Singapore may seem like an expensive city, but it’s actually home to the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world where you can enjoy an expertly prepared meal for just S$2! So, whether you’re headed on a solo adventure or jetting off on your honeymoon to enjoy some of the most romantic nights of your life, keeping costs down on a Singapore holiday isn’t as impossible as you might have first thought.
Explore for free
Walking around Singapore is incredibly fulfilling and, best of all, you can do it for free! One of my favorite places for a free stroll in Singapore is the Gardens by the Bay. There’s free entry to the plentiful gardens where you can admire different plant species, unique art sculptures and the stunning architecture that surrounds them. My favorite sculpture is Planet, a bronze sculpture of a 30 foot long by 10 foot tall baby. The artist has perfectly balanced the sculpture’s weight on its right hand to create the illusion of a giant floating baby!
Image by Mark Pegrum used under CC license
Skip the taxis
For anyone exploring a city on a budget, taxis are a complete money sink. Opt to take Singapore’s MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) from the airport to the city center for as little as S$2 and save yourself from expensive taxi fares! Additionally, if you’ll be traveling by bus or train regularly on your trip, then I’d always recommend grabbing an EZ-Link card. You can use your credit on buses as well as LRT and MRT trains, and having a card will mean spending less time queuing for tickets.
Stick to food hawkers
Singapore is a city filled with upmarket restaurants, but whenever hunger strikes and I want to enjoy a wholesome meal that won’t leave my wallet empty, street markets and food halls are where I look. As soon as you enter one of Singapore’s food halls, the shouts of food hawkers fill the air instantly. Plus, you can find any food your heart desires, be it sweet, savory or anything in between. Soupy noodles, rice with spicy chicken, and fried snacks to eat on the go are just a few of my cheap and delicious favorites.
Image by Dietrich Ayala used under CC license
Drink tap water
Singapore has a fairly humid climate and the temperature stays around 79 degrees Fahrenheit all year, so you need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Do it for free by packing a travel bottle in your luggage or buying a small bottle on your travels and refilling it at your hotel. Singapore has some of the highest-quality tap water in the world, it even exceeds the World Health Organization’s drinking water guidelines!
Traveling on a budget may seem restrictive, but it’s actually the best way to see the real Singapore. Fancy restaurants and overpriced attractions are reserved for tourists, so save yourself some money and experience a side of Singapore that you won’t see in the guidebooks.