With global inflation due to reasons such as the Israel-Palestine crisis that disrupted supply chain, cost of living has become a common topic among consumers.
A survey conducted by the UCSI Poll Research Centre in Malaysia in 2023 shows that 89% of respondents were worried about the current cost of living especially pertaining to groceries and food items.
As groceries and food items are part of everyday essentials, it may be hard to skim on such expenses.
The Singaporean Dollar hit a high in recent weeks against the Malaysian Ringgit with SGD1 equating to RM3.50. With this, some living in Singapore are taking advantage of the conversion rate by travelling to Malaysia to dine and shop.
The DollarsAndSense team set out on a food adventure to find out the prices of our favourite dishes and how much they cost across the border. We explored food stalls, kopitiams, and mamak eateries in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
However, halfway through this research, we realised that if we don’t take into account the conversion rate, the price of food items in Malaysia might not necessarily be cheaper than in Singapore.
#1 Nasi Lemak – S$5 In Singapore, RM7.50 (S$2.15) In Kuala Lumpur
Nasi lemak is the national dish of Malaysia. Due to its popularity, there are many renditions of it where it’s served with side dishes like fried chicken, curry chicken, or even acar.
The basic nasi lemak comprises of fragrant coconut rice, fried anchovies, boiled egg, cucumber slices, fried peanuts, and spicy sambal sauce. The nasi lemak dish is ubiquitous and can be found at roadside stalls, kopitiams, and mamak restaurants. It’s an all-day dish one can enjoy at various times of the day.
A nasi lemak dish with fried chicken in Singapore was bought for S$5. A similar dish costs RM7.50 (S$2.15) in Kuala Lumpur. The nasi lemak without fried chicken in Malaysia is RM3 (S$0.86).
Nasi Lemak In Singapore, S$5
Nasi Lemak In Kuala Lumpur, RM7.50 (S$2.15)
#2 Char Kuey Teow – S$7 In Singapore, RM9 (S$2.58) In Kuala Lumpur
A dish you will find in kopitiams is the char kuey teow – flat noodles stir fried with dark sauce and ingredients like shrimp, taugeh, egg, and sometimes cockles. The dish requires skills in tossing the noodles in a wok and controlling of fire to create the coveted heat of wok hei.
Depending on the maker’s recipe, the dish can come with a tinge of spice but it’s generally not a spicy dish.
Char kuey teow is consumed for lunch and dinner and it’s commonly found in hawker stalls.
A plate of char kuey teow with extra egg in Singapore was purchased for S$7. Meanwhile, a char kuey teow with shrimp and cockles bought in Kuala Lumpur was charged for RM9 (S$2.58).
Char kuey teow with extra egg in Singapore, S$7
Char kuey teow in Kuala Lumpur, RM9 (S$2.58)
#3 Roti Canai/Prata – S$2.20 (Min 2 Pieces) In Singapore, RM1.50 (S$0.43) Per Piece In Kuala Lumpur
Roti canai is made from ingredients such as flour, salt, sugar, water, milk, egg, and margarine or ghee (a type of butter) are mixed together to form a dough. Then, the dough is flattened out and thrown around before it is pan cooked to create a crispy flattened bread.
Roti canai is served with dhal curry or other sauces. You may also take it with sugar as a sweet dish. It is a popular breakfast food, but it is also suitable for lunch and dinner. You can find it more commonly in mamak stalls.
Meanwhile, roti prata, which also comes from the same dish roti paratha, has a thicker and chewier texture to it.
Plain roti prata in Singapore cost S$2.20 for two pieces, served with curry sauce. Meanwhile, a plain roti canai which comes with three types of sauces in Malaysia cost RM1.50 (S$0.43) per piece.
Plain roti prata in Singapore cost S$2.20 for two pieces, served with curry sauce. Meanwhile, a plain roti canai which comes with three types of sauces in Malaysia cost RM1.50 (S$0.43) per piece.
Two pieces of roti prata in Singapore, S$2.20 (left) and One piece of roti canai RM1.50 (S$0.43) in Kuala Lumpur (right)
#4 Nasi Briyani – S$7.50 In Singapore, RM10 (S$2.87) In Kuala Lumpur
To create briyani rice, one will have to cook the rice with several ingredients including oil, ghee, ginger, garlic, shallot, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, salt and chicken stock.
The grains used are fluffy and slightly longer than the usual rice. The dish is often served with a protein whether it’s chicken or mutton.
A nasi briyani dish in a Singapore eatery cost S$7.50 served with curry chicken, vegetables and papadom. A plate of nasi briyani in Kuala Lumpur served with ayam masak merah and vegetables cost RM10 (S$2.87).
Nasi briyani in Singapore, S$7.50 (left) and Nasi briyani in Kuala Lumpur, RM10 (S$2.87) (right)
#5 Thai Basil Leaf Chicken Rice – S$6.90 In Singapore, RM10 (S$2.87) In Kuala Lumpur
Due to similarity in culture and taste profiles, Thai food has become a popular fare in Malaysia and Singapore.
One such Thai dish is the minced chicken rice dish where the meat is cooked with basil leaves to create a unique aroma. You can get this dish at hawker stalls specialising in Thai dishes.
The plate of Thai basil leaf chicken rice in Singapore costs a colleague S$6.90. A similar plate of Thai basil leaf chicken rice costs RM10 (S$2.87).
Thai basil leaf chicken rice in Singapore, S$6.90
Thai basil leaf chicken rice in Malaysia, RM10 (S$2.87)
Food Price Difference Between Malaysia And Singapore – Who Pay More?
Due to the conversion rate, some living in Singapore enjoy traveling to Malaysia to dine. For example, a plate of Thai basil leaf chicken rice costs S$6.90 in Singapore and RM10 (S$2.87) in Kuala Lumpur.
If a person living in Singapore is in Kuala Lumpur and ordered a plate of Thai basil leaf chicken rice, he or she would only need to pay around S$2.87 with a conversion rate of S$1 to RM3.50. This is cheaper by S$4.03 than what the person pays back at home in Singapore. Another thing to note is that Singapore eateries tend to charge an extra S$0.20 to S$0.30 for takeaways.
If, however we don’t take into account the conversion rate, the similar dish is more ‘expensive’ in Malaysia. A person living and working in Malaysia would have to pay more for a similar dish than a person living and working in Singapore.
This may be due to several factors such as global inflation and a price increase in imported commodities. In addition, from November 2023, the temporary price ceiling for chicken, which was a measure to control sudden increase in prices of global commodities, was removed.
As the price of chicken has stabilised, the government removed the price ceiling and it’s a free market now, which means traders can set their own prices without a cap and there will be an adjustment period.
Read Also: What Are The Cheapest And Most Expensive Foods To Buy At A Coffeeshop
Featured Image Credit: Dollars And Sense Team
The post Price Difference Of Popular Food Items In Singapore And Malaysia. Here Is How Much We Paid appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
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