Singapore is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. Considering that this country’s economy relies heavily on its hectic commercial seaports, it is interesting to take note that the tourism industry is known to be a huge economic contributor. According to the Singapore Tourism Board, the total value of accumulated tourism receipts in 2016 was worth around US $18.01 billion.
This island-nation has generated a total of 16.4 million international visitor arrivals in 2017 alone. The numbers are pretty much expected since Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Furthermore, English (the global lingua franca) remains the dominant official language – a huge convenience on the part of international visitors.
For a nation that only spans a total land area of 682.7 square kilometers, Singapore has proven itself capable of gigantic accomplishments. The 2015 publication of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranks Singapore as the second most lucrative country in Asia after Japan.
Average Cost of Singapore Trip
Traveling overseas as a tourist gratifies any person’s innate drive to explore the unknown. However, that sense of adventure is subject to one compelling force of reality – money. Hence, any smart traveler knows that one must have a good projection of his or her personal budget sustaining the temporary holiday lifestyle within a certain period of time. So how much does a trip to Singapore cost?
Here is an analysis classifying the basic ranges of cost projections:
Low-cost per person
- One day: $40
- One week: $281
- Two weeks: $561
- One month: $1,203
Mid-range per person
- One day: $106
- One week: $741
- Two weeks: $1,482
- One month: $3,176
Luxury per person
- One day: $293
- One week: $2,050
- Two weeks: $4,101
- One month: $8,787
What are Included
Among the things included in the overall spending, plane tickets comprise the most significant of all. One can get a bargain round-trip price of a flight to Singapore anywhere between $640 and $2,500.
In several online forums, testimonies by other travelers confirm that the issue of exorbitance is only relative to a particular area of spending. As with any other unfamiliar place, a Singapore trip cost is comprised of several main aspects.
These are the areas of spending (as well as their average cost) that warrant keen oversight on the part of the traveler:
- Food: $23 per day
- Water: $1.98 per day
- Transportation: $7.30 (local) or $24 (inter-city)
- Entertainment: $20 (e.g. entry fees) per day
- Alcoholic drinks: $34 per day
- Tips and hand-outs: $8.76 (e.g. guides)
- Accommodation: $64 per person
Judging from the figures shown in this part of the article, accommodation is still the most expensive part of traveling in Singapore. Despite the average daily cost for food, one can enjoy Singapore’s local cuisine at a much cheaper price by dining at low-cost bistros, food courts and streetside hawkers (kiosks). Online travel guides suggest focusing one’s budget strategy on choosing smart alternatives for a temporary living space.
Instead of hotels, travelers are advised to book reservations in dorms and hostels, many of which are found in Airbnb and other similar sources. For a night at these places, one can spend only a fraction of the average accommodation cost – roughly around $11 to $13. The ultimate cost-cutting alternative, however, is to be a member of a Couchsurfing community. Many of Singapore’s expatriates are members of this travel hosting network wherein the only intrinsic form of exchange is ‘free bed for friendship.’
Additional Costs
All the things mentioned in the previous part of the article are essential factors that comprise the overall Singapore exploration expense.
However, a traveler may end up paying more than what is necessary. It could cost a lot for a traveler to lose his or her luggage on transit, gets sick in a foreign country, gets his or her trip canceled, or has to be evacuated during an emergency. Travel insurance can help travelers avoid financial difficulties associated with these struggles during their holidays. In the United States, the average cost of a travel insurance premium is $148.
Curiously, there is a reason Singapore earns the moniker “a fine city.” While the pleasant adjective describes Singapore as a picturesque ideal metropolis, the tricky double-sided meaning behind the nickname describes Singapore as a place where people are fined for several minor offenses.
One can obviously understand how Singapore managed a very reputable low crime rate. It is important to appreciate that breaking rules in Singapore are very costly. It is best to avoid the following transgressions or end up adding these fines in the additional travel contingency cost:
- Getting caught jaywalking: around $15 to $740
- Bringing alcohol in a public hospital: around $740
- Feeding a wild animal: around $1,500
- Seen completely naked at home: around $1,500
- Bringing contraband cigarettes: around $1,500 to $3,000
- Keeping a cat in an HBD residential property: around $3,000
- Using someone else’s WIFI connection: around $7,400
- Importing chewing gum without proper documents: around $75,000
Shopping for Vacation Packages
Vacation packages offer certain advantages over conventionally planned trips. For one thing, packaged trips have a fixed price that covers a number of essential factors that comprise an overall vacation cost. It is important to understand, however, that vacation packages only indemnify partial elements of the holiday budget.
Speaking of partial, another fact one should remember when it comes to looking for a Singapore vacation package is that Singapore may only be a part of the itinerary. After all, 682.7 square kilometers of urban jungle could be a relatively small and constricting area for adventurous road-trippers to explore. Anyone seeking excellent Singapore vacation packages could look at the following online sources:
- Make My Trip
- Tours 4 Fun
- Trip Masters
- Friendly Planet
- Thomas Cook
Factors Affecting Singapore Trip Cost
Traveling in Singapore could either be cheap or expensive depending on how one would create a balance between budget and lifestyle. Among the first things that one could maneuver in terms of overall expenditure is the price of plane tickets. Prices are usually determined by the travel distance, the quality of the aircraft, and the number of passengers. When booking for flights overseas, one should consider the factors that can obviously help adjust the ticket price:
- Departure location (e.g. flying from New York or Los Angeles)
- Airplane cabin (e.g. economy, business, or first class)
- Passenger age group (e.g. adult, senior citizen, children, infant)
- Plane itinerary (e.g. one-way, multi-city, round-trip)
Another important factor that affects the overall travel budget is the schedule. As a tropical island nation in Southeast Asia, Singapore has a fine season all year round. Climate changes may not make much of a difference but it is also important to take note that more than ten million international visitors enter Singapore. Since population density often has a direct correlation with local commercial prices, it is best to schedule vacations in the months of October and November – wherein the average cost bedroom vacation rentals is $111.