Singapore shouldn't feel affordable. But a full plate of chicken rice at a hawker centre costs about £3.
Singapore shouldn't feel affordable. The skyline alone suggests otherwise. But outside the five-star hotels and rooftop bars, the city runs on hawker centres: open-air food courts where a full plate of chicken rice, laksa, or char kway teow costs around £3. Less than a Zone 1 flat white. British Airways fly you there non-stop from Heathrow for £574 return.
✈️ The deal
- From: London Heathrow, UK
- To: Singapore
- Airline: British Airways
- Stops: Non-stop
- Price: £574–£599 return
- When: October to March
Example dates:
16/10/2026 – 01/11/2026
29/10/2026 – 12/11/2026
01/10/2026 – 22/10/2026
14/10/2026 – 29/10/2026
03/11/2026 – 18/11/2026
12/11/2026 – 24/11/2026
04/12/2026 – 30/12/2026
12/12/2026 – 21/12/2026
07/01/2027 – 28/01/2027
14/01/2027 – 28/01/2027
10/02/2027 – 25/02/2027
17/02/2027 – 28/02/2027
03/03/2027 – 18/03/2027
💰 How far does your money go?
Singapore divides neatly into two worlds. In the CBD bars and hotel restaurants, prices track London closely. In the hawker centres, they don't. A plate of chicken rice or char kway teow at Maxwell Food Centre or Lau Pa Sat runs S$4–6, which is roughly £2.30 to £3.50. A kopi (local pulled coffee) costs under S$2. Eat all three meals at hawkers and you'll spend under £15. The gap between street-level Singapore and tourist Singapore is one of the most useful things to know before you go.
☀️ The weather
October and November are warm and relatively manageable: temperatures hover around 27–30°C with afternoon showers that clear quickly. December and January are the wettest months. December averages over 260mm of rainfall, with heavy downpours most afternoons. February and March are drier and warm, pushing 30–31°C with fewer rain interruptions. If sunshine matters more than timing, aim for October, November, February or March rather than the December–January window.
🏨 Where to stay
Singapore is well-connected by MRT, so location matters less than in other cities. That said, staying near the city centre makes everything easier.
The Standard, Singapore — 8.8/10 · From £80/night A striking heritage building near the Arts District with design-forward rooms and a rooftop bar. Strong value for a well-located central base.
Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre — 8.3/10 · From £120/night Right on Orchard Road. Reliable, central and well-suited for a longer stay with easy access to most of the city's main attractions.
Marina Bay Sands — 9.0/10 · From £350/night The SkyPark infinity pool at 57 storeys is one of the most recognisable hotel amenities on the planet. Expensive, but genuinely singular.
🎯 What to do
Singapore is compact, well-signposted and easy to navigate on foot or by MRT.
Gardens by the Bay — The Supertrees, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome spread across 101 hectares at the heart of Marina Bay. Walk the aerial OCBC Skyway at dusk, then stay for the nightly light show. Free after dark; ticketed entry for the indoor domes.
Hawker centre crawl — Maxwell Food Centre, Lau Pa Sat, Chinatown Complex Food Centre. This is where Singapore actually eats: fast, cheap, and often extraordinary. Go with no plan and order whatever has the longest queue.
Chinatown and Little India — Two distinct neighbourhoods with almost nothing in common, sitting less than a kilometre apart. Walk both in an afternoon for a quick illustration of what makes Singapore unusual.
Night Safari — The world's first nocturnal wildlife park, in the northwest of the island. Tram rides through enclosures with tigers, leopards and rhinos after dark. Unusual enough to be worth the trip.
🗺️ Where to go from here
Singapore is one of the best-connected airports in Asia. Most of Southeast Asia is within three hours.
Bali, Indonesia — Under 3 hours by flight. Beaches, rice terraces, temples and a fully developed tourist infrastructure. One of the most popular add-ons to a Singapore trip.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — 1 hour by flight. The Petronas Towers, exceptional street food, and prices noticeably cheaper than Singapore across the board.
Bangkok, Thailand — 2.5 hours by flight. Street food, temples, rooftop bars, and the Chao Phraya waterfront. A logical pairing with Singapore on a longer trip.
Langkawi, Malaysia — 1.5 hours by flight. A duty-free island with quiet beaches and mangrove forests, and far fewer visitors than Bali.
Bintan Island, Indonesia — 45 minutes by ferry from Singapore's Tanah Merah terminal. White sand beaches with almost no effort.
British Airways operate this route daily from Heathrow. At £574 return, non-stop, it is one of the cleaner prices to Singapore we have come across. Check availability before it shifts.
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