Poly student says hawker prices have ‘crept up’ and are harder to afford

SINGAPORE: A local student who is now feeling the sting of higher food prices took to Reddit to ask if anyone else is feeling that eating out in Singapore had “gotten genuinely unmanageable for students/young people.”

In their April 23 post, r/Better-Can-286 wrote that they’ve felt that even the prices at hawker stalls have “crept up so much” in the past couple of years. 

At the Kopitiam near where they live, they used to be able to get a full meal for between S$3 and S$4. Today, however, they’re paying $5.50 or $6 for the same meal, but the portion size is smaller.

“I’m a poly student doing an internship, and even with income, it’s hard not to feel the pinch when you eat out every day,” they wrote.

The post author added, however, that they understand that they know costs have gone up for hawkers, such as rental and ingredients, and they don’t blame stall holders for raising their prices.

They also wrote, however, that they feel that “the whole ‘SG is affordable’ thing is slowly becoming less true for people who aren’t earning a full salary yet,” and asked for tips for anyone in the same situation for eating on a budget, without just eating instant noodles every day.

This week, CNA reported that food stall holders in Singapore have been faced with higher prices for ingredients, in addition to increased energy costs. The war in the Middle East, which is responsible for the energy emergency that has hit Asian countries hard, has raised the operating expenses of hawkers, with some saying that they’ve recently lost up to one-fifth of their profits.

Due to these pressures, hawkers have had no choice but to pass on some of the costs to customers, and some hawkers have raised prices by as much as S$1.

Reddit users commenting on the post agreed that hawker food has gotten more expensive, with one saying that they see their colleagues making their own coffee and tea, and bringing snacks, instead of buying drinks and food. Others said they’re bringing lunch from home, and encouraged the student to do meal prep at home in order to stay on budget.

“It’s not just you, prices have indeed gone up rapidly since Covid, even if the ones who are earning a decent income don’t feel the pinch yet. It’s definitely impacting low-income Singaporeans as well, not just students,” a commenter wrote.

One agreed, writing, “It’s gone up so much and everyone, not just young people, is feeling it.”

“In the past, I wouldn’t bat an eye at what I buy from the hawker because they are all going to be 5$ and below. Now I keep a note of which hawkers still charge that kind of price and only patronise them. I am thankful to still have them around in my neighbourhood, but I can’t say the same in the near future,” another added. /TISG

Read also: ‘Survival comes first’: KF Seetoh applauds Singapore hawkers who are increasing prices