Cost of living comparison

compared to

Bethesda vs. Singapore Cost of Living Summary

Bethesda is 27.8% more expensive than Singapore.

Restaurants
pay 61.8% more in Bethesda
Groceries
pay 1.0% less in Bethesda
Transportation
pay 21.9% less in Bethesda
Housing
pay 0.1% more in Bethesda
Childcare
pay 2.4 times more in Bethesda
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.5% more in Bethesda
Clothing
pay 7.1% more in Bethesda

The cost of childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, and housing in Bethesda are more expensive than in Singapore. Expenses including transportation and groceries are lower in Bethesda. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Bethesda.

Bethesda vs. Singapore Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Bethesda instead of Singapore, you would:

pay 61.8% more for restaurants

 
Singapore
Bethesda
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $9.28
SGD11.81
$16.50
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.73
SGD9.84
$8.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.58
SGD2.01
$2.50
 

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pay 1.0% less for groceries

 
Singapore
Bethesda
Bread
1 loaf
$2.36
SGD3.01
$3.97
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.89
SGD11.31
$4.38
 
Milk (1 gallon) $11.53
SGD14.68
$3.58
 

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pay 21.9% less for transportation

 
Singapore
Bethesda
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.27
SGD10.52
$3.16
 
Monthly public transit pass $92.79
SGD118.12
$100.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $139K
SGD177K
$23,000.00
 

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pay 0.1% more for housing

 
Singapore
Bethesda
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$35.10
SGD44.68
$62.50
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $3,116.78
SGD3,967.35
$2,250.00
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $2,276.91
SGD2,898.27
$1,866.67
 

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pay 2.4 times more for childcare

 
Singapore
Bethesda
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,253.76
SGD1,595.91
$3,175.00
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $29,085.74
SGD37,023.24
$65,000.00
 

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pay 10.5% more for entertainment and sports

 
Singapore
Bethesda
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $7.73
SGD9.84
$5.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.68
SGD5.95
$5.60
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.76
SGD16.24
$14.00
 

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pay 7.1% more for clothing

 
Singapore
Bethesda
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$84.93
SGD108.11
$70.00
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$42.58
SGD54.20
$56.67
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$104.51
SGD133.04
$115.00
 

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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: February 2026
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