---
title: "Cost of Living: Seoul vs Singapore — Geo-Parity"
description: "Singapore is 33% more expensive than South Korea for monthly essentials ($1,781 vs $1,334). Full 32-item price comparison: rent, pint, groceries, transport, gym."
canonical: "https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/singapore-vs-south-korea/"
json: "https://geo-parity.com/api/micro-costs.json?base=KR&target=SG"
generator: geo-parity markdown twin
---
Cost of Living · KR vs SG

# 🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇸🇬 Singapore: what everyday life costs

Monthly essentials: **$1,334** in South Korea vs **$1,781** in Singapore — 33% more expensive.

- **Essentials, South Korea**: $1,334/mo
- **Essentials, Singapore**: $1,781/mo
- **Difference**: +33%
- **1-bed city rent, Singapore**: $1,243/mo

## Biggest differences

Smallest premium in Singapore

- Imported beer, 330ml bottle: +9.9%
- Jeans (mid-range brand): +9.9%
- Running shoes (brand): +9.9%

Pricier in Singapore

- Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +39%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +39%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +39%

## The full basket (32 items)

| Item | South Korea | Singapore | Diff |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Housing |  |  |  |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $894 | $1,243 (1,624 SGD) | +39% |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $715 | $994 (1,299 SGD) | +39% |
| Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,635 | $2,272 (2,970 SGD) | +39% |
| Food out |  |  |  |
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.62 | $13.75 (18 SGD) | +29% |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | $44.25 | $57.31 (75 SGD) | +30% |
| Fast-food combo meal | $6.81 | $8.61 (11 SGD) | +26% |
| Groceries |  |  |  |
| Milk, 1L | $0.75 | $0.90 (1 SGD) | +20% |
| Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.18 | $2.63 (3 SGD) | +21% |
| Eggs, dozen | $2.32 | $2.80 (4 SGD) | +21% |
| Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.81 | $8.22 (11 SGD) | +21% |
| White rice, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.29 (4 SGD) | +21% |
| Apples, 1kg | $3.27 | $3.95 (5 SGD) | +21% |
| Local cheese, 1kg | $8.18 | $9.87 (13 SGD) | +21% |
| Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.36 | $1.64 (2 SGD) | +21% |
| Drinks |  |  |  |
| Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.54 | $4.58 (6 SGD) | +29% |
| Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.60 | $7.25 (9 SGD) | +9.9% |
| Cappuccino | $2.95 | $3.82 (5 SGD) | +29% |
| Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.57 | $1.89 (2 SGD) | +20% |
| Transport |  |  |  |
| Public transport, monthly pass | $40.24 | $50.90 (67 SGD) | +26% |
| Public transport, one-way | $1.70 | $2.15 (3 SGD) | +26% |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.36 | $3.06 (4 SGD) | +30% |
| Taxi, per km | $1.06 | $1.38 (2 SGD) | +30% |
| Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.78 | $0.86 (1 SGD) | +10% |
| Utilities & comms |  |  |  |
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $124 | $157 (205 SGD) | +26% |
| Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $43.33 | $54.81 (72 SGD) | +26% |
| Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $27.86 | $35.24 (46 SGD) | +26% |
| Lifestyle |  |  |  |
| Gym membership, month | $29.50 | $38.20 (50 SGD) | +29% |
| Cinema seat | $8.26 | $10.70 (14 SGD) | +30% |
| Men's haircut | $17.70 | $22.92 (30 SGD) | +29% |
| Jeans (mid-range brand) | $45.40 | $49.87 (65 SGD) | +9.9% |
| Running shoes (brand) | $74.29 | $81.61 (107 SGD) | +9.9% |
| Coworking hot desk, month | $148 | $191 (250 SGD) | +30% |

Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the [interactive tool](https://geo-parity.com/expenses/?tab=prices&base=KR&target=SG).

## 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 **4,653 km** apart as the crow flies.

| Measure | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 🇸🇬 Singapore |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Median local wage Monthly, USD. The local midpoint, not an average. | $2,316 | $4,329 |
| Rent, modelled 1-bed Monthly, USD. | $797 | — |
| Rent as % of a local wage Are locals priced out? | 34.4% | — |
| Out-of-pocket healthcare Per person per year, USD. | $1,058 | $997 |
| Doctors per 1,000 WHO. | 2.6 | 2.8 |
| Comfortable days a year 18-27 °C and dry. Measured at Seoul and Singapore. | 76 | 0 |
| Rule of law World Bank WGI. A survey composite, so the band leads, not the decimal. | strong | very strong |
| Country risk INFORM, 0-10. Lower is safer. | 2 (very low) | 0.7 (very low) |
| Public holidays Observed nationwide; regional days are counted separately. | 18 | 11 |
| Air quality Mean annual PM2.5, µg/m³. WHO guideline is 5. Lower is better. | 19.2 | 11.8 |
| Life expectancy Years at birth — the outcome, not the spending. | 83.6 | 83.3 |
| Homicide rate Per 100,000 a year. A count, not a perception score. | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| Population online % using the internet. Reach, not speed — the row below is speed. | 97.9% | 94.4% |
| Internet download Measured median, Mbps. | 273.4 | 198.4 |

## The whole South Korea → Singapore move, in one place

Everything above is free and always will be. The relocation report is the same engines run together for this one corridor: what you keep after rent, prices, healthcare and tax; the local wage ladder you would be earning against; which visas your income qualifies for; the day count that makes you tax-resident; and the months worth being there for.

[See the South Korea → Singapore report — £7](https://geo-parity.com/report/south-korea-to-singapore/) One-off. No subscription. Free preview first.

## Related

- [Reverse view: Singapore vs South Korea](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/singapore-vs-south-korea/)
- [Fair salary: South Korea → Singapore](https://geo-parity.com/salary/south-korea-to-singapore/)
- [How much to retire in Singapore?](https://geo-parity.com/fire/singapore/)
- [Cost of living in Singapore vs the US](https://geo-parity.com/ppp/singapore/)

## More comparisons

### South Korea compared with

- [South Korea vs Germany](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/south-korea-vs-germany/)
- [South Korea vs France](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/south-korea-vs-france/)
- [South Korea vs Netherlands](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/south-korea-vs-netherlands/)
- [South Korea vs Ireland](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/south-korea-vs-ireland/)
- [South Korea vs Canada](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/south-korea-vs-canada/)
- [South Korea vs Sweden](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/south-korea-vs-sweden/)

### Moving to Singapore from

- [Portugal vs Singapore](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/portugal-vs-singapore/)
- [Greece vs Singapore](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/greece-vs-singapore/)
- [Japan vs Singapore](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/japan-vs-singapore/)
- [Czechia vs Singapore](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/czechia-vs-singapore/)
- [United Arab Emirates vs Singapore](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/united-arab-emirates-vs-singapore/)

## Frequently asked questions

- **How much more expensive is Singapore than South Korea?**: A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,781 in Singapore versus $1,334 in South Korea — 33% 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 $4.58 in Singapore (≈ 5.99 SGD), versus about $3.54 in South Korea.
- **How much is rent in Singapore compared to South Korea?**: A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,243/month in Singapore versus $894/month in South Korea (+39%). 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.

Model estimates — verify locally. Agents: GET /api/micro-costs.json?base=KR&target=SG.

---

Source: Geo-Parity — https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/singapore-vs-south-korea/ · JSON: https://geo-parity.com/api/micro-costs.json?base=KR&target=SG