Cost of living hub

Singapore Cost of Living Guide

Break the monthly cost into rent, food, transport, utilities, insurance, and buffer before choosing a neighbourhood or lifestyle.

Monthly budgets for four common profiles

The upper range is usually driven by housing. The lower range depends on shared housing, lower-cost meals, and commute tolerance.

Profile Rent Food Transport Utilities Other Total
Student or intern
Dorm, student housing, or a shared room
S$850-1,800 S$500-800 S$90-140 S$60-130 S$400-650 S$1,900-3,520
Single renter
Working adult in a common room or master room
S$1,100-1,900 S$650-950 S$120-180 S$80-160 S$430-910 S$2,380-4,100
Couple or two adults
Whole HDB flat or a one-bedroom private apartment
S$3,000-4,500 S$1,000-1,600 S$220-360 S$180-330 S$870-1,860 S$5,270-8,650
Family of three
HDB 4-room/5-room or suburban condo
S$3,600-6,000 S$1,600-2,600 S$350-700 S$260-520 S$2,000-5,200 S$7,810-15,020

How to read these numbers

  • Amounts are in Singapore dollars (S$) and are for planning only. This is not legal, tax, immigration, employment, school admission, or investment advice.
  • Rent ranges combine HDB benchmarks and common shared-room assumptions; actual prices vary by unit condition and MRT distance.
  • Transport assumes adult-card commuting; frequent taxis or car ownership need a separate budget.

Sources and update notes

SGBook summarises practical planning ranges and links back to official sources so you can verify before making decisions.