Cost per day · Singapore
Singapore on $40, $150 or $500 a day
How much does Singapore cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $40 a day, mid-range trips run around $150, and luxury starts near $500 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included.
That makes Singapore the 20th most expensive of 82 cities for a mid-range trip — see all 82 ranked.
Singapore is Asia's cleanest, most efficient, and most gastronomically extraordinary city-state. From a $3 hawker centre chicken rice to a $400 tasting menu at Odette (Asia's best restaurant), the food spans the continent and excels at every level. Changi Airport is the world's finest, and the city's green architecture and tropical gardens are spectacular.
Singapore is expensive for accommodation but the hawker centre food is extraordinary quality at $3-6 per dish, the MRT is cheap and excellent, and many of the city's greatest experiences are free — the Gardens by the Bay outdoor areas, Marina Bay Sands rooftop (external view), and the extraordinary street food heritage.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Singapore's 101-hectare garden of the future — the Supertrees, the world's largest glass greenhouse, and a cloud mountain indoors.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →The surfboard on three towers — 56 floors up, the deck that made Singapore's skyline famous, facing the skyline it made famous.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →The world's first nocturnal zoo — a tram through moonlit habitats where the animals are actually awake, deep in Singapore's forested north.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Dependable budget chain hotel: compact rooms, consistent standards, usually near transit.
Check prices on Klook →Dependable budget chain hotel: compact rooms, consistent standards, usually near transit.
Check prices on Klook →Little India social hostel, excellent local neighbourhood, 24hr reception
Check prices on Klook →Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Hawker Centres & Heritage ~$50
Day 2: Nature & Neighbourhoods ~$45
Day 3: East Coast & Departure ~$48
Eat at Maxwell Food Centre (Tian Tian Chicken Rice — Barack Obama ate here) and Lau Pa Sat for consistently excellent hawker food. Get an EZ-Link card for the MRT at S$12 (S$7 stored value). The Gardens by the Bay outdoor supertrees are free every evening.
Mid-range Singapore punches well above its weight — you get Michelin-starred hawker centres (yes, really), excellent boutique hotels in shophouse conversions, and experiences like Night Safari and Gardens by the Bay conservatories that are uniquely Singaporean. The city rewards curiosity beyond Orchard Road.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Singapore's 101-hectare garden of the future — the Supertrees, the world's largest glass greenhouse, and a cloud mountain indoors.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →The surfboard on three towers — 56 floors up, the deck that made Singapore's skyline famous, facing the skyline it made famous.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →The world's first nocturnal zoo — a tram through moonlit habitats where the animals are actually awake, deep in Singapore's forested north.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Orchard Road, rooftop pool, excellent value for Singapore
Check prices on Klook →Upper-tier international hotel: larger rooms, a pool or spa at most properties, central location.
Check prices on Klook →Mid-market chain hotel with straightforward rooms and breakfast included at most properties.
Check prices on Klook →Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Marina Bay & Orchard ~$110
Day 2: Heritage & Food Culture ~$120
Day 3: Sentosa & Departure ~$115
Candlenut in Holland Village is the world's only Michelin-starred Peranakan restaurant — excellent value at $80/person. The Night Safari at Singapore Zoo is genuinely spectacular. Sentosa island is an easy day trip.
Luxury Singapore is extraordinary — Marina Bay Sands is one of the world's most recognisable hotels, Capella Singapore on Sentosa is among Asia's finest resorts, and the Raffles Hotel (restored 2019) is a genuine piece of British colonial history. The restaurant scene at Odette level is world-class.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Singapore's 101-hectare garden of the future — the Supertrees, the world's largest glass greenhouse, and a cloud mountain indoors.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →The surfboard on three towers — 56 floors up, the deck that made Singapore's skyline famous, facing the skyline it made famous.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →The world's first nocturnal zoo — a tram through moonlit habitats where the animals are actually awake, deep in Singapore's forested north.
Read guide → Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
The world's most recognisable hotel — infinity pool 57 floors up, extraordinary
Check prices on Klook →Restored 1887 colonial legend, 115 suites, the Long Bar and Singapore Sling
Check prices on Klook →Sentosa resort masterpiece, colonial architecture, extraordinary spa
Check prices on Klook →Sample 3-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Raffles & Gardens ~$700
Day 2: Capella & Sentosa ~$600
Day 3: Art & Farewell ~$650
Odette at the National Gallery is one of the world's truly great restaurants — book 4 weeks ahead. The Raffles Singapore Long Bar Singapore Sling is a tourist ritual, but the Grand Lobby bar is genuinely beautiful. Request a pool-facing room at MBS for the city skyline view.
About Singapore
Equatorial climate: hot (30–33°C), humid, and rainy year-round with no true seasons. Rain comes as intense afternoon thunderstorms that pass in an hour — the city is designed for them (covered walkways everywhere). February–April is the driest period. November–January sees the Northeast Monsoon. The heat is the main challenge: air conditioning is universal inside, but moving between buildings in midday requires tolerance for humidity.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27° | 28° | 28° | 29° | 29° | 29° | 28° | 28° | 28° | 28° | 27° | 27° |
| 17d | 12d | 14d | 15d | 16d | 14d | 14d | 15d | 16d | 18d | 20d | 19d |
| high | high | mid | mid | mid | mid | low | low | low | mid | mid | high |
The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is clean, punctual, and covers the entire city. A single trip costs S$0.92–2.50. The EZ-Link contactless card works on MRT and buses. Buses are excellent for outer areas. Taxis and Grab (ride-hailing) are relatively expensive by Southeast Asian standards (S$3.90 flagfall) but cheap by Western ones. The city is compact enough that Grabbing everywhere is still affordable. Walking works between MRT stations in the centre — the covered walkways help in rain.
The lion statue and the waterfront, across the helix bridge to the hotel and the supertrees.
The three immigrant quarters the colonial plan separated, in one day, on two short MRT hops.
The botanic gardens before the heat, Little India and Kampong Glam, the national gallery, Chinatown's temple and hawker stalls, and the bay after dark.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in Singapore — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
The postcard Singapore: Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool, the Helix Bridge, the Supertree Grove. An engineered landscape of ambition and spectacle. The Gardens by the Bay light show (free) runs at 7:45pm and 8:45pm — the most photographed moment in Singapore. The ArtScience Museum and the financial towers surround the bay.
Best for luxurySingapore's most characterful neighborhood: the Sri Mariamman Temple (the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore, free to enter), the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (extraordinary multi-story pagoda), the Chinatown Heritage Centre, and the Maxwell Food Centre — one of Singapore's best hawker centres. The Chinatown Night Market runs daily on Pagoda Street.
Best for budgetThe most sensory-overwhelming neighborhood in Singapore: sari shops, garland sellers, the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, the Tekka Centre wet market (the best place to eat Indian food in Singapore), and Mustafa Centre (a 24-hour department store that sells everything at extremely competitive prices). On weekends, Indian migrant workers fill the streets — the neighborhood at its most alive.
Best for budgetThe traditional Malay quarter around the Sultan Mosque (Singapore's most beautiful mosque, gold dome, free to visit). Haji Lane is a narrow alley of vintage and concept stores beloved by Instagram. The surrounding streets have excellent Middle Eastern restaurants, vintage furniture shops, and some of Singapore's best rooftop bars. More authentic than Orchard Road; more curated than Chinatown.
Best for midrangeSingapore's most charming neighborhood: 1930s Art Deco public housing blocks converted into independent cafés, bookshops, and restaurants. Books Actually is a legendary independent bookshop; the morning wet market is one of the last old-school Singapore markets. Tiong Bahru Bakery's croissants are genuinely among Asia's best. A quiet, walkable contrast to the rest of Singapore's relentless efficiency.
Best for midrangeSingapore's resort island: Universal Studios, S.E.A. Aquarium, Palawan Beach, and the Resorts World casino complex. Connected to the mainland by a boardwalk, cable car, and monorail. Siloso Point has the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia. The Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa and the Capella Singapore (one of Asia's finest hotels) are on the island. Artificial but spectacularly executed.
Best for luxury- ✓Queue for everything — Singaporeans take it seriously (using items to "chope" seats is culturally normal)
- ✓Eat at hawker centres — that's where locals actually eat, and the food is excellent and cheap
- ✓Carry an umbrella — tropical downpours arrive with no warning at any time of day
- ✓Use the MRT — one of the world's most efficient metro systems, covering the whole island
- ✓Follow all rules — fines for littering, eating on the MRT, and jaywalking are real and enforced
- ✓Explore beyond Orchard Road — the best of Singapore is in neighbourhoods like Tiong Bahru and Joo Chiat
- ✗Eat or drink on the MRT — fines of up to SGD 500 are regularly issued
- ✗Litter — fines start at SGD 300 and can include a Corrective Work Order
- ✗Bring chewing gum into the country — it is prohibited (medical exceptions exist)
- ✗Jaywalk near busy intersections — police do issue tickets to pedestrians
- ✗Visit hawker centres only in tourist areas — the best food is in neighbourhood centres like Maxwell or Old Airport Road
- ✗Underestimate the heat — 32°C with high humidity is the daily norm year-round
Travel Insurance for Singapore
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Singapore. Safety is rated One of the world's safest cities — violent crime is effectively nonexistent — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: Visa-free for most nationalities (90 days for EU, US, UK, Australia, etc.). Check Singapore ICA website for your specific passport.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Get travel insurance for Singapore →FAQ: Singapore Travel Questions
Is Singapore safe to visit? ▾
One of the world's safest cities — violent crime is effectively nonexistent
When is the best time to visit Singapore? ▾
February – April (least rainfall) Equatorial climate: hot (30–33°C), humid, and rainy year-round with no true seasons. Rain comes as intense afternoon thunderstorms that pass in an hour — the city is designed for them (covered walkways everywhere). February–April is the driest period. November–January sees the Northeast Monsoon. The heat is the main challenge: air conditioning is universal inside, but moving between buildings in midday requires tolerance for humidity.
How much does a trip to Singapore cost per day? ▾
- budget: $40–$70/day
- midrange: $150–$280/day
- luxury: $500–$1200/day
- business: $200–$500/day
Do I need a visa to visit Singapore? ▾
Visa-free for most nationalities (90 days for EU, US, UK, Australia, etc.). Check Singapore ICA website for your specific passport.
How do I get around Singapore? ▾
The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is clean, punctual, and covers the entire city. A single trip costs S$0.92–2.50. The EZ-Link contactless card works on MRT and buses. Buses are excellent for outer areas. Taxis and Grab (ride-hailing) are relatively expensive by Southeast Asian standards (S$3.90 flagfall) but cheap by Western ones. The city is compact enough that Grabbing everywhere is still affordable. Walking works between MRT stations in the centre — the covered walkways help in rain. Singapore has a metro system. Taxi base fare ~$3. Day pass ~$10.
Is tipping expected in Singapore? ▾
Not expected — most bills include a 10% service charge and 9% GST. Tipping additionally is unusual and unnecessary.
What currency is used in Singapore? ▾
The local currency is SGD (S$) — Singapore dollar. 1 SGD ≈ €0.70. Cards accepted almost everywhere., and the official language is English (official), Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. English is the working language — no translation needed..