Cost of living comparison
compared to
Singapore vs. Des Plaines Cost of Living Summary
Singapore is 17.2% more expensive than Des Plaines.
- Restaurants
-
pay 41.7% less in Singapore
- Groceries
-
pay 19.2% more in Singapore
- Transportation
-
pay 2.3 times more in Singapore
- Housing
-
pay 14.0% more in Singapore
- Childcare
-
pay 2.4% less in Singapore
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.4% less in Singapore
- Clothing
-
pay 6.8% more in Singapore
The cost of transportation, groceries, housing, and clothing in Singapore are more expensive than in Des Plaines. Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, and childcare are lower in Singapore. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Singapore.
Singapore vs. Des Plaines Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Singapore instead of Des Plaines, you would:
pay 41.7% less for restaurants
|
Des Plaines
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$9.28
SGD12.04
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$1.58
SGD2.04
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$1.16
SGD1.50
|
|
Des Plaines vs. Singapore - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.2% more for groceries
|
Des Plaines
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.90
|
$2.36
SGD3.07
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.05
|
$8.89
SGD11.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.49
|
$11.53
SGD14.96
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.13
|
$3.24
SGD4.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.56
|
$5.05
SGD6.56
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.02
|
$1.95
SGD2.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.77
|
$1.36
SGD1.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.85
|
$2.22
SGD2.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.09
|
$1.19
SGD1.54
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
|
$1.12
SGD1.46
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.26
|
$0.98
SGD1.27
|
|
Des Plaines vs. Singapore - Cost of groceries
pay 2.3 times more for transportation
|
Des Plaines
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.46
|
$8.27
SGD10.73
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.00
|
$92.79
SGD120.39
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,500.00
|
$139,191.98
SGD180,587.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
|
$9.74
SGD12.64
|
|
Des Plaines vs. Singapore - Cost of transportation
pay 14.0% more for housing
|
Des Plaines
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.85
|
$35.10
SGD45.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,700.00
|
$3,116.78
SGD4,043.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,600.00
|
$2,276.91
SGD2,954.06
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.41
|
$116.26
SGD150.83
|
|
Des Plaines vs. Singapore - Cost of housing
pay 2.4% less for childcare
|
Des Plaines
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,628.82
|
$1,253.76
SGD1,626.63
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,601.00
|
$29,085.74
SGD37,735.84
|
|
Des Plaines vs. Singapore - Cost of childcare
pay 7.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Des Plaines
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.50
|
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.53
|
$4.68
SGD6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.50
|
$12.76
SGD16.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$124.50
|
$117.15
SGD151.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$11.60
SGD15.05
|
|
Des Plaines vs. Singapore - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.8% more for clothing
|
Des Plaines
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$64.24
|
$84.93
SGD110.19
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.33
|
$42.58
SGD55.24
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.48
|
$104.51
SGD135.60
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$124.00
|
$126.20
SGD163.73
|
|
Des Plaines 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:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. Singapore.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Singapore.
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 Des Plaines. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.