Accommodation – Accommodation in Singapore isn’t cheap and most dorm rooms are on the larger side, with 12-18 beds. A bed in a large dorm costs around 25-48 SGD per night, while a private room costs 60-100 SGD. Most hostels include free Wi-Fi and free breakfast.
A budget hotel room with amenities like air-conditioning, private bathrooms, free Wi-Fi, and a TV starts around 65 SGD per night. Most larger chain hotels cost at least 80-110 SGD per night.
Airbnb is available in Singapore, with private rooms starting at 25 SGD per night (though they average closer to 60 SGD). Entire homes/apartments average 85 SGD per night.
Food – As a cosmopolitan hub, Singapore has food from all over the world, however, there is an abundance of Chinese and Indian food, which is usually around 8-9 SGD per meal. Rice or noodles are usually the backbone of most meals, and popular dishes include steamed chicken, chili crab, fishhead curry, satay, and nasi lemak (coconut rice cooked in a pandan leaf). The city’s hawker centers (large halls full of various food stalls) are one of the most popular and cheapest places to try Singapore’s vibrant cuisine.
As for Singaporean specialties, try the seafood, which costs around 20-35 SGD for a main dish. For drinks, beer is typically 8-10 SGD, a glass of wine is about 10-16 SGD, and a cappuccino is around 5 SGD.
There are also plenty of low-cost eateries around Singapore, with street stalls typically selling food for less than 6 SGD per meal. A fast-food burger is around 8-10 SGD while sandwiches at a café are around 11-14 SGD. There are many restaurants offering a set lunch menu for around 12-16 SGD, and a dish at dinner in most casual restaurants is around 20 SGD. After that, the sky is the limit.
If you want to cook your own meals, expect to pay 95 SGD per week for basic staples like rice, noodles, vegetables, and some meat or fish.
Packpacking Singapore Suggested Budgets
If you’re backpacking Singapore, expect to spend around 90 SDG per day. This budget covers staying in a hostel dorm, eating at the cheap hawker stalls and in Little India, cooking some meals, limiting your drinking, using public transportation to get around, and doing mostly free activities like walking tours and enjoying nature.
On a more mid-range budget of 175 SGD per day, you can stay in a private hostel room or Airbnb, eat out for all your meals at cheaper hawker stalls, enjoy a few drinks, take the occasional taxi to get around, and do more paid activities like visiting the zoo and the botanic gardens.
On a “luxury” budget of 300 SGD or more per day, you can eat out for all your meals, take taxis everywhere, stay in a hotel, and do whatever tours and activities you want. This is just the ground floor for luxury though. The sky is the limit!
You can use the chart below to get some idea of how much you need to budget daily, depending on your travel style. Keep in mind these are daily averages — some days you’ll spend more, some days you’ll spend less (you might spend less every day). We just want to give you a general idea of how to make your budget. Prices are in SGD.