Singapore

"I'd love to see Singapore, but I can't afford it."

"It's impossible to do Singapore on a backpacker budget."

"I'll just do Singapore in a day from Johor Bahru."

I've heard these arguments and more against spending time in SG on a tight budget. And, given that it frequently appears at the top of "Most Expensive Cities to Live" lists, it's no surprise it doesn't rank high on many budget travel suggestions. When I first started planning and couldn't find a decent sounding hotel for less than $200 per night I was thinking I'd have to compromise my itinerary as well. But, I found a way, and this guide will share some hints and tricks to maximize your buying power in Singapore.

First of all, let's address the elephant in the room. Singapore isn't cheap. From the 5-star hotels that circle Marina Bay to the casino and numerous Michelin-starred restaurants, there's no shortage of options for high rollers. But I doubt they're reading this. So when I say it's possible to do SG on a backpacker's budget, it won't be in the same way as visiting Vietnam or touring Thailand! However, there are ways of making your money go further than you'd expect, and this guide aims to address those.

Accommodation

This was tricky for me. I'd been paying US$10-20 for hotel rooms through the Malay peninsula. Over the course of my 2 year trip I plan to average $15 per night for accommodation and this had worked for me so far, from Luang Prabang, Laos, all the way down to Mellacca, Malaysia. The hotel rooms I'd stayed in had been so cheap and such good value I'd completely overlooked hostels. Singapore is where I had to bite the bullet. And even then, I knew I'd have to park my budget, and set my misgivings about hostels aside.

I booked a capsule hostel, which I felt gave the best of both worlds. The capsule offers a small (my pod was approximately 2.5 x 1.5 metres) but private room, where you can shut yourself away and keep your belongings secure,as well as as decent sized locker. It did cost US$35 per night, but a week there was the same price as a night in the best "cheap" hotel I found on any of the OTAs. I got lucky with the placement of my capsule, as it was top tier and opposite a window. With my end door open it actually felt quite spacious.

Dining Out

If you're an adventurous eater, Singapore is definitely for you. The street food scene is phenomenal, albeit it's no longer on the streets. "What?" I hear you ask. Check out the numerous Hawker Centers around SG.

Street food hawkers have been encouraged to sell from food court style collectives, and excellent meals from any of the many culinary influences in SG can be had for a few US$. There are cheap restaurant options too, especially on Little India where I had some fabulous vegetarian food, and Chinatown. I even had Michelin rated food for less than US$5 (the restaurant no longer owns the Michelin Star it was awarded 2016), and a Michelin starred meal for US$20!

There are many highly rated and recommended food options; check out my separate "Eating Out in SG 🇸🇬 on a Budget" guide for more information and recommendations.

Getting Around

Getting around SG on a budget is really easy. It is almost flat, and fairly contact, which makes it very walkable. I averaged around 30,000 steps per day in my time there. Public transport is also cheap and plentiful and I used both the MRT (Metro/Underground) and extensive bus network to negotiate the area.

I have a friend who stayed for 2 nights in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, the southern border crossing from MY into SG, and crossed the border using public transport to spend the day in SG. While this may be appealing, I don't recommend it.

OK, accommodation is cheap and plentiful on the Malaysian side of the border. But by the time you factor in the cost of public transport each way (it cost around $12 round trip), and transit time (between 90 and 120 minutes either direction, depending upon immigration), I personally don't feel the savings outweigh the benefits. Especially if, like me, you plan on spending a few days exploring SG. They had an early start, a late finish, a rushed agenda, and barely scratched Singapore's surface!

Tourist Attractions

If you have unlimited resources, then Singapore offers a whole lot of opportunities to keep you occupied, including theme parks, a zoo, hop-on-hop-off tourist buses, rooftop observation decks, botanical gardens and a bird park. Does that mean the more budget conscious traveler won't have a good time? Absolutely not!

With a little research and planning, you can...

Visit a high level viewing platform for free.

Take a sunrise yoga class on a rooftop, or enjoy cocktails in a rooftop restaurant, for less than the price of admission to the deck.

Visit SG's many green spaces, and take a free jungle canopy walk.

Check out how in my separate guide, things to do in "What to do in SG 🇸🇬 on a Budget".

In Conclusion

I hope this has given you an insight into how it's possible to enjoy all that SG has to offer without completely blowing your budget. Yes, it's more expensive than the other Asian countries around it. But it is such a modern, clean and vibrant city that it also offers an experience different from those same SE Asian destinations. Ultimately, it's up to you, but I'm so glad I took the plunge, and the budget hit, and took a week to experience Surprising Singapore!