Cost of living comparison

 Singapore, Singapore
compared to
 Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo vs. Singapore Cost of Living Summary

Tokyo is 23.3% cheaper than Singapore.

Restaurants
pay 31.6% less in Tokyo
Groceries
pay 4.5% more in Tokyo
Transportation
pay 7.3% more in Tokyo
Housing
pay 32.9% less in Tokyo
Childcare
pay 51.1% less in Tokyo
Entertainment and Sports
pay 35.0% less in Tokyo
Clothing
pay 24.4% less in Tokyo

The cost of transportation and groceries in Tokyo are more expensive than in Singapore. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Tokyo.

Tokyo vs. Singapore Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Tokyo instead of Singapore, you would:

pay 31.6% less for restaurants

 
Singapore
Tokyo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.16
SGD13.01
$6.51
¥960
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.52
SGD9.64
$5.21
¥768
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.52
SGD1.95
$1.12
¥165

Improve prices ·

pay 4.5% more for groceries

 
Singapore
Tokyo
Bread
1 loaf
$2.11
SGD2.70
$1.63
¥241
Local cheese (8 oz) $8.41
SGD10.78
$7.01
¥1,034
Milk (1 gallon) $10.38
SGD13.30
$5.89
¥868

Improve prices ·

pay 7.3% more for transportation

 
Singapore
Tokyo
Gasoline (1 gallon) $8.18
SGD10.48
$4.42
¥652
Monthly public transit pass $90.29
SGD115.63
$58.62
¥8,640
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $135,434.68
SGD173,451.19
$21,767.76
¥3,208,372

Improve prices ·

pay 32.9% less for housing

 
Singapore
Tokyo
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$36.16
SGD46.31
$31.86
¥4,696
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,745.11
SGD3,515.66
$1,120.28
¥165,119
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,988.78
SGD2,547.03
$582.98
¥85,926

Improve prices ·

pay 51.1% less for childcare

 
Singapore
Tokyo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,189.74
SGD1,523.70
$533.29
¥78,603
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $27,370.99
SGD35,054.03
$14,506.96
¥2,138,195

Improve prices ·

pay 35.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
Singapore
Tokyo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $6.73
SGD8.62
$3.26
¥480
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.71
SGD6.03
$3.40
¥502
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$12.64
SGD16.19
$3.91
¥576

Improve prices ·

pay 24.4% less for clothing

 
Singapore
Tokyo
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$66.32
SGD84.93
$52.60
¥7,753
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$44.36
SGD56.82
$36.87
¥5,434
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$96.71
SGD123.85
$63.41
¥9,347

Improve prices ·
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: July 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Singapore vs. Japan. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Singapore and Japan.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Tokyo or Singapore. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.