Moving to Singapore from Malaysia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Malaysia to Singapore — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Malaysia to Singapore, you would find that Singapore is 3.4 times more expensive than Malaysia overall. A MYR306,758 salary in Malaysia would need to be roughly SGD349,357 in Singapore to maintain the same lifestyle.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Malaysia to Singapore.
What does your salary buy?
MYR306,758 → SGD349,357
To maintain the same standard of living in Singapore
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.4 times more
Groceries
pay 82.9% more
Transportation
pay 4.0 times more
Housing
pay 5.7 times more
Childcare
pay 6.0 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.5 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Malaysia to Singapore, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Malaysia and Singapore stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Singapore performs significantly better than Malaysia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Singapore generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Malaysia leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Malaysia generally does better on environment, though Singapore leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Malaysia generally does better on infrastructure, though Singapore leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Singapore performs significantly better than Malaysia across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Singapore generally does better on family life, though Malaysia leads in education spending.
Data: Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Kuala Lumpur | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 91°/73°F (33°/23°C) | 89°/76°F (31°/25°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 91°/75°F (33°/24°C) | 90°/78°F (32°/26°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) | 89°/78°F (31°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 89°/74°F (32°/23°C) | 88°/76°F (31°/25°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kuala Lumpur | Singapore |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90°/72°F (32.1°/22.5°C) | 87°/76°F (30.6°/24.3°C) |
| Feb | 91°/73°F (32.9°/22.8°C) | 89°/76°F (31.5°/24.6°C) |
| Mar | 92°/74°F (33.2°/23.2°C) | 90°/77°F (32.2°/24.9°C) |
| Apr | 92°/75°F (33.1°/23.7°C) | 90°/78°F (32.4°/25.3°C) |
| May | 91°/75°F (32.9°/23.9°C) | 90°/78°F (32.3°/25.7°C) |
| Jun | 91°/74°F (32.7°/23.6°C) | 89°/78°F (31.9°/25.7°C) |
| Jul | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.2°C) | 89°/78°F (31.4°/25.4°C) |
| Aug | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.1°C) | 89°/78°F (31.4°/25.3°C) |
| Sep | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) | 89°/77°F (31.6°/25.2°C) |
| Oct | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) | 89°/77°F (31.8°/25.0°C) |
| Nov | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.2°C) | 88°/76°F (31.2°/24.6°C) |
| Dec | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.9°C) | 87°/76°F (30.5°/24.3°C) |
Data:
Malaysian Meteorological Department,
Meteorological Service Singapore
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Malaysia and Singapore. To live, work, or study long-term in Singapore, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Singapore's immigration authority.
Malaysia passport holder visiting Singapore
Visa Free
Singapore passport holder visiting Malaysia
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Singapore than Malaysia?
Day-to-day costs in Singapore run about 264% higher than Malaysia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Singapore?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a MYR306,758 comparable salary, that's around SGD87,339 in Singapore for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Singapore?
With 37.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Singapore can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Malaysia and Singapore.
Is Singapore safe for expats?
Singapore performs significantly better than Malaysia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Singapore is 0.1 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Malaysia.
How is healthcare in Singapore compared to Malaysia?
Singapore generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Malaysia leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 26.0 doctors per 10,000 people in Singapore, compared to 23.2 in Malaysia. Singapore scores 89 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Malaysia: 76).
What's the weather like in Singapore compared to Malaysia?
The average high temperature in Singapore is 89°F, compared to 90°F in Kuala Lumpur. Singapore receives around 83.2 in of rainfall per year, while Kuala Lumpur gets 95.6 in.
What language do they speak in Singapore?
The official languages in Singapore are Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. In Malaysia, the official languages are English and Malay.
