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Heading to Singapore with the family and don’t want to break the bank? Check out these 9 Tips on How to Save Money when Travelling to Singapore with kids.

How to Save Money when travelling to Singapore with kids

Singapore is one of those places that has it all when it comes to family travel. A bustling city that is very safe, kid-friendly and easy to get around. A huge array of food options. Amazing kid-friendly resorts, world-class attractions to suit kids of all ages. Shopping in malls that never end.

Singapore is one of the most expensive cities to travel to — View over Marina Bay Sands and the Merlion

But, it is also costly, and saying yes to doing everything in this place also makes it for one very pricey holiday. Read on to learn more and on 9 Tips on How to Save When travelling to Singapore with kids.

Is Singapore expensive?

If you compare it to other cities in South East Asia, the answer is yes.

A taxi ride in Singapore will set you back more than double what a taxi will cost you in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur.

resort world Sentosa, one of the priciest places in Singapore — Resorts World Sentosa

A burger in a decent family-friendly restaurant will cost you around SGD 25 per person. A small glass of wine will also cost as much as that burger. Yes, you read correctly.

Hop over to the glitzy island of Sentosa and an ice cream can set you back a whopping SGD 9 per scoop and paid entry to pretty much everything you see, including playgrounds.

But, a bit of research and planning can go a long way, and save you HUNDREDS, while still having an amazing holiday with the kids.

Lau Pas Sat, one of the popular Hawker centres in Singapore and a great place to check out for an inexpensive meal — Lau Pas Sat – The most popular Hawker Centre in Singapore

9 Tips on How to Save Money when Travelling to Singapore with Kids

Head to convenience stores for snacks, ice creams and drinks

If you are out for the day and need a cold drink, snacks, or ice creams, head to many of the local convenience stores like 7-Eleven that are all over Singapore to buy what you need with prices as little as SGD 2-3 per ice cream or drink. Most of these also sell light lunch options, and in some, some hot food to-go that you can heat up in-store.

Convenience stores like 7-Eleven are great places to refuel on drinks and snacks and one of the best ways to save money when travelling to Singapore with kids — 7-Eleven on the beach in Sentosa

Top Tip: There is No need to buy any water! Tap water is SAFE to drink in Singapore so take your water bottle and fill up at the hotel before you head out to do sightseeing.

Skip the Breakfast Buffet and check out the local malls & supermarkets

Unless the breakfast is already included in your room package – paying for the buffet for a whole family can be expensive. Most family resorts charge around SGD 35-40 per adult and SGD 15-20 per child which can add up to over SGD 100 for the average family of 4.

Croissants from a bakery — Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Instead, Stock up at a local supermarket or bakery for your breakfast foods. There are several FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant & Market Place throughout all of Singapore that have a vast variety of baked goods and pre-cut fruit, snacks, and drinks.

Popular bakery chain BreadTalk also has stores around of Singapore selling a huge range of freshly made pastries for SDG 3-4 per piece.

Local supermaket in Singapore, a great place to check out and re-stock on essentials to save money while travelling to Singapore — One of the many FairPrice Supermarkets across Singapore

If staying in Sentosa, head over for anything you need to VivoCity – it’s the largest shopping mall in the whole of Singapore.

It’s just a short few stops away on the monorail (ViVoCity Station on the Sentosa Express or HarbourFront stop on the MRT) – it has over 100 food stalls, as well as supermarkets, and was our go-to to stock up on anything we needed as a fraction of the price of what you can buy from Sentosa.

Use Public transport

Local taxis and the now widely used ride-sharing service Grab are popular options to get around and still quite affordable compared to other countries – but if want to travel on a budget and avoid the traffic jams – use the MRT (Underground Metro of Singapore). It’s clean, fast, and a very efficient way to get around in Singapore.

Travelling with the MRT is Singapore is cheap and efficient — The efficient MRT in Singapore. Image by Jason Goh from Pixabay

All the stations have easy access to the platforms for strollers and children below a height of 0.9 m (or 7 years old), can travel with their parents for FREE on the MRT.

To access the MRT, just tap your credit card on and off at your last stop. Depending on how far your are travelling each trip costs between SGD 1.50-2.50 per person.

Cut back on alcohol

Alcohol is taxed heavily in Singapore so the cost of any alcoholic beverage is pricey compared to other countries. Beers and wine can be purchased for cheaper from the supermarkets. A good alternative is also to head over to a hawker centre, which usually has beers for sale at SGD 7-8 which is just over half the price of the average beer in restaurants and bars in the city.

Plan your visits and shop around for discounted entries to key attractions

There are of course some attractions that are must-see in Singapore with kids, like Universal Studios, and are indeed paid – but well worth the money. Do your research before your trip, read reviews, and see if it is indeed an attraction that is worth it and suitable for the ages of the children.

Universal studios Singapore, one of the key attractions to visit with kids — Universal Studios Singapore

Entry tickets can sometimes be purchased at discounted rates on a site like Klook in Singapore or if you want to visit several attractions on your visit, a Klook Multi-Attraction Pass is worth it to save some money rather than buying individual tickets!

Connect to many of the Free Internet Hotspots

Free Wifi is widely available all over Singapore and you can easily connect to public wifi (Wireless@SGx) at malls, MRT stations, museums and many more places. This can save you lots rather than spending money on expensive overseas roaming charges! You can find more information on how to stay connected in Singapore on the Visit Singapore Tourism Page.

Wifi Hotspots can be found for free all over Singapore — Image by LEEROY Agency from Pixabay

Use a Coin Laundry instead of the Hotel Laundry

Laundry Service the resorts/ hotels in Singapore can be extremely expensive – the items washed are usually charged per item, and when travelling with kids the reality is that the washing doesn’t stop.

Using coin laundries is a very good way to save money when travelling with singapore with kids — Image by マサコアーント from Pixabay

If you can manage to wash your own items in the room, or even better have a communal laundry you can use that’s great.

If not, a very affordable option is to find a coin laundry. The cost to wash and dry a large load of laundry is around SGD 10. Ideally, find a laundrette that is near your accommodation, a lunch stop or something to visit so you can easily drop off and collect the laundry when done. There is a handy guide HERE on the popular coin laundry stores in Singapore.

Eat at hawker centres

Hawker centers are absolutely fantastic places to try the amazing food that Singapore has to offer. Very popular with locals and tourists, you are bound to find dishes that everyone in the family will love as there are many stalls selling a variety of dishes all under one roof.

Hawker centres in Singapore are everywhere and a great place to get cheap authentic meals — Hawker Centre

At prices as little at 4 SGD per dish, the food is very affordable and extremely tasty. It’s defenitely a top tip on How to Save money when travelling to Singapore with kids.

You can check out my other posts on some of the most popular and unique dishes to try in Singapore, Here on Unique and Classic Dishes you have to try at hawker centers!

one of the many hawker dishes in Singapore, tasty, authentic and cheap — Hawker Food

Visit and cool off at some of the many free attractions in Singapore

Sightseeing and visiting some of the popular attractions in Singapore like Universal Studios or Singapore Zoo is not cheap – but there are several things that you can do that are completely free too!

Take advantage of the free attractions in Singapore like the waterpark at Gardens by the bay — Free Waterpark at Gardens by The Bay

Take a stroll around Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay and cool off at the huge splash park. Visit the pristine beaches at Sentosa or wander in the manicured Botanical Gardens. Admire the shophouses in China Town and wonder in the many souvenir shops. The Tooth Relic Temple around the corner is a must-see and also free.

Read more on the Top 5 Free Attractions to see in Singapore Coming Soon.

The Sentosa Beaches are free and can be explored by everyone when in Sentosa — Palawan Beach in Sentosa

Best Family – Friendly Accommodation Options in Singapore

Singapore

Shangri-La Singapore – Click HERE to Check Prices

Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay – Click HERE to Check Prices

Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen – Click HERE to Check Prices

Sentosa Island

Village Hotel Sentosa – Click HERE to Check Prices

Shangri – La Rasa Sentosa – Click HERE to Check Prices

Hard Rock Hotel Sentosa – Click HERE to Check Prices

Village Hotel Sentosa , a family friendly hotel on the island — Village Hotel Sentosa

Want to Read More?

I hope you enjoyed this post on How to Save Money when Travelling to Singapore with Kids. You can read more of my Singapore post in my posts here!

11 Unique Hawker Dishes to Try In Singapore

11 Best Known Hawker Dishes you have to try in Singapore

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How many times have you started looking for flights online and you just get confused and overwhelmed? There are so many flight options, prices, add-ons and the list continues. How do you get the best price? I’ve got you covered! These are my Top 5 Tips on How to Book the Cheapest Flights Online.

Use a search engine

search engine to find the cheapest flight online — Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Use a website like Skyscanner to get an overall idea of cost and airlines that fly to your destination. Skyscanner will bring up all the search results from cheapest to most expensive. Look at stopover options and see if it’s worth getting a flight with additional layover time. Consider budget airlines but make sure you add up all the extras when booking!

Read more super useful tips on how to find out if you are Really Getting a Good Deal on Skyscanner HERE in my other post!

Compare different airports

comparing different airports can save you money when looking at booking flights — Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

It’s worth checking all the flights that depart from ALL your closest airports in the country you are flying from – and do the same thing in your destination. If you don’t mind adding some additional travel time, adding a train, bus or a budget connecting flight could save lots.

Adding on a low cost flight

Think of Europe for example where the countries are all fairly close. If you book early you can snap up fares on budget airlines for less than $100 AUD / $60 USD one way. If you can’t get an affordable fare to the exact city you are after, fly to another city and tag on a budget flight to where you need to go! Just make sure that you have accounted for luggage fees and the correct airports for the connections. This is so that you don’t end up having to pay costly transfers between airports.

Buses and other land travel are a way to save money when travelling — Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Add on some land travel

The other option is also taking land travel like trains or buses to get to your destination. If you are travelling in Europe to the south of Spain to Seville for example – you might find that flights to nearby Malaga are more affordable at the time of travel. You can then reach Seville with a bus for less than 10 EUR / 10 USD in a few hours! You can read more of my Tips HERE on How to Save Money when Travelling around Europe.

Get in early

booking early is another tip on how to book the cheapest flights online — Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

Book early! Especially for international flights, as a general rule at least 3+ months before flying. Leaving a flight booking very last minute hoping to get a cheap deal – is very unlikely to work out for you. You will generally pay more the closer to the departure date. Compared to booking hotels where during off season you can probably snap up a bargain last minute, it doesn’t really work like that with prices for airfares.

You also have to think that for certain destinations eg. Europe, there is still a massive backlog of people wanting to travel due to the borders being closed for so long for the COVID pandemic. That means that especially for peak season, demand is high, availability is limited and prices reflect that, by being $$$.

europe in peak season — Image by Jose’ Soto from Pixabay

A good practice is to look well in advance and to set up airfare price alerts like this one on Skyscanner. The alerts will give you an indication on when the prices fluctuate.

If you are looking at flying specifically for a large international events eg. World Cup / Grand Prix – look and book much more in advance, potentially once the dates for the events you want to attend are released.

Be flexible with dates

being flexible with dates, a top tip on how to book the cheapest flights online — Image by Károly Váltó from Pixabay

A bit of a no-brainer on How to Book the Cheapest Flights Online is to be flexible! Airlines price their seats based on supply and demand. Flights prices change multiple times a day, every single day. Across one week you can find more often than not, the exact same flight has different prices every day. So how do you find the cheapest day to fly?

How airlines price their seats

A lot of factors affect the pricing of airfares and it’s mainly driven by searches and seats sold. Economy class seats for example are classed in many more different ‘subclasses’, even though they are all economy seats. A certain amount of seats are allocated from cheapest to most expensive subclass. Once the cheapest subclass allocation is exhausted – it goes to the next subclass that cost more and so on, you get the point.

pricing seats understanding is important when looking at booking a flight — Image by Stuart Bailey from Pixabay

Check shoulder dates

If you are searching for particular day to fly – definitely check a day before or after too if you can. You might see that there is a difference with the cost!

Cheapest days of the week to fly

Flights on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday are usually the cheapest to fly domestic and international.

On the search engine sites eg. like Skyscanner, when selecting your dates you can also see a heatmap showing the cheapest days to fly within your chosen month. That is extremely helpful to pick the cheapest dates if you are flexible.

Book only from reputable sources

When you are looking at fares and are ready to book, have a good look at the booking sites and make sure it’s a reputable source.

If you are packaging the flights with accommodation sites like Expedia and getting a great deal with your points for example, you are dealing with a well known global company. But, if you are looking at a site that may be a few hundred dollars cheaper and you have never heard of them, I would hold off handing over the credit card. There could be hidden fees that only appear once you are at the checkout page that might take you by surprise and, who do you contact if you need support or if something goes wrong?

parked plane — Image by Tobias Rehbein from Pixabay

Benefits of booking directly with the airline

There might be a number of specific reasons that you are choosing to book with other companies rather than the airline directly and that is very much down to the individual. If you are choosing to book directly with the airline, these are some of the benefits:

If you have an issue with your ticket or need to amend something, you can contact the airline directly and they can solve the issue for you immediately.
If you have booked through a third party (that includes online travel sites), generally any amendments will need to be done via the third party. If you call the airline, they will not be able to help you as the reservation is held by someone else. They could be hard to get a hold of and you might be stuck waiting for a while for a change to be made. They also may need to go back to the airline to get approval for changes.
The fare rules should be displayed clearly by the airline for the airfare you are booking. If you have to cancel and get a refund for example – the airline would generally have a set fee. The third party may have additional fees that they take. Again it might take a while for any refunds to be processed when there is a third party involved.

calculator and pen — Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

To sum it up

Hope you found the above Tips useful on How to Book the Cheapest Flights Online! To sum it up:

Do your research and use a search engine to compare airlines and travel times
Check different airports to see if the prices are better
Book early
Be flexible with your travel dates
Book from reputable sources – you will be thankful if something goes wrong!

Ready to book? Jump on SkyScanner HERE and start researching your next holiday!

Found this post useful? Read more on my other post Are you Really Getting a Good Deal on Skyscanner HERE.

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