3.89/5
2,310 reviews
Photo by Hu Chen via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Singapore

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clean

great

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money

expensive

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shopping

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Singapore impresses many travelers with its cleanliness, efficiency, and top-tier public transportation. English is widely spoken, making it accessible for international visitors. The city is highly organized, modern, and known for its well-maintained green spaces and an outstanding airport. There’s a broad range of food options — from high-end spots to affordable hawker centers, making it manageable on different budgets, at least when it comes to dining. If you’re into shopping or structured city experiences, it's a strong fit.

However, multiple reviewers mention that Singapore is extremely expensive — especially when it comes to housing. Even basic necessities can feel overpriced due to the country's need to import nearly everything. The heat and humidity are persistent and uncomfortable for some, especially when moving between heavily air-conditioned indoor areas. Some visitors found the city overly polished and corporate, describing it as sterile or superficial. Cultural experiences may feel manufactured or less authentic when compared to neighboring Southeast Asian countries. While safe and comfortable, some find it lacks character or depth.

In summary, Singapore is a clean, efficient, and modern hub that excels in infrastructure and convenience — but those seeking rich cultural immersion or affordability may feel underwhelmed.

AI-generated summary of reviews
1 year ago

Singapore is my favorite destination. Other than housing cost, Singapore is heaven on earth for me. Food can be expansive too but if you stay in hawker's centers and smaller restaurants, there are TONS of options and this is quite manageable. The beach at Sentosa is unbelievable. Lots of hiking options. People are so kind and helpful. Public transport is probably one of the best in the world. I always find myself having too many activities planned for the time I have there. If I could find a cheap place to stay, I would probably move there.

2 years ago

So… amazing food. Great public transportation. Very clean. But very conformist. Self expression limited. The irony of seeing an exhibit on graffiti, yet no actual graffiti in the streets. And the causal racism especially if you’re brown. You could be British born but still expect to be sat far away from everyone else at cocktail bars, experience comments and have weird assumptions made.

4 years ago

Not gonna lie, I was pretty curious and kinda hyped before I came to Singapore. However, within 24 hours all of my curiosity turned into disappointment. Yes, Singapore is clean by any standards but especially by Asian standards. And yes, you have shopping malls, fancy skyscrapers and free toilets everywhere.

But beside from that Singapore is boring and has no soul. It just seems like Singapore tries to copy interesting parts of other countries and their nature. Take Cloud Forest for example which is nothing more than a copycat of an actual cloud forest. Floral Fantasy is trying to bring blossoms in the cold reality of concrete and glass of Singapore. Gardens by the Bay is a park which is hyped because of its supertrees but actually quite boring, if you go for a walk. Those plus several different examples create the impression that Singapore is like the one kid in class which is trying really hard to get the attention but still doesn't have any friends.

Also, Singapore is all about money. It's about seeing and being seen. It feels like a big show off, almost no matter where you go. Everything seems so superficial.

Prices are ridiculous, too. Because Singapore has a bare minimum of agriculture everything needs to get imported, which will hurt your bank balance... a lot.

Pros:
- you can hop from one air-con-zone to the next
- clean, like to an extend where you'd eat from the street. This is impressive, not gonna lie.
- shopping heaven if you're into that and have the money to spend
- Little India is great and offers tasty food for cheap prices if you don't mind hanging with the "poor" people
- great airport with an incredible amount of connections in Asia and Oceania

Cons:
- expensive to an extend which seems unfathomable in Asia
- pretentious AF
- polished and hollow
- actually boring

If you have some money to spend and love Gin, go to ATLAS. It offers over 1300 different Gins from around the world. Their creme brulee is great, too!

4 years ago

Feels like living in the future because of how wealthy, clean, modern, efficient, and organized it is. Probably the most "developed" city I've visited. And amenities everywhere... you're never more than 10 minutes walk away from a shopping mall or park. Only downsides are the extreme heat and humidity and very small homes compared to American standards. Yes it's very expensive but if you live like a local it's mostly housing that's a big expense.

4 years ago

Like everywhere, Singapore has pros and cons.
//
Pros:
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Everything works very well, it's clean, you can use the trains and transport system with a bank card, Grab taxis are efficient and safe, the airport is amazing
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Everyone speaks English
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Population seems well educated and cosmopolitan
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There are lots of parks and green spaces.
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Cons:
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It's very expensive. For what you get it feels overpriced compared to most Western countries for example.
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It's hot and very, very humid. Until you adjust, you just get covered in sweat, then a wall of ice cold AC hits you as you enter any indoor place.
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Due to it's origins as a centre of trade and capitalism, it feels very money orientated and shallow, lacking any more culture or depth than... the desire to work and make money. Soul less may be a bit too harsh, but something along those lines.
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Basically I would describe it as a very well functioning, but sterile, giant shopping mall, with some gardens and a few museums.
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If you're coming from the grittier areas of SE Asia, maybe clean and sterile is exactly what you're after. But it's also a lot less interesting than neighbouring countries for that reason, in my opinion.

5 years ago

They say you get what you pay for. After having traveled the previous 4 months in India, Cambodia, VietNam, Myanmar and Thailand, Singapore was so easy! The subway system is a marvel, streets signs were easy to read, everyone speaks English (that just makes it easy for me as an English speaker) it is safe, clean, and parks are gorgeous. I was there as COVID 19 was breaking out fairly fast and that put a damper on my time but I was so happy to be there anyway and plan to go back. For digital nomads if you can afford accommodation this is a very easy city in which to stay awhile. The internet was strong and consistent everywhere I went. If order, safety, and ease of transport is high on your list Singapore can be a great place to land for awhile.

7 years ago

Clean and modern city state. Singapore is clean, modern and Singaporeans are friendly and internationally minded. It has skyscrapers, green parks and food courts. It's a country that exists by the grace of globalization and internationality. Anyone can feel home here as the country is a collection of ethnic Chinese, Malay, Indian and a whole bunch of expats from anywhere. Singaporeans are highly educated, smart and professional.

Singapore is a great place for incorporating your remote startup and do banking from there. It's a great place for dating because there's lots of internationally minded high educated high income and somewhat progressive young people.

The only bad things you could say are that 1) Singapore is expensive. I don't deny that. But it's because it's a first world country in a continent of third world countries, 2) That's it not completely free. There's limits to political freedom of speech in favor of a more stable government. If I agree with that, I don't know. But it is stable, 3) That it's too hot and humid. Singapore is on the equator. Luckily they have A/C pretty much anywhere. And they have tunnels under the city to walk that are also A/C'd. Nice.

7 years ago

Easiest subway system to master. Everyone lives within 10 minutes walking of a major greenspace. 90 percent home ownership. People believe in the laws the government writes. Offices are VERY QUIET.

7 years ago

It truly is a garden city - the amount of green space is mindboggling. Everywhere you go it's green and amazing. One of my favourite cities anywhere.

7 years ago

Everything just works. The food by Singaporean Hawkers are world-class for a good price too. 👌

7 years ago

The Diet Coke of Asia. Zero crime, English spoken everywhere. Reliable public transport. Some nice spots for off-the-beaten-path walking and hiking. But also clinical, authoritarian, money-minded and very costly. Companies and shopkeepers will always do what's good for them (or makes their own life easier); not what's good for the customer. People avoid eye contact and are generally overworked and miserable. After a while, crossing over to Malaysia's neighboring Johor will, warts and all, feel like a breath of fresh air ("Yes! Space! I can move! I can breathe!").

7 years ago

Nomad-ed here for a month. A totally ok place if you have the budget for it. Coworking spaces are good, 4g everywhere, transportation is effective. Lots of things to do. I was able to find friends. Lots of international people, very few digital nomads. If you're there, consider not renting in the center (as it gets expensive fast) and being creative with places to eat to find cheap options. Be prepared to use cash unless you live in a luxury.

8 years ago

✅ Very clean

✅ Excellent public transportation

✅ Great airport

✅ Everyone speaks English

✅ Good food options

✅ Lots of green spaces

✅ Very safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality usually

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Many Nomads.com members here all year round

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Democratic

✅ Very safe for women

✅ Very family friendly

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ Not a lot of alcohol abuse

❌ Very expensive

❌ Hot and humid

❌ Feels superficial and lacking culture

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Extremely expensive

❌ Very sweaty and humid now

❌ Feels crowded

❌ Difficult to make friends

❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

3290°
hot

3595°
hot

3290°
hot

3391°
hot

Real (median)

2781°
warm

2882°
very warm

2984°
very warm

2882°
very warm

Humidity

sweaty
87%

sweaty
83%

sweaty
82%

sweaty
81%

sweaty
82%

sweaty
83%

sweaty
82%

sweaty
81%

sweaty
84%

sweaty
86%

Most common

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

Rain

rainy
183mm

dry
40mm

rainy
163mm

rainy
217mm

rainy
249mm

rainy
201mm

rainy
184mm

rainy
214mm

rainy
185mm

rainy
212mm

rainy
281mm

rainy
280mm

Cloud

cloudy
86%

cloudy
73%

cloudy
74%

cloudy
79%

cloudy
80%

cloudy
78%

cloudy
81%

cloudy
80%

cloudy
77%

cloudy
84%

cloudy
88%

cloudy
89%

Air quality

clean
43 US AQI

okay
50 US AQI

okay
54 US AQI

clean
46 US AQI

clean
43 US AQI

okay
50 US AQI

okay
60 US AQI

okay
67 US AQI

okay
58 US AQI

clean
47 US AQI

clean
43 US AQI

Sun

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

Remote workers

10,704 people

10,771 people

9,545 people

7,975 people

9,474 people

7,475 people

6,696 people

7,800 people

12,033 people

9,114 people

9,300 people

8,160 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Current weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)

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✈️14h

$8,429 / mo

23 Mbps

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 35° 95° 28° 83° Has AC AQI 116 😷

✈️25min

$1,971 / mo

🌇 Also went here1,116 people

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.89/5 (Rank #52) 2310 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍15 liked it 👎4 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Good
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	🧐 Very expensive: $4,106 / mo
📡 Internet	🚀 Super fast: 97 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Good
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 27°C81°F (feels 32°C90°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	🥵 Sweaty: 91%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😊 High: 80%
💨 Air quality (now)	😷 Unhealthy for some: 110 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Good: 54 US AQI
👌 Safety	Great
👩 Safe for women	Great
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Bad
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Great
🤝 Lack of racism*	Good
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Resilience to climate change	Very bad
💰 Income level*	Very rich: $8,235 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Good
😤 People density	🤨 Busy: 11k ppl/km² (1 per 9x9m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Great
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Okay
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Great
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Okay
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Singapore
🗓️ Average trip length	5 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	97 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌧 27°C 81°F + 🥵 Sweaty (91%) = feels 32°C 90°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👎😷 110 US AQI = 🚬 / day
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 54 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay	Paya Lebar
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood	Bedok
🚕 Best taxi app*	Grab
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 10 SGD in USD	USD 7.81
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	SGD 100 = USD 78
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	Impact Hub
☕️ Best coffee place	Toby's Estate
☕️ Best alt. coffee place	Drury Lane
🏪 Best 24/7 coffee place	Starbucks - The Cathay
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
🦷 Fluoride added	💧 Yes, fluoridated
🪨 Water hardness	Soft · 43 mg/L
♻️ Return rate	👍14% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	17,618,800 visitors
📸 Tourists now	337,664 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	4,900,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$98,814 / year
😤 Population density	🤨 busy: 9x9m (81m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 48% 👱‍♀️ 52%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 48% 👱‍♀️ 52%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 83% 👱‍♀️ 17%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Lazada
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Air Asia
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Singapore

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$4,106 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$5,361 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$11,197 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$3,199 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$1,595 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$2,970 / month
🏠 Median home price	$1,131,859
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$75 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$234 / month
🍛 Dinner	$12
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$2
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$8
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$5
👩‍🏫 International school	$28,388 / year
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$3 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$4,500
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$9,000
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$22,500

Cost of Living in Singapore

7,200 remote workers in Singapore now, of which 8+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

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