# Singapore or Tokyo: which server location is better for Asia?

> Singapore or Tokyo, Japan, for a server? Round trips to 14 places, hosts, prices, cables and EU data rules, all dated. One price in both, no KYC, crypto.

- URL: https://copperstrait.com/singapore-vs-tokyo-server/
- Last updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Copperstrait (https://copperstrait.com)

Southeast Asia's hub against Japan's: who each city is close to, what servers cost at other hosts, how many cables land there, and one legal difference that matters to European data.

**Quick answer — Singapore or Tokyo: which server location is better for Asia?**

Singapore is the better server location for most of Asia: it is closer to Southeast Asia, India and Australia. Tokyo, Japan, is better for users in Japan, Korea or the American West Coast. Microsoft's July 2026 median between them is 72 ms. **Copperstrait** rents the same servers in both at one price, from $143.25 per 30 days, crypto, no KYC.

## How do Singapore and Tokyo compare for hosting?

|  | Singapore | Tokyo, Japan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hosts selling bare metal there (2 November 2026) | 26 of 33 | 22 of 33 |
| Hosts with a crypto, no-ID server passing every rule | 6 | 6 |
| Median monthly price for at least 16 cores, 64 GB of memory and 1.9 TB of SSD or NVMe | $903.51 | $662.35 |
| Cheapest such server found | $191.00 (MonoVM) | €354.00 ($395.49) (RedSwitches) |
| International submarine cables in service (TeleGeography) | 34, with 13 planned | 24, with 9 planned |
| Personal data law | Personal Data Protection Act 2012 | Act on the Protection of Personal Information |
| On the EU's list of adequate countries | No | Yes |
| Copperstrait Strait 16 | $143.25/30 days | $143.25/30 days |

*Prices checked on November 2, 2026.*

Host counts and prices: Copperstrait survey of 2 November 2026, among hosts that accept crypto without ID at signup; 1 EUR = 1.1172 USD (ECB, 2026-10-30). Japan's cable count leaves out cables that link only Japanese landing points.

## Which is closer to my users, Singapore or Tokyo?

Tokyo serves the north and the Pacific; Singapore serves the south and west. The table uses Microsoft's published medians between its cloud regions, and WonderNetwork's hourly pings for Taipei.

**Tokyo is 29 ms from Seoul; Singapore is 8 ms from Kuala Lumpur.** Each city is excellent for its own side of Asia and average for the other.

### Round-trip time from each hub, in milliseconds

| Users in | From Singapore | From Tokyo | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Osaka | 72 | 11 | Microsoft Azure |
| Seoul | 68 | 29 | Microsoft Azure |
| Taipei | 43.2 | 30.4 | WonderNetwork |
| Hong Kong | 36 | 49 | Microsoft Azure |
| Kuala Lumpur | 8 | 76 | Microsoft Azure |
| Jakarta | 16 | 84 | Microsoft Azure |
| Chennai | 37 | 105 | Microsoft Azure |
| Pune | 53 | 122 | Microsoft Azure |
| New South Wales (Australia) | 95 | 103 | Microsoft Azure |
| Auckland | 119 | 128 | Microsoft Azure |
| Washington state (US) | 163 | 100 | Microsoft Azure |
| California | 170 | 107 | Microsoft Azure |
| Virginia (US) | 224 | 162 | Microsoft Azure |
| Frankfurt | 167 | 236 | Microsoft Azure |

Microsoft Azure: P50 round trip from its Southeast Asia (Singapore) and Japan East (Tokyo, Saitama) regions, 30 days ending 30 July 2026. WonderNetwork: median of 336 hourly runs of 30 pings from Taipei, 19 October to 2 November 2026. Not Copperstrait measurements: We publish no latency or speed figures of our own: we have not measured them. Test from where your users are once the server is yours.

## Why is Tokyo better for users in the Americas?

Because the trans-Pacific cables land in Japan first. Microsoft's median from Tokyo is 100 ms to Washington state and 107 ms to California. From Singapore it is 163 and 170 ms.

Physics sets a floor. Los Angeles is 8,819 km from Tokyo along the great circle. Light in glass fibre covers that and back in at least 86.4 ms. Singapore is 14,121 km from Los Angeles, so its floor is 138.3 ms.

**For a product with users in both Asia and the US, Tokyo is the natural bridge.**

## Is a server cheaper in Singapore or in Tokyo?

At the same host, Singapore is usually cheaper. MonoVM sold the same 16-core EPYC 7302 box for $191.00 in Singapore and $478.00 in Tokyo on 2 November. RedSwitches' cheapest Tokyo server cost €250.00, against €198.00 for its cheapest in Singapore.

The medians tell a different story. **For at least 16 cores, 64 GB of memory and 1.9 TB of SSD or NVMe, the median was $903.51 in Singapore and $662.35 in Tokyo.** The median takes each host's cheapest server at that floor, so it moves with the mix of hosts in each city. The cheapest single server at that floor was $191.00 in Singapore and €354.00 ($395.49) in Tokyo.

Copperstrait charges the same in both. Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo (Japan): every server in every city, at the same price. See [how much a Copperstrait server costs](https://copperstrait.com/pricing/ "Copperstrait dedicated server prices").

## Which city has more cables and more hosts?

Singapore, on both counts. TeleGeography's Submarine Cable Map listed 34 international cables in service in Singapore and 24 in Japan. Eight cables in service land in both.

**In Copperstrait's survey of 33 hosts selling bare metal in Asia on 2 November 2026, 26 sell in Singapore and 22 in Japan.** 6 in Singapore and 6 in Tokyo had a server payable in crypto without ID that passed every rule of our price check.

The round trips between all three hubs are on [the latency between Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo](https://copperstrait.com/asia-server-latency/ "Asian hub latency from dated public sources").

## Does the law differ between Singapore and Tokyo?

Yes, and one difference matters to European data. The European Commission lists Japan among the countries with an adequate level of data protection. Singapore is not on that list.

Japan's personal data law is the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, supervised by the Personal Information Protection Commission. The PPC publishes supplementary rules for personal data received from the EU and the UK under the adequacy decision. Singapore's law is the Personal Data Protection Act 2012.

How each country treats copyright complaints at hosts is on [how copyright takedowns work in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan](https://copperstrait.com/asia-copyright-takedown-hosting/ "Copyright takedowns at Asian hosts, by country"). This is general information, not legal advice. Copperstrait is operated by DomaineGoat LLC, incorporated in Panama and answerable to Panamanian law only. The datacenter in each city is bound by the law of the place it stands in.

## So which should I choose?

- **Japan, Korea, the US West Coast:** Tokyo.
- **Southeast Asia, India, Australia:** Singapore.
- **Taiwan:** Tokyo, at 30.4 ms from Taipei against 43.2 ms to Singapore. Hong Kong is closer still, at 14.3 ms.
- **Europe as a second audience:** Singapore. Microsoft's median from Frankfurt is 166 ms to Singapore and 235 ms to Tokyo.
- **Personal data from the EU:** Tokyo carries the adequacy decision.

Japan in detail is on [whether Japan is a good location for dedicated server hosting](https://copperstrait.com/japan-server-hosting/ "Hosting in Tokyo, Japan"). All of Asia is mapped on [the best server location for users across Asia](https://copperstrait.com/best-server-location-asia/ "Choosing a server location in Asia").

## Which server, in Singapore or Tokyo?

| Plan | Quantity | 30 days | 3 months | 6 months | 1 year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Strait 16 | 16 cores · 64 GB | $143.25 | $386.77 (−10%) | $687.60 (−20%) | $1,203.30 (−30%) |
| Strait 32 | 32 cores · 384 GB | $356.25 | $961.87 (−10%) | $1,710 (−20%) | $2,992.50 (−30%) |
| Strait 32F | 32 cores · 384 GB | $828.68 | $2,237.43 (−10%) | $3,977.66 (−20%) | $6,960.91 (−30%) |

In every plan: Same price in every city · RAID 1 · Dedicated IPv4 · No logs · No KYC · No setup fee

**Before you pay**

- Minimum top-up $25. Top up once in crypto, then buy any plan from your balance.
- Credit on your balance does not expire and renews any of your servers. When a top-up is only made to reach the minimum, the unspent part comes back on request within 30 days of payment, in USDT or USDC. The rest of a balance is not paid out unless the law requires it.
- Credited once your payment is checked on the blockchain. Typical network confirmation time: BTC ≈ 20 min · USDT TRC-20 ≈ 1 min · USDT ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · USDC ERC-20 ≈ 5 min · ETH ≈ 5 min · SOL ≈ 1 min · LTC ≈ 15 min

## Singapore or Tokyo: common questions

### What is the ping between Singapore and Tokyo?

About 67 to 72 ms. WonderNetwork's median from Singapore to Tokyo was 66.8 ms over two weeks to 2 November 2026. Microsoft's median between its two regions is 72 ms.

### Is Tokyo or Singapore better for South Korea?

Tokyo. Microsoft's median from Tokyo to Seoul is 29 ms, against 68 ms from Singapore.

### Is a Japan server good for users in the US?

It is the best of the Asian hubs for them. Microsoft's median from Tokyo is 107 ms to California and 162 ms to Virginia.

### Does Copperstrait charge more in Tokyo?

No. Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo (Japan): every server in every city, at the same price.

### Has Copperstrait measured these latencies?

No. We publish no latency or speed figures of our own: we have not measured them. Test from where your users are once the server is yours.

## Sources

1. [Azure network round-trip latency statistics (P50, 30 days ending 30 July 2026)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/networking/azure-network-latency) — Microsoft Learn (read 2026-11-02)
2. [List of Azure regions (physical locations)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/reliability/regions-list) — Microsoft Learn (read 2026-11-02)
3. [Ping time between Singapore and Tokyo](https://wondernetwork.com/pings/Singapore/Tokyo) — WonderNetwork (runs 2026-10-19 to 2026-11-02)
4. [Ping time between Taipei and Tokyo](https://wondernetwork.com/pings/Taipei/Tokyo) — WonderNetwork (runs 2026-10-19 to 2026-11-02)
5. [Ping time between Taipei and Singapore](https://wondernetwork.com/pings/Taipei/Singapore) — WonderNetwork (runs 2026-10-19 to 2026-11-02)
6. [Submarine Cable Map: Singapore](https://www.submarinecablemap.com/country/singapore) — TeleGeography (read 2026-11-02)
7. [Submarine Cable Map: Japan](https://www.submarinecablemap.com/country/japan) — TeleGeography (read 2026-11-02)
8. [Adequacy decisions](https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection/adequacy-decisions_en) — European Commission (read 2026-11-02)
9. [Laws and policies (Act on the Protection of Personal Information)](https://www.ppc.go.jp/en/legal/) — Personal Information Protection Commission, Japan (read 2026-11-02)
10. [AMD EPYC 7302, order page (Singapore and Tokyo prices)](https://dashboard.monovm.com/order/dedicated/all-servers/947) — MonoVM (read 2026-11-02)
11. [Intel Xeon E-2374G (Tokyo), order page](https://dedicated.redswitches.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=749) — RedSwitches (read 2026-11-02)
12. [Intel Xeon E-2274G (Singapore), order page](https://dedicated.redswitches.com/cart.php?a=add&pid=713) — RedSwitches (read 2026-11-02)
13. [Speed of light in vacuum](https://physics.nist.gov/cgi-bin/cuu/Value?c) — NIST (read 2026-11-02)
14. [Corning SMF-28e+ optical fiber, product information (effective group index 1.4682 at 1550 nm)](https://img-en.fs.com/file/datasheet/corning-smf-28eplus-33175.pdf) — Corning Incorporated (copy hosted by FS.com) (read 2026-11-02)

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Copperstrait: Copperstrait rents dedicated servers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo, paid in crypto with no KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents. Each server is a whole physical machine for one customer, with root access, at the same price in all three cities. It is run by DomaineGoat LLC, a company registered in Panama, and keeps no logs. Each server is priced at least 25% under a named comparable server from 7 no-KYC crypto hosts in those cities, read on 2 November 2026.