Singapore: Money & Costs

Currency

Name

Singapore Dollar

Symbol

S$

• Changing Your Money

  Banks can be found all over Singapore. Exchange rates tend to vary from bank to bank and some even have a service charge on each exchange transaction - this is usually a few dollars, but can be more, so ask first. You'll also find moneychangers in shopping centres all over Singapore that do not charge fees, so you will often get a better overall exchange rate for cash and travellers cheques with them than at the banks. Most shops accept foreign cash and travellers cheques with rates only a bit lower than at moneychangers.

• Money Tips

  Singapore is much more expensive than other Southeast Asian countries, which may come as a shock if you are travelling on a shoestring budget. You can still stay here without spending too much money, as long as you can forego the temptation to run amok in the shops or indulge in luxuries you may have craved while travelling in less-developed Asian countries. It's possible to stay in Singapore for S$50.00 a day, if you stay in hostels and eat cheaply. If you're staying in mid-range hotels and eating at good restaurants, S$150.00 is a more realistic daily minimum.

  All major credit cards are widely accepted, although you're not going to make yourself too popular after a hard bargaining session for a new camera if you then try to pay for it with your Visa card. It's probably still a good idea to take cash and travellers cheques for emergencies.

• Sample Price Guide

  single-trip Mass Rapid Transit ticket

  S$ 0.90-4.00

  small bottle of beer

  S$ 5.00

  process 36 roll colour film

  S$ 13.00

  trishaw transport per half hour

  S$ 50.00

  museum entrance fee

  S$ 3.00-8.00

  simple hawker meal

  S$ 4.00

  Singapore Sling at Raffles

  S$ 20.00

  Average Room Prices
  Low	Mid	High	Deluxe
  S$30-60	S$60-200	S$200-500	S$500+
  Average Meal Prices
  Low	Mid	High	Deluxe
  S$3-20	S$20-35	S$35-85	S$85+

• Tipping

  Tipping is not expected but is growing as a practice in Singapore: most expensive hotels and restaurants impose a 10% service charge, and a gratuity is not expected in excess of this. Don't tip at hawker stalls, though the more expensive coffee shops and restaurants that do not add a service charge may expect a tip. Taxi drivers don't expect a tip and may actually round a fare down if it is a little bit above an even dollar - similarly, they may expect you to round it up. Staff in the international hotels, such as room staff or the doorman who hails your taxi, may expect a tip if they have provided good service.

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