Quick price summary: Restaurants in Singapore (2026)
- Low end: SGD $6 – $15 per person (hawker centres, food courts, fast food chains)
- Mid-range: SGD $20 – $60 per person (casual dining, international cuisine restaurants)
- High end / enterprise: SGD $80 – $300+ per person (fine dining, omakase, rooftop restaurants)
Prices in Singapore Dollars (SGD). Last updated 2026.
Singapore’s dining scene spans one of the widest price ranges in Southeast Asia. At one end, a plate of chicken rice at a hawker centre costs around SGD $4 to $6. At the other, a tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant can reach SGD $300 per person before drinks. Between those two extremes sits an enormous variety of food courts, casual restaurants, international cuisine spots, and mid-market chains serving everything from KFC fried chicken to Japanese ramen and Indian curry.
What drives the difference in cost is rarely just food quality. Location, service style, licensing costs, ingredient sourcing, and the type of dining experience on offer all play a role. A burger at a food court might cost SGD $8, while the same burger at a restaurant in Orchard Road or Marina Bay Sands could run SGD $25 to $35. Understanding how Singapore’s dining tiers are structured helps you budget accurately, whether you are eating out daily or planning a special occasion.
What Do Restaurants Cost in Singapore?
The most affordable meals in Singapore come from hawker centres and food courts, where most dishes are priced between SGD $3.50 and $8. Popular food court brands and chains such as KFC, Burger King, and McDonald’s typically charge SGD $8 to $14 for a meal set. A KFC fried chicken two-piece meal with a drink sits at roughly SGD $9 to $11, while a Burger King combo averages SGD $10 to $13. These chains are widely available across shopping malls, MRT hubs, and standalone shops across the island.
Casual sit-down restaurants charge considerably more. A standard lunch at a mid-range restaurant, covering a starter, main, and soft drink, typically costs SGD $25 to $50 per person. Dinner at the same establishments often runs SGD $40 to $70 once you factor in alcohol or dessert. At the premium end, restaurants in hotels, on Sentosa, or in the CBD’s financial district regularly price set menus at SGD $85 to $180 per person. Omakase and fine dining experiences with wine pairings can push past SGD $300 per person.
Price Breakdown by Service Level
| Service Level | What You Get | Typical Price Range (per person) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget (Hawker / Food Courts) | Local dishes, fried chicken, noodles, rice plates, drinks. Brands like KFC and Burger King also fit this tier. Self-service ordering common. | SGD $4 – $15 | Daily meals, quick lunches, families on a budget |
| Casual / Mid-Market | Table service, international cuisine, set lunch menus, local chain restaurants, cafes. Includes Western, Japanese, Korean, and Indian restaurants. | SGD $20 – $55 | Weekend dining, group meals, tourists exploring local and international food |
| Premium / Upscale | Full table service, quality ingredients, curated wine lists, established restaurant groups. Often in hotels or lifestyle precincts like Dempsey Hill or Robertson Quay. | SGD $60 – $130 | Business dinners, date nights, special occasions |
| Fine Dining / Omakase | Chef-driven tasting menus, sommelier service, premium imported ingredients, Michelin-recognised restaurants. Reservations often required weeks in advance. | SGD $150 – $300+ | Celebrations, corporate entertainment, serious food enthusiasts |
What Affects the Cost of Restaurants in Singapore?
Location and rental costs
Commercial rents in Singapore are among the highest in Asia. A restaurant operating in Orchard Road, Marina Bay, or the CBD pays significantly more per square metre than one in a suburban food court or industrial estate. Those costs pass directly to the diner. A meal of similar quality can cost 30 to 50 per cent more in a prime location compared to a neighbourhood eatery in Tampines or Jurong.
Ingredient sourcing and food safety standards
Singapore imports over 90 per cent of its food, which means prices are directly affected by global supply chains, freight costs, and currency exchange rates. The Singapore Food Agency enforces strict food safety and hygiene regulations, and compliant sourcing from approved suppliers adds to operating costs. Restaurants using fresh, imported produce from Japan, Australia, or Europe charge more than those relying on local or regional suppliers. Sustainability-focused sourcing, such as certified seafood or organic produce, adds a further premium.
Cuisine type and ingredient complexity
Local Singaporean dishes such as chicken rice, laksa, and char kway teow use widely available regional ingredients and established cooking methods, keeping costs low. International cuisine restaurants, particularly Japanese, French, or modern European concepts, rely on specialty ingredients that are more expensive to source. An authentic Japanese omakase restaurant flies in fish from Tokyo’s Toyosu market, which alone drives per-head costs well above SGD $100.
Dining format and service model
Self-service food courts and hawker-style shops carry minimal staffing costs. Full table-service restaurants require front-of-house teams, sommeliers, and trained kitchen staff, all of which increase overheads. Most mid-range and premium restaurants in Singapore add a 10 per cent service charge and 9 per cent GST to bills, effectively adding around 19 per cent to the listed menu price. Always check whether prices shown are before or after these additions.
Brand and chain pricing
Established international brands such as Burger King, KFC, and other global fast food chains operate on standardised pricing with regular promotional deals. Local food brands and independent restaurants have more variable pricing. Premium local brands that have built a strong reputation, particularly in categories like Hainanese chicken rice or chilli crab, sometimes charge prices comparable to casual dining restaurants despite a food court setting.
How to Get Accurate Quotes
- Check the restaurant’s menu online before visiting. Most Singapore restaurants publish current menus with prices on their websites or via platforms like Chope, Oddle, or OpenTable. Confirm whether prices shown are inclusive or exclusive of GST and service charge.
- Use food delivery apps such as GrabFood or foodpanda to compare prices across restaurants in a particular area or cuisine category. Delivery menu prices sometimes differ from dine-in prices, so cross-reference where possible.
- For group bookings or private dining, contact restaurants directly by phone or email. Many offer set menus for groups of six or more that provide better value than ordering à la carte.
- Check current promotions through the restaurant’s social media pages or through credit card dining programmes. Banks such as DBS, UOB, and OCBC regularly offer 1-for-1 deals or percentage discounts at partner restaurants, which can reduce bills by 20 to 50 per cent.
- For fine dining or omakase restaurants, ask whether the listed price includes beverage pairings, or whether drinks are charged separately. A SGD $180 tasting menu can exceed SGD $280 once a wine pairing is added.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
- Menus with no prices listed, or prices that change from the menu to the final bill without explanation. Always confirm costs before ordering, particularly at tourist-facing restaurants near Boat Quay or Clarke Quay.
- Restaurants that do not clearly disclose whether menu prices are before or after the 10 per cent service charge and 9 per cent GST. A SGD $30 main course becomes SGD $35.70 with both applied.
- Food courts or hawker stalls that charge significantly above the local average without a clear reason. A plate of fried chicken rice that costs SGD $14 in a regular food court setting deserves scrutiny.
- New restaurants with very low prices across an unusually broad menu. This can indicate cost-cutting on ingredients or poor sourcing practices that may affect food safety.
- Online reservation platforms that add undisclosed booking fees, particularly for popular restaurants during peak periods or public holidays.
- Restaurants that push expensive bottled water, premium bread courses, or side dishes that are not clearly marked as optional extras. These small additions can inflate a mid-range meal bill by SGD $15 to $30 per table.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do restaurants cost in Singapore on average?
The average cost depends heavily on the type of dining. At hawker centres and food courts, expect to spend SGD $6 to $12 per person per meal. Casual restaurant dining typically runs SGD $25 to $55 per person. A mid-week lunch at a standard restaurant with a set menu can come in around SGD $20 to $30. Dinner at a quality restaurant, inclusive of service charge and GST, commonly lands between SGD $50 and $90 per person.
Why are some restaurants prices so much cheaper?
Lower-priced restaurants, particularly hawker stalls and food courts, benefit from government-subsidised rental rates for licensed hawkers, lower staffing requirements, simpler menus with regional ingredients, and no requirement to charge GST if their annual turnover falls below the registration threshold. Chains like KFC and Burger King achieve low prices through bulk purchasing and standardised supply chains. Independent budget restaurants cut costs by focusing on a narrow menu of popular dishes rather than a broad international selection.
Is it worth paying more for restaurants in Singapore?
It depends on what you are paying for. Singapore’s hawker food is genuinely world-class at SGD $4 to $8 a plate, and paying ten times more does not guarantee a proportionally better meal. The premium at fine dining and upscale restaurants reflects the full experience, including service, ambience, chef expertise, and ingredient quality, not just the food on the plate. For a special occasion or a curated culinary experience, spending SGD $100 to $200 per person at a reputable restaurant is well justified. For everyday dining, the value available at food courts and mid-range casual restaurants in Singapore is exceptional by any international comparison.
Dining out in Singapore can cost as little as SGD $6 or as much as SGD $300 per person, and both ends of that range represent genuine value for what they deliver. The key is matching your budget to the right format: hawker centres and food courts for daily meals, casual restaurants for relaxed social dining, and premium or fine dining venues when the occasion warrants it. Factor in GST and service charge on all sit-down meals, check for credit card promotions before you book, and you will consistently get good food at a fair price across Singapore’s extensive and varied restaurant scene.
For a curated list of top-rated providers, see our guide: Best Restaurants in Singapore (2026).
