How much do you actually need to live in Singapore each month?

Less than you might think, or far more, depending on how you live here. A local taking the MRT and eating at hawker centres, and an expat renting a condo with a car in the driveway, pay very different amounts to live in the same country.

So instead of one average figure, we tabulated both.

SmartWealth’s 2026 tabulation puts the average monthly cost of living in Singapore at $1,900 to $3,200 for a single adult on a typical local lifestyle, and $8,000 to $12,000 on an expat-style lifestyle.

Note: all figures are in Singapore dollars, and we refresh the page as new numbers come out.

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Education has always been in high demand in Singapore, driven by parents eager to see their children excel in top schools, regardless of their grade level.

Securing a spot in these prestigious schools isn’t easy, often requiring excellent grades. To help their children succeed, many parents turn to private tuition and enrichment classes.

As a result, education costs have climbed significantly over the years.

University education, often the final hurdle for many students, is the most expensive of all and demands effective money management strategies to fund.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the cost of pursuing a university degree in Singapore and what the average expenses entail.

Note: All prices are quoted in Singapore dollars (SGD). 

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If you have seen the movie, Crazy Rich Asians, you might have wondered if these crazy rich Asians really do exist in Singapore.

If you are an average Singaporean like me, it might seem like a wild idea that there are some Singaporeans who are rich enough to throw bridal parties overseas for their entire bridal party, or to fill Chijmes with bouquets of flowers and style it with calming waters for the wedding runway.

Most rich people in Singapore are rather conservative with flaunting their wealth so the average Singaporean would hardly hear any whispers of such tales. However, it is not just a fable that Kevin Kwon created. Singapore is home to crazy rich people.

In this article, you will find some interesting snippets of the top 10 richest people in Singapore, and some clue as to how they made their fortune.

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Do you know how to efficiently allocate your monthly salary? 

This is perhaps one of the most underrated best practices to improve your personal finances. However, most Singaporeans go for years or even decades without knowing how to, causing potential financial problems along the way. 

On the surface, having money coming in every month and having expenses that do not go over it seems like a good enough “financial plan”. Unfortunately, gone are the days when simply “living below your means” is enough. 

Careful use of every dollar that comes in ensures that money will always be well-spent. 

And that’s why sticking to a budgeting rule, such as the 50/30/20 rule, is so critical.

Read on to find out why!

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Why is Singapore so expensive? In short, land is scarce, almost everything is imported, and the government deliberately makes owning a car costly. Add a 9% GST, property prices that keep climbing, and healthcare and education costs rising faster than inflation, and you get a country that regularly ranks among the priciest in the world.

But there’s a part the global rankings miss: how expensive Singapore feels depends heavily on whether you live like a local or an expat.

In this article, we’ll break down the nine real reasons behind Singapore’s high cost of living, who actually feels them, and what you can do about it.

(While the high cost of living is beyond our control, we can and should find ways to make better use of our money.)

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When planning your finances, the inflation rate matters more than almost any other number.

It tells you whether your investment strategies are outpacing rising prices, and it determines how much your retirement or your children’s university education will really cost by the time you get there.

But how much has the cost of living actually increased over the years? What is the inflation rate in Singapore right now, and what has it averaged over the long run?

Let’s start with where things stand right now, then zoom out to the long-run picture.

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Recently in Singapore, there has been growing concern about rising medical costs.

In particular, discussions surrounding various types of insurance plans, including MediShield Life and its supplement, the Integrated Shield Plan, as well as fees charged by public and private doctors, are intensifying.

While many changes have been made to curb rising healthcare costs, they currently seem to be inadequate.

More changes are expected in the future, but for now, we’ll focus on the cost of healthcare and the average (and past) medical inflation rates in Singapore.

So, read on! 

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Singapore has no natural resources.

But even with its limitations, it has grown to be more than just a little red dot.

Many of Singapore’s successes, such as its economic growth, come from the people living in it, and these successes will likely continue for the foreseeable future.

Education is a core component of human capital, which has played a pivotal role in the growth of Singapore.

As such, the importance of education has always been highlighted, not just from a national level, but from a parental level too. And that’s how we get the saying, “Study hard and you’ll get a good job.” 

However, with a stronger demand in education, costs will inevitably rise, and that also contributes to the overall increase in the cost of living in Singapore. This creates a greater need to implement strategies for better financial management, such as effective spending and utilising savings or investment alternatives.

How much has the cost of education already risen? And what is the average education inflation rate in Singapore? 

Read on to find out!

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Do you know how much you spend each month?

If you’re serious about growing your net worth and achieving your financial goals, the first step is understanding your numbers — your income, expenses, and savings. From there, you can tap into the wide range of personal finance tools available to help you manage and optimise your money.

Curious about how well Singaporeans track their spending, we surveyed 984 adults aged 18 and above to learn more about their habits.

Here’s what we discovered.

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Death is the one certainty every financial plan is built around, yet it is the topic most of us plan for least.

The numbers below tell you how many people die in Singapore, what they die of, and your odds of reaching 65, 85, and even 100. Each one carries a practical lesson for you and your loved ones.

Let’s get into the data.

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