Are you curious about how much it really costs to spend a week in Singapore? We were too! Despite its reputation for being pricey, we decided to dive into a week-long adventure in this vibrant city-state. It was a welcomed break after exploring Japan and gave us the chance to map out the rest of our world trip. The first day was a bit of a sticker shock, but we were determined to see if Singapore could be done on a budget. Dive into our budget breakdown from our 1 week in Singapore and discover if Singapore is as expensive as they say or if there are ways to explore this dynamic city without breaking the bank!
Table of contents
- Flights
- Accommodation
- Transportation
- Food
- Drinks
- Sightseeing
- Other
- Total of our 1 week in Singapore
- Tips and tricks for saving money in Singapore
How much did our trip to Singapore in June 2024 cost? Here’s our budget breakdown for 1 week (7 nights) in Singapore:
Flights
Starting with our flight tickets, here’s a little-known fact: after Japan, we actually flew back to Belgium for three days for Kelvin’s brother’s wedding! This also meant making the journey back to Singapore from Belgium. Our route took us from Brussels to Athens, a 3-hour flight, followed by an 11-hour flight to Singapore after a 3-hour layover. In total, it was a 17-hour journey, and we ended up paying € 989,82 for both of us, including luggage and seat selection. Quite pricey, we must say! We estimate that a ticket from Japan to Singapore, the route we normally had to take, would’ve cost us between 300 and 400 euros in total.
For finding the best deals on flights, we always recommend checking out Skyscanner. It’s our go-to platform for comparing prices and finding affordable options.
Total for 2 people: € 989,82
Accommodation
Finding accommodation in Singapore turned out to be quite a challenge for us. After searching through at least four different websites, we only came across hostels starting at € 40 per night, and we always aim for places with an 8+ rating. Since we didn’t want to spend seven nights apart, we shifted our focus to affordable hotels (and upped our price range a little bit). That’s when we discovered Hotel 81 Palace on Agoda, offering a room with our own bathroom for around € 60 per night. While the hotel itself was decent, what surprised us was its location in a red-light district! Needless to say, Thysia didn’t feel safe at night. Plus, everything seemed to be at least a 20-minute drive away from our hotel. It taught us a valuable lesson: next time, we’ll gladly pay a bit more for a better (and safer) location!
Total for 2 people for 7 nights: € 413,88
Transportation
Except for the taxi from the airport to our hotel, we always took the bus in Singapore. It was the best and most affordable way to get around, costing us about € 3 to € 5 per ride for both of us. In total, we spent € 68,06 on transportation, averaging € 9,72 per day for both of us. Considering our hotel was far from everything, we think that’s pretty good for a week in Singapore!
Total for 2 people: € 68,06
Food
After splurging € 40 on ramen at Ippudo, we quickly realized that eating out every day in Singapore wasn’t budget-friendly. The ramen was fantastic, but we couldn’t afford to spend € 40 on every meal! This meant we often relied on prepared food from 7-Eleven as well. Our supermarket expenses can be found in the “Other” category.
We also made frequent trips to hawker centers, which are bustling open-air food courts with affordable meals. Subway also came to our rescue several times for a quick meal. In the end, we spent € 39,83 per day on food for both of us, which is definitely more expensive than in other Asian countries we visited.
Discover the best hawker centers in Singapore with this local hawker centre tour on GetYourGuide.
Total for 2 people: € 278,81
Drinks
We didn’t plan to go out for drinks because of the high prices. However, on our last night in Singapore we met a lovely American couple who were moving there and decided to join them for cocktails. To our surprise, we ended up spending a whopping € 155,37 just on cocktails that night! We visited two cocktail bars, Exit Stage Left and Bar Stories. At Exit Stage Left, we spent around € 60 for 4 cocktails, and at Bar Stories, our total came to almost € 100 for 4 cocktails. It was a bit of a shock to spend that much in one night, but we had a great time and enjoyed the drinks. And if you’re curious about which one of the two bars we recommend, it’s definitely Bar Stories.
Total for 2 people: € 155,37
Sightseeing
Having already visited Universal Studios in Hollywood and Japan, we couldn’t resist checking out Universal Studios Singapore too. We bought our Universal Studios Singapore tickets online through GetYourGuide, costing us € 113,88 for both. Since this took a big chunk out of our budget, we focused on free activities for the rest of our trip. Luckily, Singapore has plenty of them! We’ve put together a list of 9 free things to do in Singapore if you’re interested.
And if you’re interested in visiting Universal Studios Singapore, then we’ve got you covered too!
Total for 2 people: € 113,88
Other
In this category, we have things like groceries and a sim card. We got an e-sim for € 8,40 and did some groceries at 7-Eleven. Overall, we spent € 106,88 for both of us for the entire week.
Total for 2 people: € 106,88
Total of our 1 week in Singapore
Here is our budget breakdown for 1 week in Singapore in June 2024:
Total per category for the two of us
✈️ Flights: € 989,82
🛏️ Accommodation: € 413,88 (€ 59,13 per night)
🚌 Transportation: € 68,06 (€ 9,72 per day)
🍲 Food: € 278,81 (€ 39,83 per day)
🍸 Drinks: € 155,37 (€ 22,20 per day)
🎢 Sightseeing: € 113,88 (€ 16,27 per day)
🛒 Other: € 106,88 (€ 15,27 per day)
💰 Total excluding flights: € 1136,88 | € 162,41 per day for 2 | € 81,21 per day per person
💰 Total including flights: € 2126,70
Excluding our flight costs, we spent an average of € 162,41 per day for both of us, or € 81,21 each. We knew Singapore was expensive, but we were still surprised by how much we spent! If we hadn’t gone out for drinks and skipped Universal Studios Singapore, we could have saved a lot of money.
For budget travelers in Singapore, a daily budget of € 50 to € 60 per person is reasonable. This covers accommodation, transportation, food, and other expenses. It assumes you’ll stay in a hostel, eat at hawker centers and buy deals at 7-Eleven, and focus on free activities.
We’re glad we got to see Singapore firsthand, but it’s not a city we’d rush back to. Everything there is really pricey, from hotels to dining out or grabbing a drink. Still, we believe everyone should visit Singapore at least once, even if it’s just for a day. We stayed for a week, and while we didn’t get bored, we feel that a week in Singapore is quite long, especially for budget travelers. Five days would be more reasonable, and that’s what we’ll be aiming for next time we’re here.
Tips and tricks for saving money in Singapore
We ended up spending € 81 per person per day in Singapore, which is a bit more than we planned. However, we discovered some practical tips for enjoying Singapore without overspending.
1. Accommodation
If you’re looking to save on accommodation, here’s a tip: stay just over the border in Malaysia! You can find great places in Johor Bahru for half the price of Singapore. It only takes 45 minutes to get to Singapore by public transport. For example, you can get a private room in Johor Bahru starting from € 20. In Singapore, a private room starts at € 60, and you’ll likely have to share the bathroom! And since most countries don’t need a visa to enter Singapore, you don’t have to worry about that either.
2. Sightseeing
To save money in Singapore, focus on free activities. There’s no need to spend a lot on sightseeing when you can explore the city without spending a dime. If you’re unsure where to begin, we’ve got you covered. Check out our blog post on how to explore Singapore on a budget for some great ideas!
3. Food
Eating out in Singapore can be pricey, but there are plenty of affordable options at hawker centers. These open-air food courts have various stalls offering different cuisines. We visited Makansutra Gluttons Bay and enjoyed delicious Pad Thai, Tom Yum fried rice, and arancini for about € 20, including drinks. Another great way to save on food is by heading to 7-Eleven. They offer a range of prepared foods like fried rice, wraps, and burgers. You can heat your meal in their microwave and often find seating available! If you want a real “pro tip”, check out their Deals for 1$ page to score amazing discounts. We used it all the time!
More helpful budget breakdowns
- 6 days in India: Budget Breakdown
- 3 weeks in Sri Lanka: Budget Breakdown
- 40 days in Thailand: Budget Breakdown
- 26 days in Vietnam: Budget Breakdown
- 16 days in the Philippines: Budget Breakdown
- 3 weeks in Japan: Budget Breakdown
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