Singapore price guide
Short answer: on the pricey side, even at local prices. Fair prices sit 49% above the 60-country median, and tourist prices are about 2.4× the fair price.
29 prices checked May – Aug 2026 19 verified and 10 estimates How I check
All 29 prices are also in the free app for iPhone and Android, and they work offline. Get it
About $37 or $95 a day.
The first number is what locals pay, the second what tourist spots charge for exactly the same day.
Same day, same things: the tourist version costs 2.6× as much.
Restaurant meal alone: S$67.50, or 56% of the tourist-trap day.
+S$75 (about $59) for the same day
| Item | Fair (S$) | Trap (S$) |
|---|---|---|
| Street food meal | 6 | 16 |
| Restaurant meal | 22.50 | 67.50 |
| Coffee (espresso) | 2.20 | 6.50 |
| Water 1.5 L | 1.85 | 5.50 |
| Local beer | 10 | 17 |
| Public transit ticket 2 rides | 3.85 | 6.10 |
| Short taxi ride about 1 km | 0.90 | 3 |
| Total | 47 | 122 |
Tourist-trap price compared with the fair price, using the middle of each range.
Pick what you are buying, type the price, and see where it lands.
about $1.60
Tourist-trap price
S$2 is 2.2× the middle of the fair range (S$0.70 – S$1.10).
Tourists often get charged S$2 – S$4. From S$2 you are paying the tourist-trap price.
In the app, every expense you log on a trip gets the same check, offline.
What 29 everyday things should cost, and what tourists often pay instead. Typical for Singapore, Marina Bay, Sentosa, Orchard, Chinatown, and Little India.
Bars run from zero to each item's top tourist-trap price.
Restaurant meal: fair is S$15 – S$30. From S$45 you are on the tourist menu.
Bottled, convenience store
Estimate, reviewedCafe or street vendor
Verified ·Draft, at bar or restaurant
Verified ·Tourist area, main course
Verified ·Local market or stand
Verified ·Mixed drink, bar
Verified ·House wine, restaurant
Estimate, reviewedCafe or street stall
Estimate, reviewedAirport taxi to the center: fair is S$20 – S$40. At S$55 or more, walk away.
Standard route
Verified ·Metered or typical fare
Verified ·Single ride
Verified ·Grab / Bolt / Uber
Estimate, reviewedFridge magnet: fair is S$2 – S$4. From S$6 you are paying the souvenir-stall markup.
Tourist shop
Verified ·Tourist shop
Verified ·Ceramics, textiles, etc.
Estimate, reviewedTourist SIM: fair is S$12 – S$30. From S$50 it is the tourist-kiosk price.
Data package
Verified ·Pharmacy or shop
Verified ·Supermarket
Verified ·Pack of 20
Verified ·Pack of 20 tablets
Estimate, reviewedSpray or lotion
Estimate, reviewedOne-hour massage: fair is S$40 – S$70. From S$90 you are paying for the address.
Local barbershop
Verified ·Laundry service
Estimate, reviewedStandard full-body massage
Verified ·Basic cut, salon
Verified ·Top museum or attraction: fair is S$15 – S$25. From S$30, check that you are not buying through a reseller.
Entrance ticket
Estimate, reviewedOrganized excursion
Verified ·Organized excursion 6-8h
Estimate, reviewedLocal cuisine cooking class
Verified ·Converted at 1 USD = 1.279 SGD, the rate on October 3, 2026. Approximate.
Currency
Singapore dollar (SGD)
Quick converter, SGD to USD
When a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, choose SGD. The rate it offers is almost always worse.
Tipping is not part of the culture in Singapore. Most restaurants already add a 10% service charge plus 9% GST, shown as '++' on the menu, so your bill is about 20% higher than the listed price. Rounding up a taxi fare is appreciated but never required.
Prices are fixed in malls, supermarkets, hawker centres and at Mustafa Centre, which is a large fixed price retailer, so do not haggle there. Bargaining is acceptable at street markets and stalls, such as Bugis Street, the Chinatown street market and the fabric and batik shops around Arab Street. Ask politely and expect modest discounts, not dramatic ones.
What tourists actually run into, from overcharging tricks to local laws. Open any item for the details.
At some tourist seafood restaurants, chilli crab and other dishes are priced per 100g as 'seasonal'. The bill can balloon to over S$80 for one crab. Always ask the exact price and crab size before ordering, and confirm it in writing.
A few electronics shops, historically around Sim Lim Square, lure tourists with low headline prices then add hidden 'warranty' or activation fees and refuse refunds. Buy from reputable chains like Challenger or Courts, and never sign anything you do not understand.
Singapore enforces laws many visitors do not expect. Importing chewing gum, littering, jaywalking, smoking outside designated areas, and eating or drinking on the MRT all carry fines. Vaping is banned entirely, including possession. Check the rules and keep e-cigarettes out of the country.
Singapore is hot and humid year round, so heat exhaustion is a real risk. Drink water often, seek shade or air conditioning, and pace yourself. Dengue spreads via daytime mosquitoes, so use repellent, especially near greenery and in the evening.
Dial 999 for police and 995 for the SCDF for ambulance and fire emergencies. Both numbers are free and answered around the clock. Call 995 only for real emergencies: SCDF charges 274 SGD to take a non-emergency case to hospital.
Singaporeans queue patiently and value order, so wait your turn and avoid jaywalking. Do not eat, drink or carry durian on the MRT, as all are prohibited. Be respectful in temples and mosques, remove shoes where asked, and keep public behaviour calm and considerate.
For better value, shop at Mustafa Centre in Little India or the stalls along Bugis Street rather than the gift shops clustered around the Merlion and Marina Bay, where prices are inflated. Chinatown Street Market is good for trinkets, and supermarkets sell local kaya jam and snacks cheaply.
Most visitors never rent a car here. The MRT and buses reach almost everywhere cheaply, and taxis or Grab are metered and reliable. If you do drive, Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) gantries charge for entering busy zones, and parking is costly, so public transport is usually faster and easier.
The prices on this page are typical for these cities and the tourist areas around them.
The TruePrice Index for Singapore, next to the countries people weigh it against and its nearest neighbors, all on one scale. 100 is the median of the 60 countries I track.
Laos 36 Prices about 76% lower than in Singapore 
Indonesia 53 Prices about 64% lower than in Singapore 
Myanmar 55 Prices about 63% lower than in Singapore 
Cambodia 61 Prices about 59% lower than in Singapore 
Thailand 70 Prices about 53% lower than in Singapore 
Malaysia 82 Prices about 45% lower than in Singapore Singapore 149 This page Short answer: on the pricey side, even at local prices. Fair prices sit 49% above the 60-country median, and tourist prices are about 2.4× the fair price. On the TruePrice Index, Singapore scores 149, the 11th most expensive of the 60 countries I track.
Roughly S$47 (about $37) a day at fair prices, or S$122 (about $95) at tourist prices. That covers two meals, a coffee, a bottle of water, a beer, two transit rides and a short taxi ride. Sightseeing comes on top (S$15 – S$25 for a top museum or attraction), and accommodation is not included.
Tipping is not part of the culture in Singapore. Most restaurants already add a 10% service charge plus 9% GST, shown as '++' on the menu, so your bill is about 20% higher than the listed price. Rounding up a taxi fare is appreciated but never required.
The Singapore dollar (SGD). On October 3, 2026, 1 USD was worth 1.279 SGD. Card terminals and ATMs that offer to charge you in your home currency usually give a worse rate, so pay in SGD.
A restaurant main course is S$15 – S$30 (about $12 – $23) at fair prices, while tourist menus charge S$45 – S$90. A street food meal runs S$4 – S$8. A local beer is S$8 – S$12 (about $6.30 – $9.40), or S$14 – S$20 in tourist bars.
Budget roughly S$47 (about $37) a day for food, drinks and getting around at local prices, or about S$122 (about $95) at tourist prices. Add S$15 – S$25 for each major sight, plus your accommodation.
If you are not sure who you need, call 999, the police line. Direct lines: ambulance and fire brigade 995.
Where these numbers come from, and how sure I am about each one.
How to cite
TruePrice Index, October 2026, truepriceapp.com/en/trueprice-index/
Spotted a price that looks off? Email me at [email protected] and I will check it.
Check the fair price at the market stall or in the taxi, before you pay. Free on iPhone and Android.
