Singapore is an amazing, multicultural city state that has so much going on. It’s a melting pot of different cultures from around Asia where you’ll find incredible food, rich history, and a beautiful tropical climate, yet a lot of people miss it out when they’re traveling around Asia. The main reason for this is the cost. Singapore is a world hub for business and it’s known for being very expensive. There are luxury hotels and expensive bars and restaurants all over the place and if you’re looking for a budget trip, you might think that it’s not for you. While it’s true that the cost of living in Singapore is incredibly high and it’s easy to spend a lot of money in a short period of time while you’re there, it is still possible to do it on a budget. If you’ve overlooked Singapore in the past because you thought it was too expensive, here’s how you can plan a trip without breaking the bank.
Use A Flight Comparison Site
When you’re planning a trip, the first big expense you need to consider is the flights. If you’re already travelling around Asia, you should be able to get a fairly cheap flight to get you to Singapore. But if you’re going straight there, it’s probably going to cost you a bit more. But as long as you shop around and you’re a bit more flexible on the dates, you can usually find a good deal. Use comparison sites like Cheapflights to look at all of the different flights available and see if you can find a good deal. You should also make sure that you delete your browsing history each time you look at flights because if you’ve looked before, the airlines will raise the prices to get you to panic buy them. As long as you’re patient and you wait for the best deals to come up, you’ll be able to get a reasonable price on a flight.
Avoid The Hotels
Singapore is filled with luxury hotels that are frequented by travelling business people from around the world. But if you stay in one of those, you’re going to spend so much money. There’s no need to spend a lot of money on a luxury hotel either because there is so much to see and do in Singapore that you’ll hardly be there anyway. If you’re going to do it on a budget, you need to find some cheaper accommodation options. You can easily find a short term rental house in Singapore which is a lot more cost effective, especially if you’re going with a bigger group because you can split the cost between you. Having a house of your own will also help you to save money on food because you can cook breakfast and lunch there rather than having to eat out or spend money in a hotel restaurant for every meal.
Hawker Centres
There are so many high end restaurants in Singapore serving some of the most incredible food anywhere in the world. While you’re out there, you should try to budget a bit of money for a meal at one of these amazing restaurants, but you won’t be able to afford to eat there every night. But that’s fine because not all of the delicious food in Singapore comes with a big price tag. The Hawker centres in Singapore are big food markets where you’ll find all sorts of different food stalls selling delicious cuisine from around Asia. You’ll find Malay, Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Japanese food there and the prices are all very reasonable. Often, you’ll get a far more authentic experience eating in one of the Hawker centres and you’ll save yourself a lot of money as well.
There are a lot of expensive things that you can do and see while you’re in Singapore but if you focus on the cultural side of Singapore, you’ll see some amazing things and you won’t spend anywhere near as much money. There is a rich mix of different cultures and religions in Singapore and that means there are a lot of different temples to visit. The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Sultan Mosque are two of the most popular sights and it doesn’t cost you anything to go and see them. You’ll also have a lot of fun exploring the different cultural regions of Singapore and meeting people from different areas. Soaking up the culture is free and it’s one of the best things about visiting Singapore.
Get Around On Foot
Singapore is a fairly small place so it’s easy enough to get around on foot. A lot of the public transport stops are so close to each other that it’s usually just as quick to walk and you won’t have to spend any money. When you’re walking around, you’ll also have more of a chance to immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of the place, rather than just seeing the inside of a bus or a taxi all of the time.
EZ-Link Cards
Walking is the best way to get around the city state but sometimes, you just don’t have the time. If you’ve got a busy day planned and you don’t want to waste time walking from one place to another or you’re just feeling lazy, the public transport links are great. However, if you’re paying separately for each trip, it’s going to cost you more. But you can save yourself a lot of money if you get an EZ-Link card. It’s a prepaid card that works just like an Oyster card on the tube and you can load money onto it as and when you need to. The trips cost a lot less if you’re using one of these cards instead of paying separately so it’s worth getting one even if you don’t plan to use it that much.
Singapore is such an amazing place but a lot of people are put off by the price – including me! But as long as you follow these tips, it is possible to have a budget trip to Singapore.
