Budget · Singapore
Singapore on a budget
What a trip to Singapore really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Singapore is expensive for most international visitors. Budget roughly $60–$100 per person per day on a tight budget, $160–$300 mid-range and $450–$1,100 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in March–May and October–November.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $60–$100 a day
- Mid-range
- $160–$300 a day
- Luxury
- $450–$1,100 a day
- Local currency
- SGD
- Free sights
- 9
Daily budget and trip cost
AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.
| Style | Per day | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $60–$100 | $180–$300 | $300–$500 | $420–$700 |
| Mid-range | $160–$300 | $480–$900 | $800–$1,500 | $1,120–$2,100 |
| Luxury | $450–$1,100 | $1,350–$3,300 | $2,250–$5,500 | $3,150–$7,700 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in Singapore, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Hawker meal (chicken rice, laksa) | about S$4–S$7 |
| Kopi or teh at a hawker centre | about S$1.50–S$2.50 |
| MRT ride across the centre | about S$1.20–S$2.50 |
| Beer at a bar | about S$12–S$18 |
| Chilli crab at a seafood restaurant | about S$60–S$100 per kg |
| Mid-range restaurant dinner | about S$40–S$80 per person |
| Taxi from Changi to the centre | about S$25–S$40 |
Money-saving tips
- Eat most meals at hawker centres, where a full meal costs a fraction of a restaurant bill.
- Many headline sights are free: the outdoor Gardens by the Bay, Garden Rhapsody and Spectra shows, the Botanic Gardens and the Southern Ridges.
- Alcohol is heavily taxed; happy hours, usually late afternoon to early evening, can cut bar prices significantly.
- Tap a contactless bank card on the MRT instead of buying a tourist pass unless you will ride many times a day.
- Visitors can claim back GST on eligible purchases through the electronic Tourist Refund Scheme at Changi; check the conditions with participating shops.
- Hotel prices jump around the Formula 1 race, Chinese New Year and December; book early or avoid these dates.
Free things to do
- Merlion Park and the Marina Bay promenade — The 8.6-metre Merlion, half lion and half fish, spouts water into the bay opposite Marina Bay Sands.
- Singapore Botanic Gardens — Founded in 1859 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015, the Botanic Gardens cover 82 hectares of lawns, lakes and a patch of original rainforest.
- Buddha Tooth Relic Temple — Built in 2007 in Tang dynasty style, this five-storey temple houses what devotees venerate as a tooth relic of the Buddha in a gold stupa on the fourth floor.
- Little India — Little India's grid of shophouses off Serangoon Road is full of garland makers, gold shops and spice merchants.
- Kampong Glam and Sultan Mosque — The golden dome of the 1928 Sultan Mosque anchors the old Malay quarter, where Arab Street sells batik and fabric and Bussorah Street is lined with palm trees and restaurants.
- Jewel Changi Airport — A glass doughnut linked to Changi's terminals, Jewel shelters the HSBC Rain Vortex — at 40 metres the world's tallest indoor waterfall — inside the terraced Shiseido Forest Valley.
Where to stay on a budget
$$ · Best for first-timers, food lovers, budget, culture and solo travellers
Chinatown
Restored shophouses, temples, Maxwell Food Centre and Keong Saik bars
$ · Best for budget, food lovers, culture and solo travellers
Little India
Temples, spice shops, garland stalls and South Indian canteens
$$ · Best for culture, shopping, budget and nightlife
Kampong Glam and Bugis
Sultan Mosque, Arab Street textiles and the murals of Haji Lane
Eating well for less
- Char kway teow — Hawker centres such as Hong Lim Market and Chinatown Complex.
- Satay — Boon Tat Street beside Lau Pa Sat closes to traffic each evening for satay grills; also at most hawker centres.
- Kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs — Traditional kopitiams and chains such as Ya Kun and Killiney, plus breakfast stalls in every hawker centre.
- Roti prata — 24-hour Indian-Muslim eateries in Little India and Kampong Glam, and hawker centres island-wide.
- Hokkien mee — Hawker centres across the island; queues are a reliable sign of a good stall.
Getting around for less
Singapore Tourist Pass
A card giving unlimited rides on standard buses and MRT for one, two or three days; worthwhile only if you ride a lot.
Contactless bank card
Visa, Mastercard and other contactless cards or phones can be tapped directly at MRT gates and on buses, so most visitors need no special card.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to Singapore cost?
About $800–$1,500 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $300–$500 on a tight budget.
+Is Singapore expensive?
It is expensive for international visitors. Eat most meals at hawker centres, where a full meal costs a fraction of a restaurant bill.
+How much money do I need per day in Singapore?
Roughly $60–$100 on a budget and $160–$300 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in Singapore?
Usually in March–May and October–November.