Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Mateo vs. Singapore Cost of Living Summary
San Mateo is 30.0% more expensive than Singapore.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.0 times more in San Mateo
- Groceries
-
pay 64.9% more in San Mateo
- Transportation
-
pay 48.5% less in San Mateo
- Housing
-
pay 40.1% more in San Mateo
- Childcare
-
pay 86.1% more in San Mateo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.5% less in San Mateo
- Clothing
-
pay 31.5% less in San Mateo
The cost of restaurants, childcare, groceries, and housing in San Mateo are more expensive than in Singapore. Expenses including transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in San Mateo. Notably, restaurants and childcare are significantly more expensive in San Mateo.
San Mateo vs. Singapore Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Mateo instead of Singapore, you would:
pay 2.0 times more for restaurants
|
Singapore
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.28
SGD12.04
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.58
SGD2.04
|
$3.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.16
SGD1.50
|
$2.34
|
|
Singapore vs. San Mateo - Cost of restaurants
pay 64.9% more for groceries
|
Singapore
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.36
SGD3.07
|
$5.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.89
SGD11.53
|
$7.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$11.53
SGD14.96
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.24
SGD4.20
|
$8.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.05
SGD6.56
|
$9.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.95
SGD2.53
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.36
SGD1.77
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.22
SGD2.88
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.19
SGD1.54
|
$3.33
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.12
SGD1.46
|
$2.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.98
SGD1.27
|
$2.00
|
|
Singapore vs. San Mateo - Cost of groceries
pay 48.5% less for transportation
|
Singapore
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$8.27
SGD10.73
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$92.79
SGD120.39
|
$65.60
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$139,191.98
SGD180,587.67
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.74
SGD12.64
|
?? | |
Singapore vs. San Mateo - Cost of transportation
pay 40.1% more for housing
|
Singapore
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$35.10
SGD45.54
|
$63.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,116.78
SGD4,043.71
|
$2,743.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,276.91
SGD2,954.06
|
$2,855.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$116.26
SGD150.83
|
$194.97
|
|
Singapore vs. San Mateo - Cost of housing
pay 86.1% more for childcare
|
Singapore
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,253.76
SGD1,626.63
|
$2,823.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,085.74
SGD37,735.84
|
$42,750.00
|
|
Singapore vs. San Mateo - Cost of childcare
pay 2.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Singapore
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.73
SGD10.03
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.68
SGD6.07
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.76
SGD16.55
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$117.15
SGD151.99
|
$95.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.60
SGD15.05
|
$15.99
|
|
Singapore vs. San Mateo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.5% less for clothing
|
Singapore
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$84.93
SGD110.19
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.58
SGD55.24
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.51
SGD135.60
|
$101.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.20
SGD163.73
|
$60.00
|
|
Singapore vs. San Mateo - 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
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