When I was in primary school, I would queue for the same stall during recess every day.
My meals would be settled with just a 50 cents coin, and I would grab my bowl of piping hot fishball noodles as I made my way to the benches.
Whenever I felt fancy, I would top up with 30 cents worth of curry potatoes.
Ah, those were the days.
After my primary school building got demolished, so did my dreams of settling my meals with $1.
In fact, food is always the biggest culprit when I try to find out where my money went every month.
In this day and age where a cup of brown sugar milk tea can easily cost $3, is it still possible to get a meal below $2.50?
Apparently so!
Wanna live on a budget and still get good food?
Here are some spots that are still offering dishes below $2.50!
And yes, we are talking full meals here.
TL;DR: Meals That Cost $2.50 and Below: Where To Find the Cheapest Eats in Singapore
Searching for affordable dishes in Singapore?
If you’re too paiseh to get free food or hope to still pay a little for the hawker’s efforts…
Here are some good spots that have been here for years, serving hearty bowls of affordable goodness.
63 Laksa
Looking for a hearty bowl of laksa?
You can find one right at the Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre.
63 Laksa is named not because of its unit number, but because of how ’63’ in Hokkien sounds almost similar to ‘Laksa’.
While their bowl of laksa used to be even more affordable at $2 just a few years back, its current price ($2.50) still makes it one of the most affordable ones around.
Their laksa is served in OG porcelain bowls, and the thick rice vermicelli noodles are topped with fresh cockles and sliced fish cakes.
Address: Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre, 20 Ghim Moh Road, #01-20 Singapore 270020
Opening Hours: Thu – Tue: 9am – 1pm, Closed: Wed
Azme Corner Muslim Food
Nestled at a quiet corner under HDB blocks, Azme Corner Muslim Food has won the hearts of its customers through its hearty and wholesome food.
This stall has been operating for over half a decade, and has an extensive menu serving inexpensive halal dishes.
A simple plate of nasi lemak with ikan bilis and egg just costs $2.
If you’re feeling a bit fancier, you can get rice with a chicken wing which costs $2.20, or even rice and selar fish and egg for $2.30.
Quite a few options below $2.50!
Address: 122 Bedok North Street 2, #01-00 Singapore 460122
Opening Hours: Closed on Mondays, 9am till 12.30pm/sold out on other days
Chang Ji Gourmet 昌记美食
I’m not sure about you, but as I grew older, I start to seek comfort in a warm bowl of porridge.
It’s a kind of food that warms you up like a toasty blanket.
Chang Ji Gourmet offers one of the cheapest items in this list, with its fried bee hoon, noodles and porridge costing just $1.20.
Isn’t the signboard alluring?
If you’re interested in recreating what they call the ‘poor man’s shark fin stew’, you can order both the bee hoon and porridge and mix it up.
What you’d get is this noodle strands drenched in porridge, which mimicks shark’s fin.
Address: Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, Blk 335 Smith Street, #02-110 Singapore 050335
Opening Hours: 7 am till 1 pm (Wed to Sunday), closed every Monday and Tuesday
Frenzlink Cafeteria
It’s not easy to find cheap food in the Central Business District (CBD) area, and Frenzlink Cafeteria is one of the very few places left for that.
Ranging from Lor Mee to laksa, Frenzlink Cafeteria has a range of noodles for you to choose from.
And the best thing is… they are all $2!
The owner of this nostalgic-looking cafeteria is known to have kept his prices constant for more than 20 years, fighting inflation with his love and consistency.
Definitely a space to check out if you’re a tired CBD salaryman looking for cheap eats.
Address: 62 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058692
Opening Hours: 6 am to 3 pm daily
Heng Leong Carrot Cake
Fancy a plate of carrot cake made from scratch?
Heng Leong Carrot Cake steams its own radish for their signature dish, and you can get a taste of their efforts at just $2!
Choose between the white or black carrot cake (or get both!), and enjoy its wok hei along with chunks of eggs amidst the radish bits.
According to reviews, the portion of this dish is substantial as well.
This is absolutely one of my hawker favourites.
Address: 41A Cambridge Road, #01-13, Pek Kio Market and Food Centre, Singapore 210041
Opening Hours: 7:30 am – 3:30 pm (Tues – Sun), closed on Mondays
KanChiaMee (东方拉车面)
Helmed by a mother-daughter team, KanChiaMee features trishaw noodles, a dish that was commonly seen along the streets in the 1960s.
Its name was derived from those days as it was a staple for trishaw drivers, who frequently had this dish since it was wallet-friendly.
Even if you’re not born in the 60s, you can now try this at a budget-friendly price of $2 per bowl.
Given that the store only operates till noon, do drop by if you’d like a hearty breakfast fix!
Address: Yuhua Market & Food Centre, Blk 347 Jurong East Ave 1, #01-178 S600347
Opening Hours: 6 am to 12 pm daily
Inspirasi
If you’re looking for cheap and authentic Malay food, Inspirasi is the place for you to visit.
With just four items on the menu (mee rebus, mee soto, soto ayam and chicken porridge), this no-frills menu has garnered many fans with their delicious food.
If there’s something to vouch for the reputation of a stall, it would be by the length of its operations.
And Inspirasi has been operating for the past 50 years. 🤯
Get to slurp on their delicious mee rebus or soto ayam at just $2.50 a dish!
Address: Yuhua Market & Food Centre, Blk 347 Jurong East Ave 1, #01-178 S600347
Opening Hours: 6 am to 12 pm daily
Maxwell Haha Mee Siam • Mee Rebus (麦士威哈哈米暹米萝卜)
(Just casually staring at the goodness above.)
Despite being just $2.50, Maxwell Haha Mee Siam • Mee Rebus serves power-packed mee siam and mee rebus dishes, filling the bowls with substantial amounts of ingredients.
They reopened in 2014 at Chinatown Complex Food Centre and has been seeing steady streams ever since.
Their gravy caters more to the older crowd as it is slightly less sweet, while retaining its thick consistency and its savoury notes.
This store is located just a stone’s throw away from Chang Ji Gourmet that was mentioned above!
Looks like we got to head down to Chinatown soon.
Address: Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, Blk 335 Smith Street, #02-095 Singapore 050335
Opening Hours: 7 am – 3 pm (Mon to Sat), closed on Sundays & Public Holidays
Man Yuan Gourmet
Looking for a supper spot that serves affordable dishes?
Here’s one for you!
Man Yuan Gourmet is a 24-hour outlet, so you can now satisfy your noodle cravings in the middle of the night.
Choose between fishball noodles, kway teow noodle soup or fishball soup for just $2!
Or laksa at $2.50 if you’re craving for that.
If not, you can also opt for the bigger bowls ($3) if your tummy demands for more food.
Address: Old Airport Road Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Road, #01-17 Singapore 390051
Opening Hours: 9 am to 10 pm daily
Woo Ji Cooked Food
Here’s another affordable option you can have if you’re at Chinatown Food Complex.
Get to enjoy laksa, prawn mee and wantons at only $2!
Expect queues even if you’re there bright and early as this store only operates from 6 am to 10 am from Wednesdays to Sundays.
Gotta be a (very) early bird to enjoy these bowls of soupy goodness.
Despite its price, one can expect general amounts of ingredients from them.
If you’re an adventurous soul who likes things a bit on the fiery side, you can try their laksa and request for more chilli.
Shiok lah!
Address: Old Airport Road Food Centre, 51 Old Airport Road, #01-17 Singapore 390051
Opening Hours: 9 am to 10 pm daily
Cheapest Eats in Singapore: Cheap & Good Dishes if You’re Having a Tight Budget
Being a hawker is no easy feat.
Having to withstand the long working hours, the heat and also the competition.
Over the years, many places have since increased their prices due to the increase in rental costs, ingredient costs etc.
Kudos to these stalls that are still dishing out extremely affordable eats for all of us to enjoy! 😊
Are there any other good affordable stalls that we’ve missed out?
Let us fellow foodies know at our SeedlyCommunity!
