Singapore is a fun country to visit. It has the world’s top theme park, wildlife parks, conservatories, light and sound shows and many more fun and entertainment activities.
Singapore is a country that everyone wants to visit but doesn’t because of it being an expensive tourist destination. If you check any list of expensive countries to live in, Singapore is always on the list.
But it is possible to travel in Singapore on a budget. One advantage of Singapore over other countries is that Singapore is a small country and there is no inter-city travel. The travel cost escalates when multiple cities need to be covered in a shorter period.
Also Read: Singpore 4 Day Itinerary
We stayed in Singapore for 9 days and spent SGD 2000 (~ INR 1,24,000). I have not included flight cost here as it is dynamic and can vary hugely depending upon the travel date and the departure city. If you are thinking that we might have visited cheap or free attractions for cost saving then you cannot be more wrong. We visited almost all the top tourist attractions in Singapore, did lots of shopping and were still able to save tons of money.
Here are the tops tips on how to travel Singapore on a budget.
Table of Contents
Book Cheap Accommodation
The choice of accommodation will have the biggest impact on your expenses. The hotels are very expensive in Singapore. If you want to travel in Singapore on a budget, choosing a budget-friendly stay is a must. A 4-star hotel will cost you north of 250 SGD (~15000 INR) per night. It will cost even more if you decide to stay in Sentosa.
There are many hostels all around Singapore for backpackers and budget travellers. Couples can look to stay in a 2-star hotel. Most of the budget hotels are present in Geylang, Chinatown, and Little India. The rooms will be small and without complimentary breakfast but will be value for money. The popular budget hotel chains are Ibis, 81, and Venue.
We stayed in Hotel Classic By Venue in Geylang for SGD 660 (~ INR 40000) for 8 nights which is approx. SGD 80 (~INR 5000) per night. You can read the review of the hotel here.
Use Public Transport
Taxis are expensive in Singapore. Using a taxi all the time will slowly add up the cost and make the trip expensive. Instead, use the bus and metro to travel anywhere in mainland Singapore and Sentosa. Singapore has one of the most efficient public transportation systems in the world. We had once travelled 25 kilometres in buses to Singapore Zoo and paid less than SGD 2 (~ INR 120).
Buy an EZ-Link card or Flashpay card to pay for all public transportation in Singapore. Read our detailed article on the EZ-Link card here. Although they do not offer any monetary advantage over cash unless you transfer from bus to MRT or bus to bus or MRT to bus. In that case, all the transfers are treated as a single journey instead of separate journies and the fare is calculated accordingly.
Eat at Hawker Centres
Hawker Centre is a food court in Singapore where locals go to eat. The food there is hygienic and cheap. The average cost of a vegetarian meal is SGD 5 – 7 (~INR 300 – 400) per person.
There are more than 100 Hawker Centres in Singapore. You should be able to find at least one in the area you are staying and most likely there will be at least one stall for a vegetarian meal. A few of the famous hawker centres are Newton Food Centre, Maxwell Food Centre, and Lau Pa Sat. You may also visit Little India for cheap Indian meals.
Do note that not all the hawker centres are open throughout the day. So, check the timings before visiting the hawker centre.
Book Attraction Tickets Online
The attraction tickets are generally available online at a discounted price. The two major online platforms to buy tickets are Klook and Pelago. They run promo offers from time to time which further reduces the ticket price. Buying tickets online also saves time as you will not have to stand in a queue at ticket counters.
Klook.comAvoid Buying Water Bottles
Unlike other South Asian countries, tap water in Singapore is safe to drink. That means, there is no need to spend money to buy water bottles. Just keep an empty water bottle and refill it every time it gets empty. This just not even saves some money but is also good for the environment.
Buy Snacks From Valu$ Stores
Soft drinks and dry snacks like chips, biscuits, and chocolates are expensive in Singapore. All these items are available at far lower prices at Valu$ Stores. The prices of some of the items are even lower than what we have in India.
There are many Valu$ stores in Singapore but we found the one at Lucky Plaza on Orchard Road as the biggest one. There are other convenient stores also like FairPrice shops and 7-Eleven stores but soft drinks and snacks are cheapest at Valu$ stores.
Shop At Street Markets
Like all the things in Singapore, even shopping can also be done on a budget. Many street markets in Singapore sell clothes and souvenirs at dirt-cheap prices.
The market at Bugis Street is best for women’s clothing. Megha bought a couple of shorts for SGD 5 (~ INR 300) each. The price is comparable to the Sarojini Street market in Delhi and quality is way much better. Now you see how cheap Bugis Street market is.
Go to Chinatown for souvenir shopping. You should get a good quality souvenir for SGD 5 – 10 (~ INR 300 – 600).
Have you travelled Singapore on a budget? Please share your experience in the comments below.
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Is December a good time to visit Singapore? Or would it be too expensive.
December is an excellent time to visit Singapore, but later half of December would be expensive because of Xmas and New year
Which month did you travel to Singapore? Which month is best month to travel? Can we travel in sept during Ganpati?
Will it be costly if we travel post Diwali?
Hi Priyanka,
Singapore is year-round destination. Although Feb-March are best time to travel, you can travel Singapore any time of the year. We also visited Singapore in September; it was good weather but be prepared for some rainy days. It won’t be costly post Diwali unless you are travelling during New Year time.