With the recent GST hike and inflation, it’s no longer as easy as before to save on meals. But if you’re bent on doing so, check out this list of places with dishes under $3 that’ll fill you up without emptying your savings.
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Woo Ji Cooked Food is a hidden gem in the food enclave of Chinatown Complex. This humble noodle stall serves Laksa and Prawn Mee, both priced from only $2 a bowl. It’s easy to assume that they would skimp on ingredients, but this dish is far from minimal. When we visited the stall in 2024, we found their prawn mee generously topped with liao: prawn slices, lean pork, fishcakes, and beansprouts. The hae mee soup had a heady prawn flavour, zhnged up by the addition of lard and shallots.
Read our Woo Ji Cooked Food review.
Address: 335 Smith Street, #02-056, Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre, Singapore 050335
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 6am to 9:15am
Woo Ji Cooked Food is not a halal-certified eatery.
It’s heartwarming to find a hawker stall committing to economical prices for less-privileged residents. As such, Kedai Makan Muhajirin deserves a spot on our list with their $1 Nasi Lemak. A mere golden coin scores you coconut rice with crispy fish, fried egg, and a dollop of sambal which has a spicy kick. You can easily add on sides such as anchovies ($0.50) and fried chicken ($3) if you think the ingredients are not enough.
Read our Kedai Makan Muhajirin review.
Address: Block 20, Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310020
Opening hours: Daily 6am until sold out
Website
Kedai Makan Muhajirin is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Easties are blessed with Xian Jin Mixed Vegetable Rice. This Bedok hawker stall serves a hearty bowl of Century Egg Minced Meat Porridge ($2). This simple dish is garnished with fresh spring onions and fried shallots. Be sure to give this thick congee a good mix, as there are chunks of minced meat and slices of century egg hidden below its surface. Add a scatter of pepper and splash some light soy sauce to further elevate the congee’s savouriness.
Read our Xian Jin Mixed Vegetable Rice feature.
Address: 216 Bedok North Street 1, #01-02, Blk 216 Bedok Food Centre And Market, Singapore 460216
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8:15am to 2:30pm
Xian Jin Mixed Vegetable Rice is not a halal-certified eatery.
Cai fan is a sure way to keep your food budget under control, but not all cai fan stalls are created equal price-wise. Goldhill Family Restaurant takes things one step further with their $2 set which comes with a choice of one vegetable and one meat. You can also opt for three vegetables to go with your rice for that same price. Have patience as this Hougang coffee shop stall has a snaking queue during lunchtime, thanks to their cheap prices.
Address: 6 Hougang Avenue 3, Singapore 530006
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm, Sat 8am to 7pm, Sun 8am to 2pm
Goldhill Family Restaurant is not a halal-certified eatery.
Whether you like it black or white, Good Spice Carrot Cake serves their Carrot Cake from just $2.50 per plate. I personally prefer it black as the sweetness from the black sauce complements the savoury and charred chunks of carrot cake. This hawker stall fries each plate fresh to order, ensuring the fragrant dish is served piping hot. It’s a great time to be an early riser as Good Spice Carrot Cake usually sells out by lunchtime.
Address: 41A Cambridge Road, #01-20, Pek Kio Market & Food Centre, Singapore 211041
Opening hours: Thurs-Tue 6am to 1pm
Good Spice Carrot Cake is not a halal-certified eatery.
Fans of prawn mee are unlikely to find a stall that does their favourite dish cheaper than Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee. The most affordable bowl here will set you back $2.50, and features a prawn, sliced pork, and fish cake atop chilli-tossed noodles. Though you’re not getting a lot with that single prawn, the piquant chilli sauce and rich umami soup here more than make up for it.
Read our Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee feature.
Address: 41A Cambridge Road, #01-41, Pek Kio Market & Food Centre, Singapore 211041
Opening hours: Sat-Tue 6am to 1:30pm
Website
Lai Hiang Pork Rib Prawn Mee is not a halal-certified eatery.
Hoe Kee Kitchen is a Michelin Guide-recommended hawker, yet it manages to keep its prices very low. A plate of Chicken Rice, Char Siew Rice, or Roasted Pork Rice here starts from just $2.50, making it very bang for your buck especially when compared to other chicken rice or roast meat stalls. Patrons praise Hoe Kee’s tender chicken meat and flavourful rice, which is usually paired with a secret chilli sauce that boasts a strong garlic fragrance.
Check out our Hoe Kee Kitchen coverage.
Address: 505 Jurong West Street 52, #01-39, Jurong West 505 Market & Food Centre, Singapore 640505
Opening Hours: Mon 10:30am to 3pm, Tue-Wed, Fri, Sun 10am to 6pm, Sat 8:15am to 6pm
Hoe Kee Kitchen is not a halal-certified eatery.
One of the newer stalls on this list, 蒸有米 Steam Rice Kitchen is committed to offering affordable meals for all. It does it by offering a simple Curry Mee dish for just $2. While there aren’t any toppings on this dish, the fragrant Ipoh-style curry broth is said to pack more than enough flavour to satisfy your taste buds. For that same price, you can get a plate of Chee Cheong Fun here as well.
Read our Steam Rice Kitchen coverage.
Address: 206 Toa Payoh North, #01-1197, Singapore 310206
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 8pm
Website
蒸有米 Steam Rice Kitchen is not a halal-certified eatery.
Yes, it’s still possible to get a $2.50 Kway Chap Set in this day and age. You can find it at Feng Ji Kway Chap, an under-the-radar stall in Jalan Batu! The set comes with a substantial serving of silky-smooth kway, topped with garlic, and served with a separate plate of pork belly, intestine, braised egg, and tau pok. If that’s not enough, you can top up for additional ingredients. Do note that the stall tends to sell out before their stated closing time, so it’s best to head down earlier to get your kway chap fix.
Read our Feng Ji Kway Chap feature.
Address: 4A Jalan Batu, #01-20, Blk 4A Jalan Batu Hawker Centre, Singapore 432004
Opening hours: Sat-Thurs 6:30am to 11am
Feng Ji Kway Chap is not a halal-certified eatery.
For $3 Char Kway Teow, head to Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow at Whampoa Makan Place. The long-queue stall serves up plate after plate of old-school CKT that’s distinctly lighter in colour and drier than its counterparts. It’s also said to be full of wok hei, so those who enjoy smoky flavours will enjoy Chuan Kee’s rendition! All orders come with egg, beansprouts, Chinese sausage, fish cake, and cockles. If you opt for the spicy version, you can expect your noodles fried with a sweet and punchy sambal.
Check out our Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow feature.
Address: 90 Whampoa Drive, #01-41, Singapore 320090
Opening hours: Wed-Thurs, Sat-Mon 11am to 3pm
Chuan Kee Fried Kway Teow is not a halal-certified eatery.
Xin Xin Famous Fried Oyster is probably one of the cheapest orh luak stalls in Singapore. Each serving is priced from just $3! The West Coast Market Square stall has been around for over 40 years, and is known for their old-school oyster omelette, featuring crispy egg, balls of gooey starch, and a strong wok hei aroma. While the smallest portion doesn’t get you many oysters, you can opt for the $4 or $5 serving if you want more!
Address: 726 Clementi West Street 2, #01-187, Singapore 120726
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 2pm to 9pm
Xin Xin Famous Fried Oyster is not a halal-certified eatery.
If you’re on a budget, cai png is the way to go. Lai Heng Economical Mixed Veg Rice is a popular stall in Toa Payoh offering mixed rice from just $2.30 a plate, for rice with one meat and one vegetable dish. Even if you were to add on one meat item, your total bill would come up to $2.90—a steal in this economy! They have a wide range of dishes to choose from, including sweet and sour pork, bitter gourd, and scrambled eggs.
Check out our Lai Heng Economical Mixed Veg Rice feature.
Address: 22 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh, #01-07, Kim Keat Palm Market & Food Centre, Singapore 310022
Opening hours: Sun-Fri 6am to 8pm
Website
Lai Heng Economical Mixed Veg Rice is not a halal-certified eatery.
For a cheap breakfast fix in Bukit Merah, look no further. That Putu Mayam Stall is a relatively new addition to the neighbourhood, offering packets of fresh Putu Mayam at just $2 per serving. You get soft and chewy bee hoon, shaped like a disc, topped with freshly grated and steamed coconut flakes and sugar. This is one definite must-try item if you’re craving something simple yet satisfying.
Check out our That Putu Mayam Stall feature.
Address: 163 Bukit Merah Central, #02-20, Bukit Merah Central Food Centre, Singapore 150163
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 7am to 1:30pm
Website
ThatPutuMayamStall is not a halal-certified eatery.
The $2.50 Shop is a hidden gem in the Jalan Kukoh neighbourhood, an estate known for its rental flats. If you’re all about heavy flavours, we recommend their Mee Rebus ($2.50), where yellow noodles are drenched in a sweet-savoury gravy, and topped with a boiled egg, shallots, and sliced green chilli. For those who prefer rice to noods, indulge in the Nasi Lemak ($2.50), which features all the essentials—coconut rice and fried chicken alongside some roasted peanuts, ikan bilis, cucumber slices, and sweet-spicy sambal chilli. You can also opt for Mee Soto, Nasi Goreng, Bakso and more for the same price.
Read our The $2.50 Shop feature!
Address: 1 Jalan Kukoh, #01-16, Singapore 161001
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 3:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 9097 2420
Website
The $2.50 Shop is a Muslim-owned eatery.
Fans of dim sum and quaint breakfast spots must visit Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao, a hidden stall in Bishan offering more than 30 items from just $1. We had to try the signature Big Pork Bao ($2), loaded with all things delicious: tender pork meat, finely chopped onions, and a hard-boiled egg. If this is a tad too big for your liking, there are the classics such as Red Bean Bao and Lotus Paste Bao priced at $1 each! Having the bao alone isn’t filling enough for most, so we recommend getting their Fried Beancurd Skin Roll ($2.60) too; this dim sum reminded us of ngoh hiang wrapped in a crispy beancurd skin and packed with a soft fish cake-like filling.
Read our Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao review.
Address: 150A Bishan Street 11, Singapore 570150
Opening hours: Daily 5:30am to 2:30pm
Tel: 8358 4590
Website
Hong Ji Handmade Dim Sum Bao is not a halal-certified eatery.
With this list in hand, you won’t have a reason to go broke. Though some of these places may be rather inconvenient to get to if you don’t live around the area, it’s a small price to pay for a bang-for-your-buck meal.
For affordable restaurants, read our best cheap restaurants in Singapore guide. For cheap JB food to try, read our guide to the best Johor Bahru hawker food.
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