Spontaneous Singapore on a Shoe String

Singapore is usually dreaded by any low-budget backpacker exploring the otherwise cheap South East Asia. I don't know whether it was because I was expecting the worst, but Singapore didn't drain my bank account nearly as much as I thought. Prices were certainly just as expensive, if not worse, in tourist-taxed hotspots of Asia, like Phuket Thailand. Singapore is a

well-organised, cosmopolitan city that doesn't need a huge amount of time to explore, making it an easy addition to any wild South East Asian trip. It can be expensive if you want to live the high-class city life, but it's easy to live cheap.

Here's my guide to cutting costs in the Lion City.

Base in the Ethnic Hubs

China Town and Little India are the backpacker havens. They're lively, colourful, offer a great taste of different cultures and, most importantly, have plenty of cheap options. Meals aren't generally more than $5 and you can kill a lot of time navigating the streets, hunting for temples and window shopping for hidden treasures in quirky stores and markets.

Keep getting drawn back to the bright colours of Little India

Make use of the MRT

The MRT is Singapore's train system. It puts Melbourne's MYKI to absolute shame. You only need a couple of dollars to find to a new suburb to explore. I was like an excited kid with my freshly printed ticket jumping from suburb to suburb. Find some hipster cafes in Tiong Bahru, head to the shopping heaven of Orchard Road (window shop, obviously), or just get off somewhere random and make your own adventure.

Eat Local

Skip the Starbucks and western sit down restaurants. Go for the freshly-fried flavours of Singapore's wide selection of exotic foods. Tekka Centre in Little India had a huge range of $3-5 meals and I regularly enjoyed $1 juices and quick vendor treats in Bugis Street Market. 

Fried kailan with rice for $4 in Tekka Centre

Drink the Tap Water

Unlike most Asian destinations, you can actually do this in Singapore! No more buying plastic water bottles at every convenience store. Take full advantage.

 

Free Tours are Your Friend

You do not need to pay for activities to be entertained in Singapore. Every Saturday there's a free walking tour of China Town. I stayed at a hostel that ran free scooter tours which was a good way to explore the sites quickly. I later returned to my favourite free places I found on that trip. 

You don't even need a formal tour, it's so easy to explore exciting areas on your own. The one attraction most people seemed to think was worth the money was the Zoo. Apparently it's one the world's best if you're willing to part with $35AUD, but you won't be bored if you skip the places with entry costs.

Enjoying the wafts of incense and spices in China Town doesn't cost a thing

Visit the Botanic Gardens

I spent a solid afternoon exploring the gardens, randomly choosing a new path at every intersection. The gardens are huge, easy to get to and a welcome relief from city life. No cost to enter and students even get into the additional Orchard Garden for free ($5 for adults). 

Do bring your own snacks. There's no budget cafe and you will get thirsty.

There's plenty of space to wander in the Botanic Gardens

Know the Currency

Conveniently, when I was in the Singapore one Singapore dollar converted exactly to one Australian dollar. No matter how much I travel I usually get dibbed out of cash in my first few days of a new country. It's easy to fumble new currency or get ripped off. Not in Singapore. I knew exactly what I was spending.

Learn to Love Marina Bay

This isn't a hard task. Marina Bay is the leading tourist attraction and a defining point of the city. You can't visit Singapore without it. The Bay has a stunning backdrop of city lights, well-crafted landmarks and is home to the award winning architecture of Gardens by the Bay. Best thing about it is it's free to enjoy. I spent a lot of time here.

The evening lights make later in the day the best time to visit Marina Bay

Buildings sang in the phenomenal Christmas show at Gardens by the Bay

Make Singapore your First Stop

If I had have come from any other South East Asian country I probably wouldn't be calling Singapore so affordable. Singapore is expensive compared to the likes of Vietnam or Indonesia, but still cheap if you come from Australia or parts of Europe. Sometimes price is more a case of timing and comparison, than actuality. Plan wisely. 

So Singapore can be done on a shoestring, but why the spontaneous in the title? Well, if you’ve read my ditchedinafrica blog you’ll know that cities are not my favourite destination. So a trip to Singapore, a country that is basically just one giant city, is not exactly going to be a planned one for me. Honestly, it only made my itinerary thanks to a visa application for an internship program in Indonesia.

Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting to be impressed, but Singapore was way more than a quick visa stop over. The city is unbelievably clean and organised, while still managing to seem to cool, trendy and dare I say a little hipster.

My lack of directional sense has left me lost on multiple occasions in my travels- particularly in the windy streets and chaotic cities of South East Asia. Not Singapore. It would take some real work to get seriously lost with all the signage, maps and landmarks.

The thing I found fascinating about Singapore was how the city feels caught between old and new. The tallest and cleanest skyscrapers would often be juxtaposed with colonial buildings or small eccentric temples.

A colourful building in Little India stands against the backdrop of city buildings

Singapore is breath of fresh air and a moment of comfort on a crazy South East Asian trip. There's a reason it's one of the world's most expensive cities to live in- it's pretty nice.
I actually felt a little bad I didn’t plan the trip or spend more money.

Singapore's stunning city skyline

I visited Singapore solo in late December 2015 for 5 nights, staying at the The Inn Crowd.


All the way from Melbourne, this is the first post in my 7-month trip in South East Asia after being ditched in Southern Africa for 5 months. Most of my posts are about Africa, check out my blog HERE.

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