Cost of living comparison
compared to
Singapore vs. Costa Rica Cost of Living Summary
Singapore is 80.1% more expensive than Costa Rica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.9% less in Singapore
- Groceries
-
pay 30.0% more in Singapore
- Transportation
-
pay 91.3% more in Singapore
- Housing
-
pay 2.6 times more in Singapore
- Childcare
-
pay 2.7 times more in Singapore
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.0 times more in Singapore
- Clothing
-
pay 17.2% more in Singapore
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, groceries, and clothing in Singapore are more expensive than in Costa Rica. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Singapore.
Singapore vs. Costa Rica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Singapore instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 17.9% less for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.77
CRC4,857.39
|
$9.28
SGD12.04
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
CRC4,739.57
|
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CRC995.21
|
$1.58
SGD2.04
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
CRC781.41
|
$1.16
SGD1.50
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Singapore - Cost of restaurants
pay 30.0% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
CRC1,262.79
|
$2.36
SGD3.07
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
CRC2,237.94
|
$8.89
SGD11.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.52
CRC3,740.34
|
$11.53
SGD14.96
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
CRC1,389.74
|
$3.24
SGD4.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.83
CRC1,902.77
|
$5.05
SGD6.56
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CRC886.81
|
$1.95
SGD2.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC305.74
|
$1.36
SGD1.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.65
CRC819.01
|
$2.22
SGD2.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
CRC617.46
|
$1.19
SGD1.54
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
CRC635.24
|
$1.12
SGD1.46
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CRC547.12
|
$0.98
SGD1.27
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Singapore - Cost of groceries
pay 91.3% more for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.47
CRC2,719.23
|
$8.27
SGD10.73
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.59
CRC27,137.81
|
$92.79
SGD120.39
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,444.91
CRC18,117,972.89
|
$139,191.98
SGD180,587.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
CRC7,794.48
|
$9.74
SGD12.64
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Singapore - Cost of transportation
pay 2.6 times more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.17
CRC24,446.08
|
$35.10
SGD45.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$805.28
CRC400,329.95
|
$3,116.78
SGD4,043.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.89
CRC276,349.98
|
$2,276.91
SGD2,954.06
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.57
CRC31,602.67
|
$116.26
SGD150.83
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Singapore - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$517.09
CRC257,060.35
|
$1,253.76
SGD1,626.63
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,552.94
CRC4,749,083.93
|
$29,085.74
SGD37,735.84
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Singapore - Cost of childcare
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.59
CRC1,285.81
|
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.84
CRC1,908.38
|
$4.68
SGD6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.70
CRC2,336.25
|
$12.76
SGD16.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.68
CRC29,171.56
|
$117.15
SGD151.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.11
CRC4,527.37
|
$11.60
SGD15.05
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Singapore - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.2% more for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.22
CRC28,941.22
|
$84.93
SGD110.19
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.70
CRC22,222.99
|
$42.58
SGD55.24
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.79
CRC56,072.28
|
$104.51
SGD135.60
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.41
CRC46,435.67
|
$126.20
SGD163.73
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Singapore - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Singapore or Costa Rica. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.