Cost of Living · ZA vs SG
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇸🇬 Singapore: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $1,772 in Singapore — 112.75% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Singapore
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 28.11%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 28.12%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 28.14%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +137.89%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +137.89%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +137.89%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Singapore | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $1,236 (1,615 SGD) | +137.89% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $989 (1,292 SGD) | +137.89% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $2,260 (2,954 SGD) | +137.89% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $13.70 (18 SGD) | +97.69% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $57.06 (75 SGD) | +97.58% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $8.58 (11 SGD) | +85.71% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.90 (1 SGD) | +63.64% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $2.62 (3 SGD) | +63.75% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $2.79 (4 SGD) | +64.12% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $8.20 (11 SGD) | +64% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $3.28 (4 SGD) | +64% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $3.93 (5 SGD) | +63.75% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $9.84 (13 SGD) | +64.27% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.64 (2 SGD) | +64% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $4.57 (6 SGD) | +97.84% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $7.24 (9 SGD) | +28.14% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $3.80 (5 SGD) | +96.89% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $1.89 (2 SGD) | +64.35% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $50.70 (66 SGD) | +85.71% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $2.15 (3 SGD) | +85.34% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $3.04 (4 SGD) | +97.4% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.37 (2 SGD) | +98.55% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.86 (1 SGD) | +28.36% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $156 (204 SGD) | +85.71% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $54.60 (71 SGD) | +85.71% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $35.10 (46 SGD) | +85.71% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $38.04 (50 SGD) | +97.51% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $10.65 (14 SGD) | +97.59% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $22.83 (30 SGD) | +97.66% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $49.80 (65 SGD) | +28.12% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $81.49 (107 SGD) | +28.11% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $190 (249 SGD) | +97.56% |
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 South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,772 in Singapore versus $833 in South Africa — 112.75% 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 $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Singapore compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,236/month in Singapore versus $520/month in South Africa (+137.89%). 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.