SGD to CNY

Converting Singapore Dollar into Chinese Yuan explained

This overview tracks the exchange rate between Singapore Dollar (SGD) and Chinese Yuan (CNY) and sets it next to the prices that banks, money apps and exchanges actually ask. As of October 30, 2026, 1 SGD equals 5.2081 CNY, and 1 CNY comes to 0.192008 SGD.

The figure at the top is the mid-market rate. It is the midpoint between what wholesale traders pay for SGD and what they ask for it. It works as a neutral benchmark: it contains no profit margin and no fees, which is exactly why consumers almost never receive it in full.

What ends up on the CNY side comes down to two separate costs: a markup hidden in the exchange rate and any fixed or percentage fee. In the sections below we show how those costs are built up, put them side by side and list practical steps to lose less on the exchange when you swap Singapore Dollar for Chinese Yuan.

How we rank providers for SGD to CNY

We start from the live mid-market rate for SGD/CNY. We then apply each provider’s published fees and exchange rate margin, to calculate what actually arrives in CNY. The comparison covers 8 providers, so you can see the differences at a glance.

Rates are refreshed every 30 minutes, with October 30, 2026 as the reference date. Always check the final quote in the provider’s app or website, and it can differ slightly from our calculation.

No bank, app or exchange owns GoldexPay. Some of the links are affiliate links, which help fund our work. The order is never affected by them: providers are sorted purely by how much CNY the recipient gets.

Sample calculation for 1,000.00 SGD

Consider an amount of 1,000.00 SGD. Converted at the pure mid-market rate (5.2081), you can work out the upper limit of what any provider could deliver in CNY. In practice nobody hands over that full amount, because margins and fees come off first.

Across the 8 providers in our comparison, Revolut came out cheapest for this amount, with 5,182.08 CNY at the time of our last update. Whatever is missing compared with the mid-market amount is what the conversion actually cost you.

Note that rankings shift with the amount you send. A flat fee hurts most when the amount is small, whereas the margin in the rate becomes the bigger cost on larger transfers. Enter your own amount in the converter for a ranking that fits your situation.

How to get a better SGD to CNY rate

Look at the final amount, not just the fee. A small fee on its own says little because the margin can make up the difference. The fairest figure to compare is the amount received, which combines margin and fee.

At foreign tills and cash machines, a terminal may offer to charge you in your home currency. The trade name for this is dynamic currency conversion. The rate used is usually poor. Pick the local currency and let your own card provider do the conversion.

Watch the timing as well. Some providers widen their margin at weekends, when currency markets are closed. If you are not in a hurry, an alert tells you when the rate hits a level you are happy with. That avoids guessing, though there is no guarantee the rate will get there.

Finally, look at how you pay. A credit card may be treated as a cash advance by your card issuer, while a plain bank transfer is normally the low-cost option. Sending less often but in larger amounts means fixed charges hit you fewer times.

Safety checks before you convert SGD to CNY

Check the provider’s licence first. A regulated provider is registered with a supervisor such as the FCA or your national central bank. Licensed payment firms must keep customer money separate from their own and that offers protection if the company fails.

Double-check the recipient details before you confirm. An international payment is hard to reverse once it is sent. Be suspicious if someone urges you to pay quickly or suddenly changes bank details. Verify through a channel you trust.

Big sums usually trigger extra verification. You may need to show proof of the source of funds, for example a contract of sale or an account statement. For big amounts it can pay to ask for a better rate. Some also let you lock in a rate for a short period.

Where Singapore Dollar and Chinese Yuan are used

Singapore Dollar is the currency of Singapore. Chinese Yuan is used in China. That is useful to know when you plan a trip, pay an invoice or send money to family.

The reasons for changing SGD into CNY vary: moving abroad, studying, doing business or sending a gift. What suits one case may not suit another: a one-off large payment benefits most from a sharp rate, while frequent smaller payments are more sensitive to fixed fees.

Each country has its own payment habits. Some recipients expect a bank account number with a local bank code, others an IBAN, and in some places payout to a mobile wallet is the norm. Check which details the provider needs before you start.

Singapore Dollar against Chinese Yuan: the last twelve months

Compared with a year ago, the price of SGD in CNY has changed by -4.63%. Within those twelve months the top of the range was 5.5060 CNY for one SGD, while the low point came in at 5.1998. At 5.2081, the rate today can be measured against those two levels.

That range between high and low shows how much the rate can move in practice. When you convert a substantial sum, timing has a visible effect on the outcome, even when the fee stays the same.

The rate reflects interest rate decisions, inflation figures, trade flows and general market sentiment. These figures describe the past and say nothing about what comes next. If you want to act on a certain rate, it is more practical to set an alert than to guess.

Where the cost of converting SGD to CNY hides

Nearly every bank and app do not convert at the mid-market rate as such. Instead they offer a rate that is a little less favourable and keep the difference. People call this the markup. A markup of 2%, for example, means that for every 100 SGD you convert, about 2 SGD worth disappears before the money arrives.

Next to that markup, a lot of services charge an explicit fee. That can be a fixed amount per transfer, a percentage of the amount or a mix of both. On classic bank transfers abroad extra deductions can follow, and those only show up at the end.

Look twice at offers that say "no fees" or "0% commission". Free usually means the price is built into the exchange rate. The only fair way to compare is the total amount that arrives in CNY for exactly the same sum, which is how the table above is sorted.

Choosing a route to send CNY

With a classic international transfer, the bank sends the payment through SWIFT. The money can pass through one or more correspondent banks, sometimes taking a fee at each step. It typically arrives within a few working days, with the full cost not always known upfront.

Specialised transfer services often work differently. They have local accounts on both sides, so your SGD stays in the SGD system and the recipient is paid in CNY from a local account. This usually cuts both time and cost, with the final CNY amount fixed upfront.

Delivery time depends on several factors: how you pay, the time of day, cut-off times and bank holidays in both countries. A first transfer can take longer while identity checks are done. Upload your documents early if timing is tight.