Cost of living comparison
compared to
Singapore vs. San Francisco Cost of Living Summary
Singapore is 12.4% cheaper than San Francisco.
- Restaurants
-
pay 55.8% less in Singapore
- Groceries
-
pay 21.4% less in Singapore
- Transportation
-
pay 74.7% more in Singapore
- Housing
-
pay 27.7% less in Singapore
- Childcare
-
pay 46.0% less in Singapore
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.8% less in Singapore
- Clothing
-
pay 1.4% more in Singapore
The cost of transportation and clothing in Singapore are more expensive than in San Francisco. Expenses including restaurants, childcare, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Singapore.
Singapore vs. San Francisco Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Singapore instead of San Francisco, you would:
pay 55.8% less for restaurants
|
San Francisco
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$30.00
|
$9.28
SGD12.04
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$14.50
|
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.30
|
$1.58
SGD2.04
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$1.16
SGD1.50
|
|
San Francisco vs. Singapore - Cost of restaurants
pay 21.4% less for groceries
|
San Francisco
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.06
|
$2.36
SGD3.07
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.69
|
$8.89
SGD11.53
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.85
|
$11.53
SGD14.96
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.26
|
$3.24
SGD4.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.63
|
$5.05
SGD6.56
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.22
|
$1.95
SGD2.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.31
|
$1.36
SGD1.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$2.22
SGD2.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.23
|
$1.19
SGD1.54
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.67
|
$1.12
SGD1.46
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.81
|
$0.98
SGD1.27
|
|
San Francisco vs. Singapore - Cost of groceries
pay 74.7% more for transportation
|
San Francisco
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.89
|
$8.27
SGD10.73
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$92.79
SGD120.39
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$139,191.98
SGD180,587.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.31
|
$9.74
SGD12.64
|
|
San Francisco vs. Singapore - Cost of transportation
pay 27.7% less for housing
|
San Francisco
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.78
|
$35.10
SGD45.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,446.66
|
$3,116.78
SGD4,043.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,736.00
|
$2,276.91
SGD2,954.06
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$179.63
|
$116.26
SGD150.83
|
|
San Francisco vs. Singapore - Cost of housing
pay 46.0% less for childcare
|
San Francisco
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,236.11
|
$1,253.76
SGD1,626.63
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,000.00
|
$29,085.74
SGD37,735.84
|
|
San Francisco vs. Singapore - Cost of childcare
pay 11.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Francisco
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.98
|
$4.68
SGD6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.00
|
$12.76
SGD16.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$109.64
|
$117.15
SGD151.99
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.00
|
$11.60
SGD15.05
|
|
San Francisco vs. Singapore - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.4% more for clothing
|
San Francisco
|
Singapore
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$84.93
SGD110.19
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$48.82
|
$42.58
SGD55.24
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.00
|
$104.51
SGD135.60
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$133.67
|
$126.20
SGD163.73
|
|
San Francisco 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 San Francisco. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.