Singapore cost of living 2026

Singapore’s price level was 60% of the United States in 2023, which gives a simple benchmark for student budgeting. It shows overall cost pressure, not a full monthly budget.

Student life → Working & jobs →

Price level, against the United States

60%

A basket of goods costing $100 in the United States costs about $60 in Singapore, at market exchange rates. This is a whole-economy average from the World Bank (2023), not a student budget — rent near a university and a student's own habits move it a long way in both directions.

The 60% figure compares Singapore’s general price level with the United States. It is useful for a broad sense of affordability, but it does not replace a full student budget because it does not break out each everyday expense separately.

For a student, the biggest budget pressure usually comes from the costs that make up daily life and study. The overall price level tells you those costs are lower than in the US on average, but it does not say how each one will land for you in Singapore.

If you are planning to move for study, the currency to budget in is SGD. You would also need a Student Pass, and English is the language used there, which helps with day-to-day practicalities when setting up life and studies.

Singapore has four universities in this directory, including Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and Singapore Management University. That gives students a small but clear set of options in a city-state where the price level against the US is a useful starting point, not the whole picture.