While Singapore is widely believed to be an expensive place to visit, the reality is different. It is quite possible to travel comfortably in Singapore while spending less than $50 SGD per day depending on the area where you are staying, how you move around the city, and where you eat.
Too expensive? No – the truth about budget travel in Singapore
Usually, people consider Singapore to be a city where budget travelers would struggle with high costs and prices. However, the main reason why this myth exists is the wrong perception of the city: when people visit the central business districts, ride taxis everywhere, and spend a lot of money eating in tourist-oriented restaurants, they naturally think that it is a very expensive city.
It is a fact that Singapore has one of the most developed public transport systems in Southeast Asia, many UNESCO-recognized hawker centers where you can eat for $5 SGD and less, and several areas where affordable accommodations can be easily found. Usually, accommodation takes up to 30-40% of the overall cost of your trip (Singapore Tourism Board). Thus, your decision on which area you would like to stay during the trip is crucial for your budget.
Geography of budget accommodations
As we have already mentioned above, budget accommodation is unevenly distributed and is concentrated in several heritage districts of Singapore.
The first is Chinatown. Being centrally located in the city, this area features convenient connections to MRT stations, a large number of capsule hostels and guesthouses, and a hawker center – Chinatown Complex. Moreover, this hawker center is famous for its Michelin-recognized stands offering meals for $4 SGD and less. While the atmosphere here is bright and energetic, Chinatown is also known to be overcrowded, especially on weekends.
Another area is Little India. In comparison to other parts of the city, it is a bit cheaper in terms of prices for accommodation and meals. The neighborhood is colorful and lively, as well as accessible thanks to its connection to the MRT via North East line.
Kampong Glam can be described as sitting between the two. Being an old Malay and Arab quarter, it is full of street art, independent boutiques, and the best budget Middle-Eastern and Malay food in town. As for the accommodations here, they combine affordable prices and stylish interior design. This area is also quite comfortable for walking.
In addition to this, there is also Jalan Besar and particularly Tyrwhitt Road corridor – an area which does not receive much attention from travelers, but deserves more. This area is situated between Little India and Arab Street. This area has become a café hub and is characterized by unique architecture featuring heritage shophouses. Budget accommodations available here are highly rated and inexpensive in spite of being located in the city center. Moreover, a budget hostel Singapore travellers choose in this area can be close to Farrer Park MRT station, which is also close to Little India and Kampong Glam. At the same time, this area is not as pricey as Chinatown.
Capsule hostels versus traditional dorms
If you have not had an opportunity to try capsule hostels, it is worth knowing the difference before booking one. Traditional dorms used to offer open bunk beds separated by curtains, while modern capsule hostels feature each guest’s sleeping pod equipped with individual light, electrical outlets, USB port, and a locker for your backpack. In other words, you will not share an open sleeping area with strangers.
For a solo traveler, this means getting the privacy of a capsule hotel at the price level of a traditional dormitory ($30-$50 SGD). In this case, Singapore hostel operators push this format much further in comparison with other cities in the region. Bathrooms of capsule hotels are well-maintained and cleaned several times a day, and common areas are designed for socialization.
Traditional mixed dorms can still be found and are cheaper, but they cannot offer such a comfort and privacy level for the price, especially for someone who sleeps poorly after a busy day.
Getting around Singapore
The MRT system should be considered as your priority when traveling to Singapore. It is clean, air-conditioned, and punctual. It can take you pretty much anywhere on the island, so you do not really need other transport services.
Some MRT lines connect the airport with the city center, which means that proximity to an MRT station should be the priority for you when searching for accommodation.
Here are some payment methods you can use for your travels:
• Single tickets are expensive per ride, require deposit and may not be worthy for people who stay in Singapore longer than a day.
• Tourist Pass allows unlimited travel by MRT and on most buses for the daily flat fee. In case you plan to make many rides per day (and you will need this if you follow an intensive itinerary), this service will save you some money.
• EZ-link card is a contactless card which can be topped-up and allows you to travel using discounted tickets and pay for your purchases in convenience stores. Thus, it can save you money for a longer period of time.
• Most of contactless bank cards can be used on Singapore’s transport system, but they do not provide you with discounted fares.
• As for taxi and apps like Grab and Gojek, these are significantly cheaper than usual taxis, but more expensive than MRT. They can be useful only for late nights, baggage transfer and other situations, when it is inconvenient to use MRT.
Eat like a local for $0
Hawkers’ centers are the main social and functional center of cheap restaurants in Singapore. They are huge open-air food courts which sell dishes of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Peranakan cuisine, often prepared by local families using recipes passed down through several generations.
Maxwell Food Centre in Chinatown is the most popular one, and prices there remain stable despite a large number of clients. However, Chinatown Complex Hawker Center on Smith Street is even bigger and not as popular as the first one. Even cheaper options of hawker centers are located in Little India and Jalan Besar areas.
What to order: Hainanese chicken rice is ubiquitous and costs $4-5 SGD. Also, Laksa – a noodle soup based on coconut milk – is available for $5 SGD. The prices for Char kway teow, roti prata, nasi lemak and other local dishes are quite affordable and the food quality is quite high.
Alternatively, you can visit any restaurants or cafes which charge you $20-25 SGD for a coffee with avocado toast and you do not even consider having your lunch there yet. Eating an average dish in a hawker center will be cheaper.
The main thing tourists should remember is GST on restaurant and cafe bills. It is 7% of the total amount and is already included in hawker centers’ prices.
Free itinerary
There are some amazing sights in Singapore which do not charge for admission. The first is the light and music show “Spectra” in Gardens by the Bay, Supertree Grove. Besides, you can walk around Gardens by the Bay absolutely free.
Also, Botanic Gardens is a great sightseeing destination which is located in the UNESCO Heritage site and is absolutely free.
Moreover, the Southern Ridges is a set of trails crossing forests, ridges and coastal zones of the island’s south. It takes two or three hours to explore, but it will not cost you anything except the transport expenses.
Finally, walking around the city is also free, of course. Walking through Emerald Hill shophouses, Kampong Glam street art or Bras Basah colonial district – it can all be done on foot. Airport itself is also worth visiting even if you are not flying away from Singapore: the complex Jewel is connected to the arrivals hall and features an indoor waterfall and gardens for free.
Safety, nightlife, and other useful tricks
Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world for solo travelers. Walking alone at night, traveling by public transport late and moving through unknown neighborhoods are low-risk activities for many travelers in comparison with other cities. Thus, you can book your accommodation in a less central area of the city and do not worry about long walks.
Nightlife without expensive bar bills includes the following: happy hours in the Clarke Quay venues usually begin in the early evening and reduce prices greatly. Ladies’ nights are held on certain days of the week in many bars in the city. Convenience stores like 7-Eleven and Cheers sell beer at significantly lower prices, and it is common to buy a drink and drink it sitting outside.
Do not purchase your SIM card at the airport, as the prices are higher than in the city itself. Also, you should take a reusable water bottle with you, as water stations with filtered water are available in most hostels and MRT stations and the water in taps is drinkable in Singapore.
Making a decision on accommodation first
It all depends on the area where you are going to stay. Choose a location that suits the pace of your trip, keeps everyday transport simple, and gives you reasonable access to food and the places you want to see. A lower nightly rate is only useful if it does not add unnecessary travel time or costs.
Planning these basics before you book makes it easier to keep daily spending under control. With accommodation, transport and meals considered together, Singapore can be explored on a budget without making every decision around the cheapest option.
