Eating well on a budget: a practical guide
By the Food Hunter team · Updated October 2026
How to find satisfying meals under S$6 in Singapore or RM12 in Malaysia without giving up on taste.
Go where the prices are set for residents
Neighbourhood hawker centres and coffee shops in housing estates are usually cheaper than food courts in malls or the city centre. Many government-run hawker centres also have 'budget meal' options at a fixed lower price.
Choose filling dishes
Economy rice (pick your own dishes over rice), chicken rice, fishball noodles and roti prata are filling and usually affordable. Ask for extra vegetables instead of extra meat to stretch value.
Set your budget once
In Food Hunter's My taste page, choose '$ — cheap eats'. Searches will then only show places priced at that level, and step up one level only if nothing is found nearby.
Skip the drinks markup
Drinks can add 20–40% to a cheap meal. Plain water is free at many stalls if you ask, and a kopi from the drink stall is usually cheaper than bottled drinks.