Singapore, a country famous for its impressive skyline and hawker centers, can be visited with a budget of $70 to $140 a day.
My three-day trip to Singapore cost a total of $630. In this post, I share:
- 💰 Expected travel costs
- 💡 Budgeting tips
- 💵 How much cash to bring
- ✈️ My trip’s costs by category
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Is Singapore Expensive To Travel To?
Singapore ranks as one of the most expensive destinations in Asia. Although it offers affordable food at hawker stalls, it also has a relatively high cost of living, costly accommodation options, and pricey attractions and entrance fees.
Along with Japan and Hong Kong, Singapore is often considered a luxury destination in Asia.
However, with advanced planning and the willingness to forego certain experiences, Singapore can be visited on a tighter budget.
💰 Trip Daily Budget for Destinations in Asia
For comparison, I visited these countries in Asia within a year of visiting Singapore, and here’s how much I spent per day at each one:
| Destination | Daily Budget |
|---|---|
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $145 |
| 🇰🇭 Cambodia | $123* |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $122 |
| 🇹🇼 Taiwan | $102 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $89 |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | $77 |
*My Cambodia daily budget is high because I splurged on accommodation.
See all my daily budget for each destination I’ve visited.
How Much Is a Trip to Singapore?
This section covers estimated trip costs depending on your travel style. I share my actual travel expenses further below.
🎒 Budget Traveler – Singapore Trip Cost
Budget travelers can expect to spend approximately $70 per day or $210 for three days of travel in Singapore, excluding flights.
Here’s what a budget traveler’s cost breakdown can look like:
| Category | Cost per Day |
|---|---|
| 🏠 Accommodation | $30 |
| 🦀 Food | $20 |
| 🚇 Transportation | $10 |
| 🪴 Entertainment | $10 |
| Total | $70 |
Traveling Singapore on a Budget
To travel to Singapore on a budget, here are some things you’ll need to do:
- 🏠 Accommodation – For the cheapest option, stay at a dorm-style hostel for about $25 a night. For more privacy, a private room at a capsule hotel typically costs about $35 a night.
- 🚇 Transportation – Take advantage of Singapore’s modern public transportation, the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). A metro ticket price varies by distance, but it’s generally less than $3 per ride.
Singapore offers different types of Singapore Tourist Pass that give unlimited rides on public transport.
- 🦀 Food – Eat at hawker centers, which are popular open-air food courts that serve traditional, authentic Singaporean foods. Meals can be less than $5 there.
Tap water is safe to drink in Singapore, as it meets WHO guidelines for water quality. Bring a reusable water bottle to avoid having to buy bottled water.
- 🪴 Entertainment – Singapore has many pricey attractions with an entrance fee, but you can also visit them for free if you’re okay with not paying for the viewpoints or special exhibitions. For example, you can visit Singapore’s most famous tourist attraction, Gardens by the Bay, for free by skipping the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest. I did this, and I still thoroughly enjoyed my visit.
- ☀️ Travel Season – Unlike many other countries, Singapore doesn’t have a well-defined low season because of its consistently warm weather, making it a year-round destination. For the best deals on accommodations, avoid Singapore’s major festivals (e.g., Chinese New Year in early February) and public holidays.
💰 Mid-Range Budget Traveler – Singapore Trip Cost
A mid-range budget traveler like myself can expect to spend approximately $140 per day or $420 for three days of travel in Singapore, excluding flights. I break down my trip expenses by travel category below.
About My Singapore Trip
To give context to the expenses below, here’s what you need to know about my trip:
- 🗓️ 3 days – I spent three days in Singapore, which gave me enough time to see some of the top attractions and go on a day-long biking trip.
- ☀️ High season – I visited Singapore in November, which is considered the high season.
Singapore has two peak seasons: one from November to January and another from June to July.
- ✌️ Group travel – I traveled with one other person, so we were able to split some costs, such as housing.
- 💰 Mid-range budget – I consider myself a mid-range budget traveler, and these expenses reflect that. I don’t aim to travel on a budget, but I’m thoughtful about how and where I spend.
- 🍀 Self-funded – My trips are self-funded, so I paid for everything listed below. None of my excursions or experiences are sponsored.
- 💵 US dollars – All costs listed in this post are per person and in US dollars, converted from Singapore’s local currency, the Singapore dollar.
The exchange rate was $1 USD = S$1.35 at the time of writing.
Singapore Trip’s Total Cost: $630
My three-day trip to Singapore cost a total of $630, including flights.
💰 Cost Breakdown for Singapore
Here’s a quick overview of my expenses by travel category:
| Category | Cost | % of Total | Daily Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Flights | $263 | 42% | – |
| 🏠 Accommodation | $159 | 25% | $53 |
| 🦀 Food | $156 | 25% | $52 |
| 🚇 Transportation | $19 | 3% | $6 |
| ⭐ Entertainment | $34 | 5% | $11 |
| Total | $630 | 100% | $122 |
🗓️ Daily Budget in Singapore: $122
My Singapore trip cost $122 per day, excluding my flights from Malaysia and to Taiwan.
| Daily Budget | |
|---|---|
| Excluding flights | $122 |
| Including flights | $210 |
A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend $140 per day in Singapore. This generally means staying at accommodations that cost about $60 per night, eating a mix of hawker stall and restaurant food, and paying entrance fees for popular attractions.
✈️ Flight Cost to Singapore: $218
I usually take round-trip flights from the United States, but I flew into Singapore from Malaysia and out to Taiwan for this trip. Here are my flight costs:
| Flight | Cost |
|---|---|
| Malaysia → Singapore | $43 |
| Singapore → Taiwan | $220 |
A round-trip flight between the US and Singapore that costs under $800 is considered cheap; international flights typically cost over $950.
🏠 Accommodation Cost in Singapore: $159
My average cost of accommodation in Singapore was $53 per day. I was able to split accommodations with one other person at all times.
I stayed at a hotel near Little India that was a conveniently short walking distance to the Farrer Park metro station.
Accommodations in Singapore are expensive. Well-rated mid-range hotels typically cost between $150 to $200 per night. Luxury hotels, like the famous Marina Bay Sands featured in Crazy Rich Asians, start at around $530 a night.
🦀 Food Cost in Singapore: $156
My average cost of food in Singapore was $52 per day.
A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend about $40 per day on food in Singapore.
Cheapest Meals in Singapore
Here are the most affordable meals I ate during my trip:
| Meal | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Kaya toast and kopi | Killiney Kopitiam | $4.50 |
| Several dishes | Old Airport Road Hawker Center | $5 |
| Hainanese chicken rice | Aperia Mall food stall | $9 |
The most affordable meals in Singapore are in the hawker centers (e.g., Tiong Bahru, Old Airport Road, East Coast Lagoon Food Village). You can get authentic Singaporean meals for less than $5 there.
Most Expensive Meals in Singapore
Here are the most expensive meals I ate during my trip:
| Meal | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Chili crab | JUMBO Seafood | $60 |
| Nasi lemak | The Coconut Club | $18 |
| Soup and vegetable dishes | Song Fa Bak Kut Teh | $18 |
The easiest and best way to discover authentic, delicious food is to go on a Singapore street food tour early in your trip.
🚇 Transportation Cost in Singapore: $19
My average cost of transportation in Singapore was $19 per day.
Here are the transportation methods I took and how much I paid for each:
| Transportation | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| Grab ride (Airport → accommodation) | $8 |
| Grab ride (Singapore’s east side) | $6 |
| MRT and bus rides | $5 |
You can keep transport costs low by using Singapore’s well-maintained public transit system. If you’re staying for an extended period, consider getting an EZ-Link card, a rechargeable card you can use at metro stations, convenience stores, and other businesses.
🪴 Entertainment Cost in Singapore: $34
My average cost of entertainment in Singapore was $11 per day. My entertainment costs are on the lower end because I did many free things and skipped many of the country’s paid attractions.
A typical mid-range traveler in Singapore can expect to spend about $20 a day on entertainment.
Costs of Activities and Attractions in Singapore
Here are all the activities and attractions I paid for and how much each cost:
| Activity | Cost |
|---|---|
| Rock climb at boulder+ Aperia | $19 |
| 3-hour bike rental to sightsee around the east side | $15 |
Free Things To Do in Singapore
It’s easy to rack up a large entertainment budget in Singapore because many attractions have an entrance fee. You can save money by taking advantage of its free attractions, gardens, and outdoor areas.
Here are six great free things to do in Singapore:
- Singapore Botanic Garden – The garden has no entrance fee and is more like a large park you can walk through. I spent more than an hour walking through it.
- Orchard Road – This road is an iconic landmark and commercial street lined with high-end stores, upscale hotels, and festive decorations around Christmas. You can spend some time window shopping here.
- Changi Airport – Singapore’s airport is considered one of the best airports in the world. The stunning airport has several worthwhile attractions, such as the Jewel.
- East Coast Park – This free park is next to sandy, accessible beaches. You can bike around it.
- Sentosa Island – This nearby island offers free entertainment and attractions, such as beaches, hikes, and a skywalk.
- Light shows – Catch one of Singapore’s impressive light shows (the most famous being Garden Rhapsody at Gardens by the Bay).
Do You Need Cash in Singapore?
Singapore has an excellent credit card infrastructure, so you’ll only need to carry a bit of cash.
Below are tips on bringing and using cash in Singapore.
💵 1. Withdraw cash in Singaporean dollars.
Singapore’s local currency is the Singapore dollar (S$), and the US dollar is not widely accepted.
Since cash is rarely used, I recommend withdrawing once at the airport so you don’t have to worry about finding an ATM throughout your trip.
🏧 2. Carry about $10 to $15 worth of cash per day in Singapore.
On a typical day, a mid-range budget traveler in Singapore will need at least $15 in cash to mainly cover food expenses at hawker centers. If you don’t plan to eat at hawker stalls or local restaurants, you can likely carry $5 to $10 of cash daily.
I only needed cash in Singapore at hawker stalls, food court places, and small souvenir shops where most items were less than $20.
I keep my cash in my crossbody bag, but if you want extra protection against pickpocketing, carry it in a hidden money belt instead.
💰 3. Tipping is not customary in Singapore.
Tipping is often appreciated in Singapore, but it’s completely optional. Tipping is usually not expected as a service charge is already included in restaurant bills.
See all my daily budget for each destination I’ve visited.
Thoughts? Questions? Leave a comment below.