Which place is cheaper, Rio de Janeiro or Singapore?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Singapore or Rio de Janeiro?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Singapore or Rio de Janeiro? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Singapore or Rio de Janeiro?
Singapore
Singapore is a city-state that was originally founded in 1819 as a British trading colony. Today it is a very international country that is incredibly modern and cosmopolitan. There is a strong financial industry in this country, and a correspondingly strong work ethic. It is one of the most prosperous cities in the world, and has one of the world's busiest ports.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro is the most popular travel destination in Brazil. It is the second largest city in Brazil and the sixth largest in the Americas. A portion of the city has been designated a World Heritage Site. It's also famous for Carnival, it's gorgeous beaches, and world-famous landmarks. Rio's appeal as a travel destination is apparent year round due to the great weather and plenty of fun activities. The city has a wonderful natural harbor that is surrounded by Sugar Loaf Mountain, Corcovado Peak, and the hills of Tijuca, creating an absolutely breathtaking and awe-inspiring setting.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Tours to Singapore, The Best Tours for Seniors to Singapore, The Best Contiki Tours to Brazil, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Brazil.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySingapore $151Rio de Janeiro $105
The average daily cost (per person) in Singapore is $151, while the average daily cost in Rio de Janeiro is $105. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Singapore and Rio de Janeiro in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSingapore $98Rio de Janeiro $66
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSingapore $196Rio de Janeiro $132
Compare Hotels in Singapore and Rio de Janeiro
Looking for a hotel in Singapore or Rio de Janeiro? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Rio de Janeiro Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Singapore $10Rio de Janeiro $7.97
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Singapore
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Singapore:
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Taxi to Airport$24
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Singapore
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Singapore:
- Adventure Cove Waterpark + 1 Way Transfer: $83
- Airport Transfer: $80
- Airport Transfer: Singapore Airport SIN to Singapore in Business Car: $99
- Airport Transfer: Singapore Airport SIN to Singapore in Luxury Van: $116
- Airport Transfer: Singapore to Singapore Airport SIN in Business Car: $99
- Airport Transfer: Singapore to Singapore Airport SIN in Luxury Van: $116
- Amazing City Experience + Roundtrip Transfers: $44
- Arrival Private Transfer Singapore Airport to Singapore City in a Business Car: $87
- Arrival Private Transfer: Singapore Airport SIN to Singapore in Luxury Car: $154
- Arrival Private Transfer: Singapore Airport to Singapore City by luxury vehicle: $95
- Changi International Airport Private MPV Transfer: $149
- City Experience + Roundtrip Transfers: $46
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rio de Janeiro:
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Taxi Ride$2.93
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rio de Janeiro
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rio de Janeiro:
- Rio Santos Dumont (SDU): Shuttle Transfer to/from Hotels: $15
- Rio Galeão Airport (GIG): Shuttle Transfer to/from Hotels: $15
- Private transfer Economico GIG Rio Galeao airport up to 3 pax to Zona Sul: $17
- Transfer service from / to Porto Maravilha - Zona Sul: $18
- Shared Transfer From or To Airport: $18
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from Rio de Janeiro Airport (SDU) - Rio City Center: $19
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from Rio de Janeiro City center - Airport (SDU): $19
- Transfer in Private Minivan from Rio de Janeiro City Center -Airport (SDU): $19
- One Way Shared Transfer from Airport to hotels in Rio de Janeiro: $20
- Transfer service from / to International Airport (GIG) - Zona Sul: $21
- Private Transfer: Rio de Janeiro to Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont Airport (SDU): $21
- Private Transfer: Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont Airport (SDU) to Rio de Janeiro: $21
Is it cheaper to fly into Singapore or Rio de Janeiro?
Prices for flights to both Rio de Janeiro and Singapore change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one daySingapore $27Rio de Janeiro $20
Typical Food Prices in Singapore
Some typical examples of dining costs in Singapore are as follows:
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Breakfast$4.48
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Sugarcane Juice$1.47
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Singapore
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Singapore.
- Singapore : Traditional Snacks Cooking Class: $36
- Secrets of Singapore Kick Scooter Tour with Dinner: $46
- Secrets of Singapore Kick Scooter Tour with Dinner: $48
- Guided Hawker Culture & Street Food Tour at Night: $65
- Local Hawker Food Tour with Tastings: $65
- Marina Bay Sands Yacht Cruise with Dinner: $68
- Singapore Bike and Bites Food Tour: $69
- Eat Snap Tour - Katong Walking Food Tour: $73
- Small Group: Michelin and Local Hawker Food Tour: $73
- Private Korean Cooking Class in Balmoral Road: $75
- Zebra Urban Safari Bicycle Tour with Local Dinner and Drinks: $76
- Little India Hawker Street Food Tour: $81
Typical Food Prices in Rio de Janeiro
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rio de Janeiro:
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Popcorn$0.59
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Corn on the Cob$0.78
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Hamburger$0.98
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rio de Janeiro
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rio de Janeiro.
- Waterfront Dinner & Live Music Experience: $46
- Barra da Tijuca Food Tour with Drinks: $72
- THE BEST FOOD TOUR: $79
- Rio Bar Food Tour with a Local: $82
- Dinner & Rio Scenarium Nightclub Admission with Transfer: $85
- 9-Recipe Boozy Brazilian Cooking Class: $85
- Rio Scenarium Entrance, Dinner, and Open Bar: $105
- Brazilian Cooking Class: $129
- Samba Show Admission & Transfer with Dinner Option: $130
- Brazilian Cooking Class in Copacabana with Hotel Pickup: $140
- Rio: Ginga Tropical Folkloric Show & Optional Dinner: $142
- Samba Show Ginga Tropical with Optional Dinner : $143
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Singapore $32Rio de Janeiro $22
Tours and Activities in Singapore
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Singapore are as follows:
- The Civic District: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $3.99
- Kampong Glam: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $4.99
- River Wonders Entry Ticket: $5.10
- Singapore Street Art Hunting in Kampong Glam: A Self-guided Audio Tour: $5.20
- Artoholic A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.20
- The Civic District with Singapore Boy Hossan Leong: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.20
- Big Little India: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.20
- Singapore's History of Trade: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.20
- Follow the Money: A self-guided audio tour of Singapore's Financial District: $5.20
- Kampong Glam: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Singapore's Malay Culture: $5.20
- The Civic District: Hear stories about Singapore's past on an audio tour: $5.20
- Singapore's Stories and Histories: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.20
Tours and Activities in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few actual costs in Rio de Janeiro for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Self-Guided Audio Tour - Santa Teresa: the staircase: $6.99
- Rio de Janeiro (Ipanema & Copacabana) Self-Guided Tour: $7.66
- Rio de Janeiro (Urca) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $7.66
- Rio de Janeiro(Ipanema-Copacabana)Scavenger Hunt Self-Guided Tour: $7.85
- Rio de Janeiro Self-Guided Audio Tour: $9.00
- Rio de Janeiro Night Experience: Funk Class + 2 Caipirinhas: $9.14
- Hiking Experience to Pedra do Telégrafo: $9.74
- Self-Guided Audio Tour - Imperial Rio: $10
- Self-Guided Audio Tour-Story of Bossanova: Rhythm and soul of Rio: $10
- Favela tour in copacabana with local guide!: $10
- Ticket to the match at maracanã of Flamengo: $10
- Soccer match at maracanã stadium with tickets, meat & drink: $10
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySingapore $27Rio de Janeiro $12
Sample the Local Flavors in Singapore
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Singapore:
- Tour of Tiger Brewery in Singapore: $22
- Little India Pub Crawl : $23
- Singapore Pub Crawl - Party like a Local: $26
- Little India Pub Crawl: $26
- Singapore Pub Crawl (SG Pub Crawl): $27
- Party Singapore Bespoke Pub Crawl:Wildest Nightlife Clubbing: $32
- Halloween Horror Nightlife PartySingapore Bespoke Pub Crawl: $37
- Party Singapore Bespoke Pub Crawl Wildest Nightlife Experience: $38
- Enjoy Gin Distillery Tour with Tasting Flight and Singapore Sling Masterclass: $58
- Tiger Brewery Tour, Swim & Sunset Photo Session at Raffles Marina: $99
Sample the Local Flavors in Rio de Janeiro
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Rio de Janeiro:
- Pub Crawl in Lapa: $29
- Rio: Pub Crawl in Lapa with Cachaça Tasting and Live Samba: $33
- Rio de Janeiro Pub Crawl (Lapa district): $35
- Petropolis Bohemia: Historic tour and visit to the Bohemian Brewery: $55
- Walking tour + Pub crawl + Samba in Lapa: $57
- Rio: Sitio Burle Marx and Cachaça Distillery Private Tour: $131
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Singapore and Rio de Janeiro, we can see that Singapore is more expensive. And not only is Rio de Janeiro much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Singapore is in Asia and Rio de Janeiro is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Rio de Janeiro would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Rio de Janeiro and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Singapore would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Singapore than you might in Rio de Janeiro.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Singapore Expensive? and Is Rio de Janeiro Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Singapore or Rio de Janeiro?
Rio de Janeiro has a larger population, and is about 70% larger than the population of Singapore. When comparing the sizes of Singapore and Rio de Janeiro, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.