9.7% |
| Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $60.69 | $54.81 (72 SGD) | -9.7% |
| Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $39.02 | $35.24 (46 SGD) | -9.7% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Gym membership, month | $42.74 | $38.20 (50 SGD) | -11% |
| Cinema seat | $11.97 | $10.70 (14 SGD) | -11% |
| Men's haircut | $25.64 | $22.92 (30 SGD) | -11% |
| Jeans (mid-range brand) | $51.95 | $49.87 (65 SGD) | -4% |
| Running shoes (brand) | $85.01 | $81.61 (107 SGD) | -4% |
| Coworking hot desk, month | $214 | $191 (250 SGD) | -11% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Beyond prices
What each place pays, charges and offers — wages, rent, healthcare, climate, risk and time off. Figures come from the same engines behind the individual tools, so they match what those pages say. They sit about 10,514 km apart as the crow flies.
| Measure | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| Median local wage Monthly, USD. The local midpoint, not an average. | $4,367 | $4,329 |
| Rent, modelled 1-bed Monthly, USD. | $1,341 | — |
| Rent as % of a local wage Are locals priced out? | 30.7% | — |
| Out-of-pocket healthcare Per person per year, USD. | $807 | $997 |
| Doctors per 1,000 WHO. | 3.9 | 2.8 |
| Comfortable days a year 18-27 °C and dry. Measured at Amsterdam and Singapore. | 71 | 0 |
| Rule of law World Bank WGI. A survey composite, so the band leads, not the decimal. | very strong | very strong |
| Country risk INFORM, 0-10. Lower is safer. | 2.5 (low) | 0.7 (very low) |
| Public holidays Observed nationwide; regional days are counted separately. | 9 | 11 |
| Air quality Mean annual PM2.5, µg/m³. WHO guideline is 5. Lower is better. | 9.1 | 11.8 |
| Life expectancy Years at birth — the outcome, not the spending. | 82 | 83.3 |
| Homicide rate Per 100,000 a year. A count, not a perception score. | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Population online % using the internet. Reach, not speed — the row below is speed. | 97% | 94.4% |
| Internet download Measured median, Mbps. | 201.5 | 198.4 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Singapore than Netherlands?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,781 in Singapore versus $2,019 in Netherlands — 12% 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 $4.58 in Singapore (≈ 5.99 SGD), versus about $5.13 in Netherlands.
- How much is rent in Singapore compared to Netherlands?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,243/month in Singapore versus $1,433/month in Netherlands (-13%). 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.