In this post I’m giving you a full breakdown of how much I spent for a solo 3 day stopover in Singapore.

I arrived in Singapore in the evening, then had 3 full days in Singapore, taking a red eye fly out of Singapore on the 3rd day.

A few things to note about prices in this post:

• Excludes flights as that’s going to vary depending on where you’re flying to / from, if you’re ok with a cheaper red eye flight, are doing Singapore as a trip on it’s own or part of a multi-city ticket stopover on a longer trip
• Prices were as of the time of my visit in August 2024
• I booked the hotel 5 weeks in advance
• My visit was a few days after Singapore’s National Day, the cost of accommodation may have been higher due to this (and booking last minute)

I visited Singapore on the way home from my spontaneous Europe trip. Download the full itinerary here.

How much does a 3 day Singapore Stopover cost as a solo traveler?

Here’s the full breakdown:

Accommodation

I stayed at the Citadines Connect City Centre which is a 4 star hotel.

You can certainly find cheaper options in different parts of Singapore, but I wanted that hotel for it’s location. My sister had stayed in that hotel when she visited and liked the area. Plus I booked so last minute (only 5 weeks ahead) that there were only a handful of hotels left. If you book further ahead you’ll have more options. I also accidentally timed my visit around Singapore’s 40th birthday celebrations which may have spiked the price.

I would’ve been fine in a room with just a single bed but I couldn’t find any suitable hotels with this option, it was all double beds. If I had travelled with someone else I could’ve cut the accommodation cost in half. Accommodation is definitely the thing that blows the budget the most when travelling solo.

I stayed in Singapore for 3 nights.

Total spent on Accommodation = $815 SGD ($272 SGD per night)

Entry fees

These are the attractions I visited during my stay:

• Gardens By The Bay – OBCB Skyway = $14 SGD
• Gardens by the bay – Cloud forest = $24 SGD
• Marina Bay Sands Skypark Observation Deck viewpoint during the day = $32 SGD

Total spent on entry fees = $70 SGD

Read more: Is the SkyPark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands worth visiting?

Transport

Singapore’s MRT (underground train system) is clean, fast and easy to navigate. The buses are also super easy to get around on. Both forms of transport felt very safe, I took a bus back to my hotel at 10pm at night from Marina Bay Sands and there were still plenty of people around.

I took the bus to and from Changi airport. While it did take a while it was much cheaper than taking a taxi (as I was travelling solo). I could’ve taken the MRT but didn’t as I worry escalators or lifts can be broken and don’t want to carry my suitcases up stairs.

The Sentosa Express Monorail to get to Sentosa Island is $4 SGD which looking back was quite the rip off. I could’ve taken it back but the queues were so long I just decided to walk back across the boardwalk instead.

Bus and train fares were about $1 SGD each journey, but it varies depending on the distance travelled.

The bus fare to or from Changi Airport to Orchard road is only approx. $2.50 SGD. It does take 60 – 90 minutes depending on traffic though. Because of all of the stops this is quite a bit longer than a taxi which could get you there in about 30 minutes but costs $25 – 35 SGD. See why I took the bus!

There’s more helpful info about airport transfers on the Changi Airport website here.

Total spent on transport for 3 days was $22 SGD which included transport around Singapore as well as the bus to and from Singapore airport. Bargain!

Food

Not all places give you receipts e.g. the Hawker Centres which is mostly where I ate, so this is an estimate cost for my food bill.

In Hawker Centres, expect to pay no more than 10 SGD per meal. I ate at the Jurassic Nest Food Hall which is near the Supertree Grove and surprisingly since it’s in a touristy area, it was around the same price as the Hawker Centres I went to (which were nowhere near as clean and did not have air conditioning).

Read more: First Timer’s Guide to Singapore Hawker Centres: Tips You Need to Know

The only restaurant I ate at was in Changi airport which was a rip off for $20 SGD for a tiny burrito. I should’ve just eaten at the food court.

I usually skip lunch when I’m travelling. I do a lot of walking and don’t want to feel tired or weighed down by a big meal in the middle of the day. Instead I have sugar hits of junk food instead of real good. Yes I know this is unhealthy but a to go sandwich isn’t always available and it’s what works for me. I eat healthy when I’m at home!

I really love a good shake so I went to Shake Shack, Five Guys and Mos Burger (for their soft serve) multiple times throughout the trip for snacks. I also went to Nasty Cookie and had some snacks from the Japanese bakeries on Orchard road. At $8 – $10 SGD, a shake actually cost about the same as a meal at a hawker centre.

The only drink I bought was fresh lemonade near the Chinatown hawker centre which cost $3.50 SGD.

I take my own water bottle to have during the day. There are free water refill stations so I could just top up my water bottle instead of buying one.

Total spent on food for 3 days was approx. $95 SGD.

Shopping

I rarely buy stuff when I’m travelling. I mostly buy some small souvenirs and stationery only.

On this trip I purchased:

• Glass souvenir of the Singapore skyline (I collect these instead of fridge magnets) = $1 SGD (these normally cost $20 AUD in other cities so if you are buying more souvenirs, definitely budget for more than what I spent)
• Think stationery = $10.70 SGD
• Hands stationery = $7.80 SGD
• NBC stationery = $1.85 SGD
• Daiso = $4.40 SGD

Total spent on shopping = approx. $26 SGD

Related post: The best stationery shops in Singapore (pens, highlighters, washi tape, stencils etc.)

How to save money when visiting Singapore

Food is the easiest way to save money. You can spend a fair bit at a fancy restaurant, or get a cheap meal at a Hawker Centre. Singapore has food options for all budgets.

Book your hotel and flights far in advance. These 2 are the biggest expenses. If you book your flights as soon as the dates are released (12 months or even 9 months ahead is ok), you will save hundreds.

Take pubic transport to and from Changi airport. The airport is quite far from the touristy area. If you take a taxi it will cost a lot more than if you take the bus or the MRT.

Skip the monorail to Sentosa island which costs $4 SGD and just walk there instead via the Sentosa Boardwalk.

It’s free to walk around Sentosa Island including the Fort Siloso Skywalk which is where I took this photo from

There is a combo ticket for the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest which can save you a bit of money.

I visited when the AUD to SGD exchange rate was strong. $1 AUD was worth approx. $0.88 SGD which also helped!

Walking around Singapore is free and there is plenty to see! The metro and buses are cheap and easy to get around, no need to book guided city tours.

If you do take public transport, I did the math and it’s actually cheaper to just tap your credit card and pay as you go (which is what I did), rather than paying for a day pass with unlimited travel.

Make sure you carry cash. Many of the Hawker Centres will only accept cash payment.

If you visit on a weekday accommodation is going to be cheaper than on a weekend.

If you really want to save money, get red eye flights to and from Singapore. If you land in the morning you can use the hotel luggage storage while you explore, same if you get a red eye flight out. My departing flight was at 8:30pm so I was able to spend almost a full day in Singapore before heading to the airport.

Years ago Singapore Airlines used to do a free stopover package but sadly it no longer exists. They still do stopover deals with discounted accomodation but I didn’t think these were that much cheaper than just booking it myself. I was also travelling on Emirates and Qantas, not Singapore airlines.

Things I didn’t do

Here’s a list of some other well known Singapore attractions and their cost to give you an indication of how much more you may need to budget if you want to do these:

• Sentosa Island Universal Studios = $82 SGD for an adult ticket
• Singapore Art Museum = $25 SGD
• Floral Fantasy at Gardens by the Bay = $20 SGD
• Super Tree Observatory = $14 SGD
• Marina Bay Sands Skypark Observation Deck at night (peak ticket from 5pm – 10pm costs more than a day ticket) = $39 SGD for a night ticket
• The Singapore Flyer ferris wheel = $40 SGD

Do I regret not doing these things?

No. I’ve been to Universal Studios in the USA and didn’t think it was that great. I don’t care for art so didn’t care to visit the art museum.

Looking back I kinda wish I’d done the flower dome but it was just so expensive! I do think it’s overpriced for what it is, but if I ever go back to Singapore I’d probably visit it. I’d also do the Super Tree Observatory as I only did the OBCB Skyway.

I would’ve loved to go up to the top of the Marina Bay Sands Observation Deck again at night. Singapore if very much a nighttime city and I wish I’d spent an extra night to experience more of it.

Total Spent for 3 days Solo in Singapore

Here are the totals for each category:

• Accommodation = $815 SGD
• Entry fees = $70 SGD
• Transport = $22 SGD
• Food = $95 SGD
• Shopping = $26 SGD

Total Spent for 3 days Solo in Singapore = $1,028 SGD / $1,200 AUD / $790 USD

Make sure you also budget for your flights and travel insurance which are not included in the above.

Singapore is not known for being a cheap country, I didn’t think the cost was too bad for a solo trip.

If I had travelled with someone and halve the accommodation cost, then the trip would been around $620 SGD / $740 AUD / $475 USD.

More posts to help you plan your trip to Singapore

• First Timer’s Guide to Singapore Hawker Centres: Tips You Need to Know
• Guide to visiting Gardens by the Bay in Singapore (including the best photo spots for the Supertree Grove)
• Is the SkyPark Observation Deck at Marina Bay Sands worth visiting?
• The best stationery shops in Singapore (pens, highlighters, washi tape, stencils etc.)

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