Singapore is one of the few places in the world where a genuinely great meal still costs under S$10, thanks to a hawker culture recognised by UNESCO and a Michelin Guide that awards Bib Gourmands and even a full star to humble stalls. The picks below span the island — from Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar's food centres to Katong laksa, Kampong Glam nasi padang and heartland stalls in Old Airport Road and Boon Lay — so you can eat well on a budget wherever you are. Prices, hours and exact stall units change often at hawker stalls, so treat the details here as a guide and confirm before you go.
Last verified: September 2026. Hours and prices can change — we re-check our guides regularly, but do confirm before a special trip.
- Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle
- Hawker Chan (Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle)
- A Noodle Story
- Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee
- Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
- Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice
- 328 Katong Laksa
- Hjh Maimunah
- Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak
- Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant
- MTR Singapore
- Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak
- Mai Kitchen
- Banh Mi Thit
The list
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Hainanese chicken rice · $
Maxwell Food Centre's perennially-queued Michelin Bib Gourmand chicken rice stall, a benchmark for the dish since 1986.
- Cuisine: Hainanese chicken rice
- Price: $ · Chicken rice from ~$6
- Must-try: Steamed Hainanese chicken rice, Roasted chicken rice
- Where: 1 Kadayanallur Street, #01-10/11 Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore 069184
- Area: Chinatown / Tanjong Pagar
- Nearest MRT: Maxwell
- Hours: Tue-Sun 10am-8pm (till sold out); closed Mon
- Halal: No
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle Bak chor mee (minced pork noodles) · $$
Holds one Michelin star yet the smallest bowl stays under $10 — widely cited as the cheapest Michelin-starred meal in Singapore.
- Cuisine: Bak chor mee (minced pork noodles)
- Price: $$ · Smallest bowl from $8 (larger bowls $10-15)
- Must-try: Bak chor mee (dry, with vinegar and chilli)
- Where: 466 Crawford Lane, #01-12, Singapore 190466
- Area: Lavender / Kallang
- Nearest MRT: Lavender
- Hours: Daily 9am-8:30pm; closed 1st & 3rd Mon
- Halal: No
Hawker Chan (Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle) Cantonese soya sauce chicken rice · $
The original hawker stall that once held a Michelin star, still serving one of the cheapest famous chicken rice plates in town.
- Cuisine: Cantonese soya sauce chicken rice
- Price: $ · Soya sauce chicken rice from $3.50
- Must-try: Soya sauce chicken rice, Char siew noodles
- Where: 335 Smith Street, #02-126 Chinatown Complex, Singapore 050335
- Area: Chinatown
- Nearest MRT: Chinatown
- Hours: Mon-Sat ~10:30am-3:30pm (till sold out); closed Sun
- Halal: No
A Noodle Story Singapore-style ramen · $$
A long-running Michelin Bib Gourmand stall famed for its inventive 'Singapore-style ramen' at hawker prices.
- Cuisine: Singapore-style ramen
- Price: $$ · Bowls from ~$8
- Must-try: Singapore-style ramen with char siew, wonton, potato-wrapped prawn and lava egg
- Where: 7 Maxwell Road, #01-39 Amoy Street Food Centre, Singapore 069111
- Area: Tanjong Pagar / Telok Ayer
- Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar
- Hours: Weekday lunch hours; hours vary, confirm before visiting
- Halal: No
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee Hokkien prawn mee (fried) · $
A long-established Old Airport Road stall serving a drier, prawn-stock version of fried Hokkien mee since the 1960s.
- Cuisine: Hokkien prawn mee (fried)
- Price: $ · Small from $5, medium ~$8
- Must-try: Dry-style fried Hokkien mee
- Where: 51 Old Airport Road, #01-32 Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051
- Area: Old Airport Road / Mountbatten
- Nearest MRT: Dakota
- Hours: Tue-Sun 10am-6pm; closed Mon
- Halal: No
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee Char kway teow · $
A Michelin Bib Gourmand char kway teow known for long queues and a smoky, richly-fried plate for a few dollars.
- Cuisine: Char kway teow
- Price: $ · ~$5-6 per plate
- Must-try: Char kway teow with cockles and Chinese sausage
- Where: 531A Upper Cross Street, #02-17 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, Singapore 051531
- Area: Chinatown / Hong Lim
- Nearest MRT: Chinatown
- Hours: ~6am-3pm; closed Sun (confirm before visiting)
- Halal: No
Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice Hainanese chicken rice · $
A Michelin Guide-listed stall inside Tiong Bahru Market serving neatly de-boned chicken rice at old-school prices.
- Cuisine: Hainanese chicken rice
- Price: $ · From ~$3.50
- Must-try: Boneless Hainanese chicken rice
- Where: 30 Seng Poh Road, #02-82 Tiong Bahru Market, Singapore 168898
- Area: Tiong Bahru
- Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru
- Hours: Tue-Sun from 10am (till sold out); closed Mon
- Halal: No
328 Katong Laksa Peranakan / Katong laksa · $
The best-known name for Katong laksa — a coconut-rich gravy over short noodles you eat with just a spoon.
- Cuisine: Peranakan / Katong laksa
- Price: $ · Laksa ~$7.50-9.80 depending on size
- Must-try: Katong laksa (noodles cut short, eaten with a spoon), Otah
- Where: 51 East Coast Road, Singapore 428770
- Area: Katong
- Nearest MRT: Marine Parade
- Hours: Daily ~9:30am-9:30pm
- Halal: No
Hjh Maimunah Malay / Nasi Padang · $$
A Michelin Bib Gourmand, halal-certified nasi padang institution where a plate of rice and a couple of dishes stays budget-friendly.
- Cuisine: Malay / Nasi Padang
- Price: $$ · Rice plus 2-3 dishes ~$6-10
- Must-try: Beef rendang, Ayam bakar (grilled chicken), Sotong hitam
- Where: 11 Jalan Pisang, Singapore 199078
- Area: Kampong Glam / Bugis
- Nearest MRT: Bugis
- Hours: Mon-Sat ~7:30am-7pm
- Halal: Halal-certified
Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak Malay / Nasi lemak · $
A halal-certified Adam Road Food Centre stall famous for fragrant coconut rice and a punchy sambal, reportedly once served to royalty.
- Cuisine: Malay / Nasi lemak
- Price: $ · Basic plate from ~$3.50
- Must-try: Nasi lemak with fried chicken, otah and sambal
- Where: 2 Adam Road, #01-02 Adam Road Food Centre, Singapore 289876
- Area: Adam Road / Bukit Timah
- Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens
- Hours: Mon-Thu 7am-5pm, Sat-Sun 7am-3pm; closed Fri (confirm before visiting)
- Halal: Halal-certified
Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant Indian-Muslim · $
A century-old Muslim-owned eatery opposite Sultan Mosque, best known for its stuffed, pan-fried murtabak.
- Cuisine: Indian-Muslim
- Price: $ · Chicken murtabak ~$9 (mutton and larger sizes cost more)
- Must-try: Murtabak, Mutton biryani
- Where: 697-699 North Bridge Road, Singapore 198675
- Area: Kampong Glam
- Nearest MRT: Bugis
- Hours: Daily 7am-11pm
- Halal: Halal
MTR Singapore South Indian (vegetarian) · $
The Singapore outpost of Bengaluru's famous Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, serving crisp vegetarian dosa and tiffin breakfasts on a budget.
- Cuisine: South Indian (vegetarian)
- Price: $ · Dosa and mains ~$3-7++
- Must-try: Masala dosa, Uddina vada, Rava idli
- Where: 438 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218133
- Area: Little India / Serangoon
- Nearest MRT: Farrer Park
- Hours: Tue-Fri 8:30am-3pm, Sat-Sun 8:30am-3:30pm; closed Mon
Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak Nasi lemak · $
A long-standing West-side nasi lemak stall open into the small hours, a go-to for cheap late-night sets.
- Cuisine: Nasi lemak
- Price: $ · Sets ~$4.80-6.50
- Must-try: Nasi lemak with chicken wing, Nasi lemak with otah
- Where: 221A Boon Lay Place, #01-106 Boon Lay Place Food Village, Singapore 641221
- Area: Boon Lay / Jurong West
- Nearest MRT: Boon Lay
- Hours: Daily, roughly 6:30am-3:30am (near round-the-clock)
Mai Kitchen Vietnamese · $
A casual Balestier spot for affordable, well-priced Vietnamese banh mi, noodle bowls and Vietnamese coffee.
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
- Price: $ · Mains ~$6-10
- Must-try: Banh mi thit nuong (grilled pork banh mi), Bun thit bo xao, Vietnamese iced coffee
- Where: 279 Balestier Road, #01-02 Balestier Point, Singapore 329727
- Area: Balestier
- Halal: No
Banh Mi Thit Vietnamese · $
A no-frills Geylang shop turning out crusty, well-stuffed Vietnamese banh mi with cheap authentic coffee.
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
- Price: $ · Banh mi ~$7.50
- Must-try: Beef banh mi, Chicken banh mi, Vietnamese iced coffee
- Where: 543 Geylang Road, Singapore 389498
- Area: Geylang
- Nearest MRT: Aljunied
- Hours: Tue-Sun 10am-9:30pm; closed Mon
- Halal: No
At a glance: compare every spot
| Spot | Cuisine | Price | Area | Halal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice | Hainanese chicken rice | $ | Chinatown / Tanjong Pagar | No |
| Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle | Bak chor mee (minced pork noodles) | $$ | Lavender / Kallang | No |
| Hawker Chan (Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle) | Cantonese soya sauce chicken rice | $ | Chinatown | No |
| A Noodle Story | Singapore-style ramen | $$ | Tanjong Pagar / Telok Ayer | No |
| Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee | Hokkien prawn mee (fried) | $ | Old Airport Road / Mountbatten | No |
| Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee | Char kway teow | $ | Chinatown / Hong Lim | No |
| Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice | Hainanese chicken rice | $ | Tiong Bahru | No |
| 328 Katong Laksa | Peranakan / Katong laksa | $ | Katong | No |
| Hjh Maimunah | Malay / Nasi Padang | $$ | Kampong Glam / Bugis | Halal-certified |
| Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak | Malay / Nasi lemak | $ | Adam Road / Bukit Timah | Halal-certified |
| Singapore Zam Zam Restaurant | Indian-Muslim | $ | Kampong Glam | Halal |
| MTR Singapore | South Indian (vegetarian) | $ | Little India / Serangoon | — |
| Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak | Nasi lemak | $ | Boon Lay / Jurong West | — |
| Mai Kitchen | Vietnamese | $ | Balestier | No |
| Banh Mi Thit | Vietnamese | $ | Geylang | No |
Your questions answered
What can you actually get for under S$10 in Singapore?
Plenty. At hawker centres a plate of chicken rice, char kway teow, Hokkien mee, laksa or nasi lemak typically runs S$4-8, and even Michelin-recognised stalls like Tian Tian, Nam Sing and Hill Street Tai Hwa keep an option under S$10. Casual eats like banh mi, dosa and murtabak also fall in this range.
Are any of these cheap eats halal?
Yes. Hjh Maimunah (nasi padang) and Selera Rasa Nasi Lemak are halal-certified, and Zam Zam is a long-established Muslim-owned Indian-Muslim eatery. MTR is fully vegetarian. Many other stalls on this list serve pork or are not certified, so always look for the MUIS halal certificate on display and confirm directly if it matters to you.
Should I expect to queue, and can I make a reservation?
Hawker stalls don't take reservations, and the most famous ones — Hill Street Tai Hwa, Hawker Chan and Outram Park Fried Kway Teow — regularly have queues of 30 minutes or more at peak times. Go slightly before the lunch or dinner rush, and note that popular stalls often close early once they sell out.
Which areas are best for cheap eats in Singapore?
Chinatown (Maxwell, Chinatown Complex and Hong Lim food centres), Tanjong Pagar's Amoy Street Food Centre, Tiong Bahru Market, Old Airport Road Food Centre in the east, and Kampong Glam for Malay and Indian-Muslim food are all strong. Heartland centres such as Boon Lay in the west also offer excellent value.
Are the prices and opening hours reliable?
Use them as a guide only. Hawker prices creep up over time, stall units and rest days change, and many stalls close once ingredients run out. Where hours or details couldn't be firmly confirmed we've said so — always check the stall's own page or a recent listing before making a trip.