The three numbers
Annual cost
$72,000
average across our cities
FIRE target
$1,800,000
25× annual spending
Effective tax
10%
on employment income
Living in Singapore costs roughly $72,000 a year across the city we track, which puts a full FIRE target near $1,800,000 at a 4% withdrawal rate. Income is taxed at roughly 10% effective, which is what actually decides how fast you get there.
Singapore is the 35th cheapest of the 36 countries we hold cost data for — about 32% more than the average US city. That works the other way round: the same portfolio buys fewer years here than it would in the average US city.
Retiring in the average US city takes about $1,364,775. Retiring in Singapore takes $1,800,000 — an extra $435,225. That is the price of the move, and it has to be worth something else to you — the maths alone will not justify it.
Put differently: a $1,000,000 portfolio funds about 14 years of life in Singapore at a 4% withdrawal rate, against 18 years in the average US city.
On cost, Singapore sits just above Norway and just below Switzerland — worth checking both if the country matters less to you than the number does.
The cost figure is annual spending for one person living an ordinary middle-class life — housing, food, transport, healthcare, the rest — not a backpacker budget and not a luxury one. The tax figure is an effective rate on employment income, not a marginal bracket, so it already accounts for the allowances most people get.
Both are estimates, and they are the right kind of estimate for a decision this size: close enough to tell you whether Singapore shortens your timeline, not precise enough to budget a month on. Put your own income and savings in and the answer becomes yours rather than the average's — find your freedom date or model the move directly with the Expat FIRE calculator.