Cost of living comparison
compared to
Des Moines vs. Singapore Cost of Living Summary
Des Moines is 7.0% cheaper than Singapore.
- Restaurants
-
pay 72.5% more in Des Moines
- Groceries
-
pay 12.0% less in Des Moines
- Transportation
-
pay 40.2% less in Des Moines
- Housing
-
pay 15.6% less in Des Moines
- Childcare
-
pay 25.1% less in Des Moines
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.4% less in Des Moines
- Clothing
-
pay 14.4% less in Des Moines
Expenses including transportation, childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries are lower in Des Moines.
Des Moines vs. Singapore Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Des Moines instead of Singapore, you would:
pay 72.5% more for restaurants
|
Singapore
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.28
SGD11.81
|
$17.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.73
SGD9.84
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.58
SGD2.01
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.16
SGD1.47
|
$2.15
|
|
Singapore vs. Des Moines - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.0% less for groceries
|
Singapore
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.36
SGD3.01
|
$3.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.89
SGD11.31
|
$6.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$11.53
SGD14.68
|
$3.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.24
SGD4.12
|
$3.61
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.05
SGD6.43
|
$3.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.95
SGD2.49
|
$1.77
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.36
SGD1.73
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.22
SGD2.83
|
$1.66
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.19
SGD1.51
|
$1.59
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.12
SGD1.43
|
$0.75
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SGD1.24
|
$1.36
|
|
Singapore vs. Des Moines - Cost of groceries
pay 40.2% less for transportation
|
Singapore
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.27
SGD10.52
|
$2.93
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$92.79
SGD118.12
|
$58.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$139K
SGD177K
|
$26,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.74
SGD12.40
|
$11.94
|
|
Singapore vs. Des Moines - Cost of transportation
pay 15.6% less for housing
|
Singapore
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$35.10
SGD44.68
|
$57.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,116.78
SGD3,967.35
|
$1,214.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,276.91
SGD2,898.27
|
$912.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$116.26
SGD147.98
|
$108.83
|
|
Singapore vs. Des Moines - Cost of housing
pay 25.1% less for childcare
|
Singapore
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,253.76
SGD1,595.91
|
$1,369.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,085.74
SGD37,023.24
|
$11,812.00
|
|
Singapore vs. Des Moines - Cost of childcare
pay 14.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Singapore
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.73
SGD9.84
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.68
SGD5.95
|
$5.47
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.76
SGD16.24
|
$7.14
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$117.15
SGD149.12
|
$71.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.60
SGD14.76
|
$15.00
|
|
Singapore vs. Des Moines - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 14.4% less for clothing
|
Singapore
|
Des Moines
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$84.93
SGD108.11
|
$56.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.58
SGD54.20
|
$41.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.51
SGD133.04
|
$73.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.20
SGD160.64
|
$138.33
|
|
Singapore vs. Des Moines - 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: February 2026
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