Compare · Singapore vs United States
Singapore vs United States for Australians leaving home
The regimes are genuinely different: Singapore is a territorial tax system while United States runs worldwide tax, which of your income streams each one actually touches matters more than any headline rate.
Both have a tax treaty with Australia, so either way you get a tie-breaker if the ATO contests your departure, and capped withholding (15%/10% vs 15%/10% on unfranked dividends/interest).
On day-to-day costs there is little between them, roughly 110% and 115% of Sydney's basket (indicative, ex-rent), so the money question is decided by tax and rent, not groceries.
Personalise this, enter your numbers once and every figure below becomes yours: “your estimated income tax: $14,200”, not “0, 22%”. Open the Country Comparison tool →
| 2 destinations | SingaporeSingapore | United StatesUnited States |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | ||
| Regime | territorial, worldwide income not taxed | worldwide, taxes worldwide income |
| Income tax on salary | Progressive 0, 24%. A S$250k salary pays roughly 18% effective. | Federal 10, 37% plus state tax (0, 13.3%) plus FICA (7.65% employee side). A US$150k salary in California pays roughly 30%+ combined; in Texas closer to 24%. |
| Capital gains | No capital gains tax for individuals. (0% typical) | Long-term (12+ months) federal rate 0/15/20% plus 3.8% NIIT above ~US$200k income; short-term gains at full ordinary rates. States tax gains as ordinary income, California adds up to 13.3%. (15% typical) |
| Dividends | Singapore dividends tax-free (one-tier); foreign dividends generally exempt for individuals. | Qualified dividends at 15% (20% top). Australian franking credits are invisible to the IRS, franked dividends are just taxable income with a credit for the AU WHT. |
| Interest | Generally untaxed locally | Taxed locally around 24% |
| Crypto | No CGT: investment gains untaxed. Trading as a business is taxable income, frequency and intent matter. | Crypto is property: every disposal (including spending and swaps) is a capital gains event, short-term gains at ordinary rates, long-term at 0/15/20%. Broker reporting to the IRS is now systematic. |
| Australia tax treaty | Yes, AU withholding capped at 15% dividends / 10% interest, tie-breaker available | Yes, AU withholding capped at 15% dividends / 10% interest, tie-breaker available |
| Social security | CPF applies only to citizens/PRs, most expats on passes pay no CPF. | FICA (6.2% social security capped + 1.45% Medicare uncapped) applies to US employment; a totalisation agreement with Australia prevents double super/social security in most postings. |
| Visa | ||
| Best pathways |
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|
| Visa ease | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Family on visas | Dependants covered on main pathways | Dependants covered on main pathways |
| Fastest timeline | ~2 months on the quickest pathway | ~2 months on the quickest pathway |
| Money | ||
| Rent (family home, monthly) | $9,500/mo | $7,500/mo |
| Rent (couple, monthly) | $5,200/mo | $4,500/mo |
| International school (per child/yr) | $45,000 | Free / local system viable |
| Health cover (family/yr) | $8,000 | $20,000 |
| Cost of living vs Sydney | 110% of Sydney (ex-rent) | 115% of Sydney (ex-rent) |
| Relocation one-off | ~$30,000 | ~$30,000 |
| Flights home (return, pp) | $1,400 | $2,000 |
| Life | ||
| Timezone vs AEST | 2h behind | 18h behind |
| Flight from Sydney | ~8 hours | ~13.5 hours |
| English | 10/10 | 10/10 |
| Safety | 10/10 | 6/10 |
| Healthcare | 10/10 | 8/10 |
| Schooling | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Climate | Equatorial, 31°C and humid every single day. | Continental spread, LA is 20, 28°C and sunny most of the year; pick your city, pick your climate. |
Costs, rates and visa figures are country-module data marked indicative until individually verified; FX and rental markets move constantly.
Honest downsides, side by side
Every destination hub on this site carries its downsides in the open. Here are both lists together, because the right question is rarely “which is better?” and usually “which set of problems would you rather live with?”
Singapore
- No general nomad/retirement pathway: without a job, a business or serious capital, there is no way in.
- The world’s most expensive city on several measures, school fees and rent will eat a big share of the tax saving.
- A 4,000-a-year national day-count habit: many Australians in Singapore drift over 90 days back home. The treaty helps, but only if Singapore residency is solid.
- Employment Pass renewals are policy-sensitive; your long-term security is COMPASS points, not a right.
United States
- This is a move for career and earnings, not tax, combined federal + state + FICA in a coastal city will roughly match or exceed your Australian rate.
- Healthcare is tied to employment and ruinously expensive without it; a family plan's premiums and deductibles can exceed A$25k/year of exposure.
- The IRS relationship is sticky: green card holders are taxed on worldwide income for life until formal surrender, and FBAR/FATCA reporting on Australian accounts carries brutal penalties for innocent omissions.
- Your superannuation is a US tax problem: no treaty article clearly protects it, and treatment (foreign grantor trust? employee trust?) is unsettled, specialist advice is non-optional.
- Gun violence, litigation culture and the cost of failure (no safety net) are real quality-of-life deductions Americans price in and Australians don't.
Make this comparison yours
The table above shows the general figures. Enter your income and family once and the tax rows become your numbers, “your estimated income tax in Singapore: $14,200”, not a range.