Singapore Cost of Living, Salary & Rent (2026)
winter is a rumor and on the water, expensive and not sorry about it
More of Singapore
Day viewTL;DRSingapore in one sentence
Singapore has a real tech scene — actual VC money, not just coworking spaces with good Wi-Fi. On the ground: English works fine, rent runs ~$2696/mo, PR in ~2 years.
Singapore has a real tech scene — actual VC money, not just coworking spaces with good Wi-Fi. On the ground: English works fine, rent runs ~$2696/mo, PR in ~2 years.
How much does it cost to live in Singapore? Expect rent from $2,696/month, one of the safer cities in its region, English is the primary language. Below you'll find rent, groceries, transport, utilities, and a full monthly budget breakdown — with real Numbeo data, not vibes.
Safety ranks higher because it ignores cost and climate. Livability penalizes expensive or less-connected cities. Compare both rankings
#58 in Livability because rent devours the affordability score. #8 in Startup Cities because ecosystem density and VC presence drive the ranking. See Startup Cities
Just you against the world. And the rent.
Expenses = rent + food + transport + utilities · Rent alone: $2,696/mo
How the Livability Score is calculatedShow score breakdown ▸
Total: 92.5/130 raw pts → normalized to 71/100 · Full methodology
☕ 12:44 PM in Singapore right now
Data: Numbeo · UNODC · EIU · EF EPI · Ookla · How is this calculated?
Life in Singapore
What It Actually Costs
$4,847/mo
What It Actually Costs
$4,847/mo
Monthly cost of living
$4,847/mo
Rent, groceries, utilities, transit — what settling actually costs.
Spot prices
Numbeo
What Paychecks Look Like
Junior $66k · Mid $90k · Senior $142k
What Paychecks Look Like
Junior $66k · Mid $90k · Senior $142k
Annual gross in USD — with what Singapore actually lets you keep
Levels.fyi · as of May 2026
Junior ~ $66k · Mid ~ $90k · Senior ~ $142k — see breakdown
Software Engineer by level
Net = employee rate, your settings
Punch in your actual salary for a personalized breakdown →Costs & Money
6Rent, taxes, landing fees, and the freelance paperwork maze
Costs & Money
6Rent, taxes, landing fees, and the freelance paperwork maze
Cost to Land
1-bed centre: $2696/mo
Cost to Land
1-bed centre: $2696/mo
The price of showing up (before real life starts)
$7,841one-time
Then it's ~$4,847/mo to actually live here.
Can you afford it?
Enter your salary in the sidebar to see how far it stretches here.
Numbeo
Local tenancy law
IKEA estimate
MOM Singapore
Source: Numbeo · updated Apr 2026 — numbers we didn't make up
How Hard to Find a Place?
4/5 · 2–6 weeks, fast-moving market
How Hard to Find a Place?
4/5 · 2–6 weeks, fast-moving market
The part Numbeo doesn't tell you
Brace yourself. The system has opinions about your creditworthiness.
What stands between you and a lease
- •Stamp duty on rental agreements (0.4% of total rent)
- •2 months' deposit standard, 1 month agent fee
- •Diplomatic clause only for 2+ year leases
- •High rents: ~SGD 3,000–4,000 for central 1-bed
globalpropertyguide.com Singapore, propertyguru.com.sg · 2026-Q1
Tax on Savings
Capital gains 0% · Dividends 0% · No wealth tax
Tax on Savings
Capital gains 0% · Dividends 0% · No wealth tax
Singapore doesn't tax your portfolio — keep scrolling
Source: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries · 2025 rates · tax-resident individuals
Freelance Setup in Singapore
Sole Proprietorship (ACRA) · CPF contributions are voluntary for self-employed (except MediSave: mandatory if net income >SGD 6,000/yr, 8-10.5% of income)
Freelance Setup in Singapore
Sole Proprietorship (ACRA) · CPF contributions are voluntary for self-employed (except MediSave: mandatory if net income >SGD 6,000/yr, 8-10.5% of income)
What it takes to get legal and stay legal in Singapore
Best-fit path
Sole proprietorship via ACRA BizFile+. Personal income tax at 0-22% progressive rates with generous reliefs.
Registration requirements
Singapore's registration is fast and digital. No capital gains tax, no VAT below SGD 1M. MediSave contributions are mandatory for self-employed but CPF (pension) is voluntary. Corporate tax at 17% is attractive for higher earners incorporating as a Pte Ltd.
Freelancing in Singapore
Freelancing in Singapore
What it takes to invoice clients from Singapore without an employer holding your hand
How the government sees you
CPF mandatory for citizens/PRs only. Foreigners exempt
Getting paid
Cost of doing business
Source: IRAS · CPF Board · rates as of 2025–2026
Daily Life
10Weather, vibes, nightlife — will you actually enjoy it here?
Daily Life
10Weather, vibes, nightlife — will you actually enjoy it here?
Is Singapore a Good Place to Live in 2026?
4 pros · 2 cons
Is Singapore a Good Place to Live in 2026?
4 pros · 2 cons
Derived from cost, safety, weather, democracy, and internet data
For
- +Singapore: 0.1/100k homicide rate. Boringly safe.
- +88°F summers plus Singapore's coast. Not a drill.
- +279 Mbps in Singapore. Video calls just work.
- +Singapore grew 4.4%. Real opportunities in Singapore.
Against
- −$2696/mo rent in Singapore. Budget accordingly.
- −Singapore: 6.2/10 — "flawed" democracy band. Singapore's institutions wobble.
What You're Breathing
PM2.5 17.4 μg/m³ · 3.5× WHO limit
What You're Breathing
PM2.5 17.4 μg/m³ · 3.5× WHO limit
Invisible particles in every breath
Sources: WHO Air Quality Database V6.1, OpenAQ
Weather in Singapore
Summer 88°F high · 12.2h daylight (Jun) · Winter 77°F low · 12h daylight (Dec)
Weather in Singapore
Summer 88°F high · 12.2h daylight (Jun) · Winter 77°F low · 12h daylight (Dec)
Average daytime high per season
Spring
90°F
17% sunny
Summer
88°F
15% sunny
12.2h daylight
Fall
88°F
13% sunny
Winter
86°F
17% sunny
12h daylight
Year-round warm — temperatures don't swing by season the way they do in temperate climates. Winter looks similar.
Daylight contrast
Winter 12h (Dec) vs summer 12.2h (Jun)
+0.2h
Best: Winter.
Source: WeatherSpark
Will You Survive Summer Here?
0→0.5 days ≥95°F by 2045 · 80% have A/C
Will You Survive Summer Here?
0→0.5 days ≥95°F by 2045 · 80% have A/C
Days ≥95°F now
0
per year
Days ≥95°F in 2045
0.5
projected / year
Tropical nights 2045
365.2
nights ≥68°F / yr
2045 numbers are a 5-model mean over 2040–2050 under CMIP6 HighResMIP · ~RCP8.5 (high-emissions) — the high-emissions pathway, not a best case. Open-Meteo (CMIP6 Climate).
The trend (days ≥86°F): Singapore used to get 3.1 days a year over 86°F in the 1970s. Now it gets 88. That's 84.9 more sweaty days than your parents' generation put up with. The tiles above count the rarer ≥95°F days; this line counts ≥86°F so the change is visible.
Homes with air conditioning
Built for the heat — most homes can cool down.
80%
A/C data: IEA (Future of Cooling)
Source: Open-Meteo (ERA5 Archive)
Will You Have a Thursday Night?
Will You Have a Thursday Night?
Nightlife & social scene
as of Apr 2026
Scene tags
Source: Numbeo Quality of Life Index
Will You Find Your Dance Nerds?
Lindy hop 3/5 · ~3 weekly socials
Will You Find Your Dance Nerds?
Lindy hop 3/5 · ~3 weekly socials
Swing dance scene intel
Schools
Source: swingstation.sg, jazzincsg.com · Updated Mar 2026
Safety & Family
5Crime stats, healthcare, schools — the stuff that keeps you up at night
Safety & Family
5Crime stats, healthcare, schools — the stuff that keeps you up at night
Is Singapore Safe?
Homicide rate: 0.1 per 100k
Is Singapore Safe?
Homicide rate: 0.1 per 100k
Safe overall. Standard urban awareness is sufficient.
Residents report feeling very safe. Low everyday crime concern across the board.
Neighborhood breakdown
We don't have an official neighborhood-level crime feed wired for Singapore yet. The figures above are still citywide or regional.
Settling the family in Singapore
PISA 560 · Daycare $1531/mo · Partner work rights are very limited
Settling the family in Singapore
PISA 560 · Daycare $1531/mo · Partner work rights are very limited
Schools, daycare, healthcare, and partner work rights on one page
Family Healthcare
Mixed public/privateExcellent private and public facilities; MediShield for citizens/PRs only
MediShield and MediSave for citizens/PRs only. Foreigners: employer-provided or private insurance required (~$130/mo). Emergency care always provided, billed at unsubsidized rates. Singapore healthcare is world-class but priced accordingly without insurance.
Dependents on temporary status: plan on private coverage first.
Pediatric/specialist reality: 1–3 weeks.
Spouse / Dependent Rules
Partner work rights are very limitedPartner work rights are very limited
DP holders need own EP, S Pass, or Work Permit to work. LOC available for ONE Pass/Tech.Pass dependants.
By relationship type
Unmarried partner: Singapore only issues dependent passes to legally married spouses. Unmarried partners cannot be sponsored.
Same-sex partner: Same-sex partners cannot get dependent passes in Singapore, regardless of marital status in home country.
But can they actually find a job?
Official business language is English. Work visas require solid sponsorship and salary thresholds. Cost of living is brutal; salaries are good but not that good.
Unmarried & Same-Sex Partners
Singapore only recognizes legal marriage for dependent passes. Same-sex relationships are not recognized for immigration purposes despite decriminalization in 2022.
Sources: ISD (Tuition Data), OECD PISA, Wikipedia (Intl. Schools), ISD (Intl. Schools), Townleap (Public School Viability), Numbeo, WHO, National health ministry websites, OECD Health at a Glance 2025, Immigration authority
Crossing the Street
1.9 road deaths/100k
Crossing the Street
1.9 road deaths/100k
Road traffic deaths — country-level data; city-specific rates not available
Roads here are about as safe as they get globally. You're 16× more likely to die crossing the street than being murdered here. Pedestrians account for a significant share of fatalities — walkability is a real concern.
Who dies on the road
Data year: 2016
Will You Survive Getting Sick?
Excellent private and public facilities; MediShield for citizens/PRs only
Will You Survive Getting Sick?
Excellent private and public facilities; MediShield for citizens/PRs only
Quality, access, and costs for settlers
Score = 50% outcomes + 30% access + 20% perception. Missing components are re-weighted.
MediShield and MediSave for citizens/PRs only. Foreigners: employer-provided or private insurance required (~$130/mo). Emergency care always provided, billed at unsubsidized rates. Singapore healthcare is world-class but priced accordingly without insurance.
Excellent private and public facilities; MediShield for citizens/PRs only
Numbeo survey — higher is better. Based on resident perceptions.
Vaccination coverage: WHO/UNICEF estimates, 2024
World-class healthcare. Well-funded hospitals, short wait times, and strong specialist coverage.
Sources: WHO, Numbeo, National health ministry websites, OECD Health at a Glance 2025
For the Kids
1 international school · PISA 560
For the Kids
1 international school · PISA 560
Schools, childcare costs, and whether your children can actually enroll
Public school is the default path for most expat families here — the PISA score (560) lands in excellent territory, but that hasn't stopped locals or newcomers.
Sources: ISD (Tuition Data), OECD PISA, Wikipedia (Intl. Schools), ISD (Intl. Schools), Townleap (Public School Viability), Numbeo
Work & Logistics
6Wi-Fi speed, banking, getting around — boring but essential
Work & Logistics
6Wi-Fi speed, banking, getting around — boring but essential
Who Has Offices in Singapore?
Grab, Shopee, Google + 6 more
Who Has Offices in Singapore?
Grab, Shopee, Google + 6 more
✓ visa = known to sponsor non-EU work visas
Notable employers with offices in the city. Not exhaustive.
How Fast Is the Wi-Fi, Really?
279↓ / 32↑ Mbps
How Fast Is the Wi-Fi, Really?
279↓ / 32↑ Mbps
Median speeds across all connection types · Ookla Speedtest Global Index
Speeds are median across all connection types — DSL, cable, fiber, and mobile. If you're on a modern fiber or 5G plan, expect 300–1,000 Mbps down.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index
How You'll Actually Pay for Things
How You'll Actually Pay for Things
Banking & money mobility for settlers
Singapore is a global banking hub with no capital controls, but non-residents without an employment pass face S$200k–350k minimum deposit requirements at major banks; digital alternatives (Wise, Revolut) are easier.
Can Your Mom Visit?
Can Your Mom Visit?
Singapore, the Country
Visa paths, politics, rights, and what the country looks like from the outside
Singapore, the Country
Visa paths, politics, rights, and what the country looks like from the outside
Can You Actually Live Here?
PR in ~2 yrs · Citizenship in 4 yrs · Partner work rights are very limited
Can You Actually Live Here?
PR in ~2 yrs · Citizenship in 4 yrs · Partner work rights are very limited
Visa difficulty, time to residency, and what it takes to stay
For a Canadian passport: ModerateCA$31k/mo
What you need to earn
Employment Pass
No formal language requirement — evaluated on economic contribution and community integration.
Partner & dependents
DP holders need own EP, S Pass, or Work Permit to work. LOC available for ONE Pass/Tech.Pass dependants.
Not married? Here’s how it changes
Updated Mar 2026 · Source
What You Can Actually Do Here
Tech jobs very high · Sponsorship mixed · Startup hub · finance, logistics, biotech
What You Can Actually Do Here
Tech jobs very high · Sponsorship mixed · Startup hub · finance, logistics, biotech
Industries, employers, and how startup-friendly this place is
Employment
Tech job density Very high (85/100)ⓘ
Open tech roles ~16k(est.)
Top university ranked #11 globally
Non-EU sponsorship Mixed (56/100)ⓘ
Startup Scene
Ease of doing business: #2
Sources: StartupBlink · scraper-owned tech clusters · country visa sources
Who's Running the Show
Democracy index: 6.2/10
Who's Running the Show
Democracy index: 6.2/10
Politics, freedom, and press independence
Source: EIU Democracy Index
Peace: IEP Global Peace Index
We show our work. It's a radical concept.
How is this calculated?What Will Break 6 Months In
Paperwork moves when it wants to. Follow up in person. Bring every document you own. Then bring copies.
Do People Trust Each Other Here?
34% trust most people · falling
Do People Trust Each Other Here?
34% trust most people · falling
Whether a stranger here expects you to screw them over
The fine print, for the distrustful
Interpersonal: Integrated Values Surveys (World Values Survey + European Values Study), via Our World in Data · 2022 wave
How Close Is Canada, Really?
14814 km from Ottawa
How Close Is Canada, Really?
14814 km from Ottawa
You moved to the other side of the planet. Committed.
14814 km from Ottawa. This is a real move, not an extended trip.
Sources: NATO, Europa.eu, OpenStreetMap (distances).
LGBTQ+ Rights & Reproductive Access
Rainbow 44/100 · No recognition
LGBTQ+ Rights & Reproductive Access
Rainbow 44/100 · No recognition
LGBTQ+ protections, reproductive rights, and who the law actually covers
Weak protections
via Equaldex Equality Index
Can Your Partner Move Here?
Same-sex partners cannot get dependent passes in Singapore, regardless of marital status in home country.
Trans Rights
Reproductive Health Access
Legal on request up to 24 weeks for citizens and PRs. Mandatory 48-hour counseling.
Source: Equaldex Equality Index
Reproductive: Center for Reproductive Rights
How this Rainbow Index works: Outside Europe there's no Rainbow Map, so this 0–100 number comes from the Equaldex Equality Index — a different beast that blends a legal-rights index with a public-opinion index. It measures roughly the same thing (how good it is to be queer here) but isn't directly comparable to the European scores, which are pure law-on-the-books. Read it as a ballpark, not a decimal-precise ranking.
Jewish Safety
Antisemitic attitudes, hate crimes, and community presence
Jewish Safety
Antisemitic attitudes, hate crimes, and community presence
Antisemitic attitudes, hate crime incidents, and Jewish community presence
Below average
ADL Global 100 (2024) — % agreeing with 6+ of 11 antisemitic stereotypes
No synagogues found on OpenStreetMap — Jewish community infrastructure is likely minimal or absent.
Attitudes: ADL Global 100
Synagogues: OpenStreetMap (Synagogues)
How to read this: These three metrics are shown separately because they measure different things. ADL measures attitudes (what people believe), OSCE counts reported incidents (what gets filed), and synagogues show community presence (not safety). A country can have high attitudes and low incidents (Saudi Arabia) or low attitudes and high incidents (UK). No single number captures "Jewish safety" — read all three together.
English in Singapore
Very High
English in Singapore
Very High
Work, hiring, and meetings default to English.
Doctors, landlords, and city paperwork usually start in English too.
Primary local language is English, so office and street English are treated as native-level.
FSI-style difficulty — 1 (practically a dialect) to 5 (new everything)
Source: EF English Proficiency Index
Will the Lights Stay On?
Grid 99/100 · 4% renewable · Outages: rare
Will the Lights Stay On?
Grid 99/100 · 4% renewable · Outages: rare
Grid stability, energy mix, and outage risk
Sources: IEA, World Bank (SAIDI), national grid operators
Who Keeps the Lights On?
Dirty but nobody can turn it off · 6% clean · mostly gas
Who Keeps the Lights On?
Dirty but nobody can turn it off · 6% clean · mostly gas
Where the power comes from, and who can switch it off
Self-sufficient — generation roughly matches demand across the year.
Sources: Ember (generation mix), GlobalPetrolPrices (household rate), IEA (trajectory) · 2025
More on Singapore
Not sold yet?
Other cities exist. Some of them are even good.
Reality-check it
Got an offer in Singapore?
Head-to-head
Singapore vs Bali
Head-to-head
Singapore vs Tel Aviv
Cut from the same cloth
Bali
Let the algorithm judge you
2 min quiz — surprisingly accurate
Singapore — FAQ
10 questions answered
Singapore — FAQ
10 questions answered
How safe is Singapore, really?▾
Homicide rate: 0.1 per 100,000 (UNODC). World average is 5.8, so Singapore is one of the safest places you could pick. Numbeo Crime Index sits at 22.5/100 (lower = safer) — that's what residents actually say about walking home at night, not what the tourism board says. Learn the neighborhoods before signing a lease — every city has blocks you'll love and blocks you won't.
What's the real cost of living in Singapore?▾
A 1-bed in the centre runs about $2696/month (Numbeo). Day-to-day: a cheap restaurant meal: $10.23, monthly transit pass: $96. All in — rent, food, getting around, keeping the lights on — budget $3096–$3496/month depending on whether you cook or eat out. That's the settler number, not the tourist number.
What's the weather actually like in Singapore?▾
Singapore: Summers reach around 88°F with about 12.2 hours of daylight in Jun, winters drop to around 77°F and 12 hours of daylight in Dec. Warm enough to regret not having AC, cool enough that some people try.
Can you get by in Singapore without the local language?▾
Very High English proficiency (EF EPI). But that one word hides two very different realities: office English 100/100 (can you work in English?) and street English 100/100 (can you argue with your landlord in English?). The office is usually easier. The landlord is the real test.
Is Singapore actually worth settling in long-term?▾
Singapore scores 6.2/10 on the EIU Democracy Index. Functional enough, but keep an eye on the political weather. Some expats find the bureaucracy more autocratic than the government. Rent from $2696/month.
What's the job market really like in Singapore?▾
Unemployment: 2.8%. Translation: jobs exist and companies are actually hiring — a rarity worth noting. If you're planning to job-hunt locally, research your industry before booking a one-way ticket. If you work remotely, this number matters less — but your visa type might not let you.
Who's actually hiring in Singapore?▾
Companies with real offices here (not just a registered address): Grab, Shopee, Google, Meta, Amazon, ByteDance. Check their career pages — a company on this list isn't a guarantee they're hiring right now, but it means the talent pipeline exists.
Is Singapore any good for expats?▾
Depends what kind of expat you are. Key facts: rent from $2696/month; Singapore ONE Pass (complex process); English is widely spoken, reducing the language barrier significantly. The numbers above — livability score, safety, cost of living — tell you whether the city works on paper. Whether it works for you depends on what you're optimizing for. Take the quiz if you want a more honest answer than "it's great for expats."
How do you actually get a visa to live in Singapore?▾
Singapore has the Singapore ONE Pass program. Duration: 5 years (renewable). Requirements: Salary ≥ SGD 30,000/mo (or outstanding achievements). Successor to Tech.Pass (SGD 22,500/mo, winding down). Highly selective. Complex enough that an immigration lawyer earns their fee. Don't DIY this one. Always verify with the official government portal — immigration rules change faster than this page updates.
How long until you get permanent residency in Singapore?▾
Permanent residency typically takes 2 years of legal residence; citizenship eligibility after 4 years total. The usual prerequisites: proof of income, a clean criminal record, and sometimes enough local language to prove you're serious. Rules change — check with an immigration lawyer before building your five-year plan around a Reddit thread.
Can you actually move abroad?
Check real visa paths based on your passport, profession, and savings. Not the tourist visa — the one that lets you stay.
Find visa paths that actually work for you →▸Show full data table
🇸🇬 Singapore
$4,847/ mo
Rent: $2696 · Rest: $2151
🥑 That's 404 avocado toasts/mo
✓84/100
6th
2y
4y
🌞 88°F
🌞 77°F
278↓ / 31↑ Mbps
Median · Ookla
Singapore
Economics · World Bank / IMF
GDP per capita (PPP)2024
$150,689
GDP Growth2024
+4.4%
Inflation2024
2.4%↑
Boringly steadyUnemployment2025
2.8%
Gini Index2022
37.4
Population2021
5,866,139
Politics · EIU / Freedom House
Democracy Index
6.2→63rd
Regime
Flawed democracy
Freedom House
47/100
Press Freedom
123rd
Safety · UNODC / Numbeo
Homicide per 100K
0.1
Safety Index
~77.5/100
Residency Path · ica.gov.sg
Visa Difficulty
Time to Permanent Residency
2 years
Path to Citizenship
4 years
Work Permit
moderate
Career
Industries
finance, logistics, biotech
Startup Scene
hub
Connectivity · Ookla Speedtest
Median downloadSingapore
278.5 Mbps
Avg uploadSingapore
31.6 Mbps
Avg downloadSingapore
203.2 Mbps
Median across all connection types (DSL, cable, fiber, mobile). Fiber and 5G plans in major cities typically deliver 300–1 000 Mbps.
Language · EF EPI
Languages
English, Malay (II), Mandarin Chinese, Tamil (III)
English Proficiency
Very High2th
Next up
Start with the closest follow-up paths, then open the long tail if you want more.
Cities Similar to Singapore
Compare Singapore vs ...
More on Singapore
More ways to explore›
Singapore appears in
Explore more
Data sources
Open-Meteo Air QualityADL Global 100OpenStreetMap (Synagogues)Townleap (Banking Access Research)Career MetricsEFFIS / GWIS (JRC)IEA (Future of Cooling)ND-GAIN Country IndexOpen-Meteo (ERA5 Archive)Open-Meteo (CMIP6 Climate)WRI AqueductTownleap (Computed)NumbeoUNODCGovernment SourcesDiaspora DataWikidataWorld BankEmberEF English Proficiency IndexTownleap (Curated)Townleap (Curated)Townleap (Pediatric Healthcare Research)Numbeo HealthcareOokla SpeedtestJob Market DataWikipediaEqualdex Equality IndexGallup Migrant Acceptance IndexEIU Democracy IndexIEP Global Peace IndexCenter for Reproductive RightsWHO Road SafetyLevels.fyiSalary DataISD (Tuition Data)OECD PISAWikipedia (Intl. Schools)ISD (Intl. Schools)Townleap (Public School Viability)Travel AdvisoryTownleap (Computed)Numbeo Quality of LifeTownleap (Compiled Research)Our World in Data (Integrated Values Surveys)Derived from Astronomical DataWeatherSpark
Want a different lens?