Singapore is known as one of the wealthiest countries in Southeast Asia. The country is famous for its high standard of living and the cost of travel on this island is also not cheap. In fact, these things depend on many factors such as what are you going to do, where to go, what to eat, where to stay and especially where to shop. Is Singapore expensive for holiday and travel? Let’s discover our Singapore budget travel tips with 7 tips on how to save money traveling in Singapore. Hope you find some ways to save the budget for Singapore trip to help you have the most economical Singapore backpacking travel. While you can still enjoy your most comfortable holiday.
- Singapore rules for visitors — 9 things to know when traveling to Singapore
- Singapore itinerary 5 days — How to spend 5 days in Singapore budget for the first-timers?
- Singapore travel blog — The fullest Singapore travel guide first-timers
- Where to shop in Orchard Road? — 10 best shopping malls in Orchard Road
- Singapore one day itinerary — How to spend 24 hours in Singapore perfectly?
How to save money traveling in Singapore? Singapore backpacking travel with cheap cost accommodation
Singapore backpackers save the cost of their vacation in many ways. Some options may include low-cost rooms for renting, dorm rooms, or accepting rooms with other travelers. In addition, the form of “capsule” hotels being very popular in other tourism cities has also begun to appear in Singapore (with very comfortable facilities). However, this place is not really suitable for those who love private and quiet space (you have to be very careful to keep private, money here).
If you want to have a Singapore backpacking trip with the most economical cost, the accommodation you should choose is Little India. One ticket per bed for the dorm room costs 20 – 60 SGD per bed (~15 – 46 USD), for the single room the price is 60 SGD (~46 USD), and for the double room it is 100 SGD (~ 76 USD).
Besides the cheap motel rooms, many Singapore backpackers even stay overnight at the airport on the first and last nights at Singapore. This is also true because almost cheap flights often take off late at night and finding the means of transport to the city at this time will be quite expensive. Moreover, Changi Airport – Singapore is also rated as one of the safest and most comfortable places to sleep with backpackers.
Some choices of hotels you can refer
- Super Savings: Vintage Inn Singapore
- Selected by backpackers: Bunc @ Radius Little India
- Advanced Dorm Room: Adler Hostel
- Cheap single room: Tresor Tavern Hotel
Eateries
It is said that in Singapore you can choose between $ 3 for a full meal and $ 300 for meals at the best restaurants in the world. Thus, if you want to experience a Singapore backpacking trip, let’s keep away from the tourist area and go to the area of gourmets.
Firstly, let’s try coming to Lau Pa Sat in CBD (Central Business District) where you can try a full range of cuisines from Sing to Thai, Korean, Chinese, Indian and even Vietnamese dishes. For each dish, it is only about 3 to 10 SGD (~2.29 – 8 USD). Another option for delicious and cheap dishes during Singapore backpacking itinerary is the Chinatown being famous for Maxwell. The area is for all the devotees of cheap street food. Secondly, you can come to the Tekka Center in Little India (it is great if you choose to stay in the same area).
How to save money traveling in Singapore? Singapore backpacking travel with free drinks
Singapore is famous for it’s the leading bars and, of course, its high price. However, even if you are in Singapore backpacking trip with cheap cost, you can still enjoy these drinks.
Some of the cheap bars that you can try are Five Izakaya Bar (only 5 SGD ~ 4 USD for a bee and applied for all day) or Ice Cold B’s @ SMU (10 SGD ~ 8 USD for a big cup). At night you can get to Clarke Quay. This nightclub has a variety of bars with the chance to buy one and given – one during golden hours (usually between 17:00 and 19:00).
In addition, some places will offer discounts during the day (12:00 – 19:00) such as Fremantle Seafood Market (5SGD ~ 4 USD for wine or beer), Little Saigon (50% off drinks until 20:00), Bungy Bar (9 SGD ~ 8 USD/ a big cup from 13:00 – 21:00) or Verne Pizza Bar (free pizza for drink buyers with the cost of over 15 SGD ~ 12 USD).
* Note: The sale-off promotions and prices may change from time to time.
The most saving destinations to visit
Singapore has some of the world’s best tourist attractions. Some of Singapore’s most popular venues are Universal Studios Singapore (USS), Night Safari, Singapore Flyer, Underwater World and Gardens By the Bay. The price of these places sometimes makes backpackers cautious, but if you miss these destinations, the trip will not be fun anymore.
The first solution in order not to spend too much on these issues is to buy tickets to visit Singapore in advance. You can save from 10% to 30% depending on the type of tickets. However, you need to check the companies’address that sold tickets, ticket information and other legal information before buying to avoid fake ticket purchases. With tickets such as USS Tickets, you can refer to the genuine Universal Studio Singapore (USS) ticket buying experience.
The free tourist destinations: The top places to visit in Singapore for free
During the day
Besides the famous sights, you can also have a Singapore backpacking saving trip with a series of free tourist attractions. Let’s become a real backpacker, take your backpack and explore the local culture of Little India, Chinatown, Burgis (Arab), etc. Or you can go to Gardens by the bay and visit the flower garden, and come to Marina Bay Park to take some photos with Merlion statue.
Moreover, you can choose some parks like Fort Canning, Botanical Garden, MacRitchie Reservoir’s Treetop Walk or Southern Ridges. Each of these parks has beautiful natural ecosystems with unique features such as spice gardens, plant conservation areas, etc. If you enjoy nature, these sites will be the No.1 place during Singapore backpacking itinerary.
At night
Except for the above places, when this city is covered by night, you can also find free places to visit. You can try:
- Sultan Mosque – this mosque is always the most vibrant destination in Singapore at night.
- Explore the three most beautiful light shows at Gardens the Bay, Marina Bay Sands, and Sentosa.
- Watch free performances and art performances at the Esplanade Theater.
- Watch the sunset at Sentosa Sea.
- Free Wednesday experience (free entrance fee and drinks at most bars, only for women)*
* Note: The sale-off promotions and prices may change from time to time.
How to save money traveling in Singapore? Shopping during Singapore backpacking trip
The cheapest shopping place in Singapore is the Burgis Market (open from 11:00 to 22:00, near MRT Burgis). This place is full of things that if you are on the most saving Singapore backpacking travel can go shopping comfortably. You can buy everything from the specialties, souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, accessories, … with a lot of options and quite a cheap cost.
Another place that you can visit is the Mustafa Center located in Little India (open 24/24) or Lucky Plaza at Orchard Road. This is Singapore’s shopping route with many shopping malls and fashion shops. At both locations, you can “hunt” the most favorite items. Furthermore, you do not forget to see more Top 5 Singapore open markets for more shopping options with cheap prices.
Singapore budget travel tips: How to get around Singapore with saving cost?
As soon as you land at, you can continue your Singapore backpacking trip less expensive by purchasing EZ Link cards to get around the city in MRT. Each card costs 12 SGD (~ 9 USD) and is available at Transitlink ticket offices. With this card, the price for each MRT is only 60 cents to 1.5 SGD (~ 0,46 – 1,14 USD) depending on how far you are going. In case of card expiration, you can recharge from SGD 10 to SGD 100 (~ 7 – 76 USD) for use during your stay in Singapore.
Another option for a long trip is the Singapore Tourist Pass Plus card. Its price is about 36 SGD (~27 USD) for 3 days, unlimited use with MRT, BUS & LRT.
Finally, a Singapore backpacking trip with the savings cost is what everyone wants. However, do not miss the opportunity to explore and enjoy this beautiful city because of just saving cost. Certainly, the experience and the anniversary with friends or family here is worth a lot more. Living Nomads wishes you have a wonderful trip to Singapore!
Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in Singapore and from Singapore you can refer to
- Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) Private Transfer
- Private City Transfers between Singapore and Johor Bahru
- Shared Changi Airport Transfers (SIN) for Singapore Hotels
- Singapore All Day Pass
- The Singapore Pass
- [Klook Exclusive] 3 Hours Singapore City Tour
- Singapore Cityscapes Tour
- [Klook Exclusive] Sentosa Island Introductory Tour in Singapore
- Singapore Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour (Open-Top)
- Sentosa FUN Pass
- Singapore City Pass (2/3 Days)
- [Klook Exclusive] Universal Studios Singapore™ 1 Day Ticket
- 4G Prepaid Sim Card (Changi Airport Pick Up) for Singapore
- 4G WiFi (SG Airport Pick Up) for Singapore
- 4G Portable WiFi for Singapore from Uroaming
- 4G WiFi (SG Pick Up) for Europe
Are you finding more top things to do in Singapore: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Singapore travel blog — The fullest Singapore travel guide blog for a budget trip to Singapore for the first-timers.