Travel content creators try to survive on a $500 budget for 4 days in Singapore, here's how they fared

It's no secret that Singapore is an expensive city. Just last month, the Lion City made headlines for being the world’s priciest city, tying with Zurich. 

But couple Josh and Lisa, who are travel content creators, decided to explore Singapore for four days with a daily budget of just US$100 (S$134).

If you're wondering how they ended up with such an odd number like US$375 in total, rather than $400, Josh said that they would be in Singapore for only "3.75 days".  

They documented their experience in a 48-minute video on YouTube on Tuesday (Dec 12).

Their expenses listed are in US dollar, per the video.

Day 1

After landing in Changi Airport, where they explored all of its OTT amenities, the couple headed straight down to Geylang for dim sum. 

Considering their budget, they only ordered four dishes: siew mai, chicken feet, lo mai kai and bao, with the total bill coming up to US$12.20.

Up next, they explored the heritage ‘hood of Chinatown. They munched on two egg tarts and a custard bun from Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries, setting them back US$2.98. 

Over at Chinatown Complex, they spent a total of US$5.55 on chicken rice and char kway teow. 

For their last meal, they made their way to Old Airport Road Food Centre for wanton mee and satay, which cost US$7.39.

Total spent: US$96.21 (including other costs like train fare and hotel stay)

Day 2

For breakfast, the duo enjoyed kaya toast, peanut butter toast and kopi at Old Airport Road Hawker Centre for US$5.18. 

Then they spent their day exploring Kampong Glam, followed by Little India, where they savoured mutton biryani and roti prata for US$11.81 at Tekka Market.

"I’ve been dreaming about this hawker centre and the food for years now," Lisa added.

After that, they headed down to Fort Canning Park, followed by beers (US$3.70) along the Singapore river at a Boat Quay bar. 

For dinner, they made their way to Lau Pa Sat. After exploring the labyrinth of stalls, they settled for claypot chicken rice and mee soto for US$10.97.

For dessert, Josh got a “slab of peppermint chocolate ice cream” (US$1.11) sandwiched between two wafers from the humble ice cream man. 

Total spent: US$100.47 (including other costs like train fare and hotel stay)

Day 3

On the third day, they experienced the greenery of Singapore by taking the Southern Ridges walk from Hort Park all the way to Henderson Waves.

The only expense during the walk was the US$1.48 orange juice from the popular iJooz vending machine.

Lunch was at Food Republic in Suntec City, where the couple got fried fish soup (US$4.57) and the classic chicken rice (US$4.43). 

The rest of the day was spent cycling from Gardens by the Bay all the way to Changi Airport, passing through the Jurassic Mile. The total rental cost of the bikes was US$18.

Halfway through their journey, they made a pit stop at East Coast Lagoon Food Village. They got prawn noodles, chicken wings, hokkien mee, popiah and fries for US$13.27. 

For dinner, they got pork rib soup and xiao long bao for US$6.64 at Old Airport Road Food Centre. 

Total spent: US$123.03 (including other costs like train fare and hotel stay)

Day 4

Approaching their last day with US$55.29, the couple opted for a unique adventure. 

First they packed some light bites like siew mai and spring rolls for US$7.01 before heading to Marina South Pier.

Over there, they got boat tickets to St. John's Island (US$22.12), and while waiting for their ferry, Lisa got kopi in a takeaway plastic bag (US$0.88).

After reaching St. John's Island, they explored the lush surrounding before making their way to Lazarus Island for a leisurely picnic along the beach. 

"We wanted to get out and see a different side of Singapore that we’ve never seen before," Lisa mentioned.

They concluded the time in Singapore at Changi Airport, indulging in some of the free amenities such as the cinema, butterfly garden and of course the largest indoor waterfall at Jewel. 

They concluded their Singapore journey at Changi Airport, experiencing the free amenities like the cinema, butterfly garden and the iconic indoor waterfall at Jewel.

Total spent: US$36.07 (including other costs like train fare)

All in all, they still had US$19.22 to spare!

Their budget-savvy approach involved a lot of free activities, like catching the light shows at Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay.

They also visited temples such as the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Sri Mariamman Temple, which are free to visit.

They also did some window shopping at Mustafa Centre and even checked out the upscale stores at Marina Bay Sands. 

Plus, all their meals were from hawker centres, which are much cheaper than dining in restaurants.

It goes to show that Singapore can be surprisingly affordable if approached wisely.

ALSO READ: How expensive is Singapore? 2 tourists try to survive on a $50 budget for a day

venkat.gunasellan@asiaone.com

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