Singaporeans name everyday things they feel are no longer worth the money: ‘Cafe prices are getting out of hand’
Woman sitting inside a cafe
SINGAPORE: A meal out, a quick drink from the convenience store, or even a simple plate of chicken rice used to feel like relatively harmless everyday expenses. But with prices creeping up, some Singaporeans feel that more and more things are becoming difficult to justify.
One local recently asked fellow netizens what they thought was slowly “becoming not worth the money anymore” in Singapore, and the responses covered everything from cafe dining to clothing.
For the original poster (OP), cafes were an obvious example.
They shared that during a recent visit, they ordered a sandwich and an iced latte, only to receive a bill of nearly S$30.
“The total came up to almost S$30! THIRTY DOLLARS. The sandwich wasn't even that good. Just two slices of bread with some chicken and a tiny salad on the side, eh? I remember when S$30 could get you a pretty decent meal somewhere nice,” they wrote on the r/askg forum.
“Nowadays, I look at some cafe menus and genuinely wonder who's paying these prices regularly lol! Not saying cafes shouldn't charge what they need to, but sometimes the price just doesn't match what you're getting.”
In the discussion thread below, other commenters shared the OP's frustrations with cafe prices, but some felt that fast food was no longer offering much value either.
One Singaporean said fast food was becoming a bit of a misnomer, given that customers were paying more but not necessarily getting their meals any quicker.
“Fast food is no longer fast, and it’s very expensive. I try to keep my meals under S$5-6 if I can.”
“Yah, the part about fast food no longer being fast is real. McDonald’s in those densely populated city centres takes forever during meal times,” another said.
A third wrote, “Fast food. Prices are going insane. I might as well eat proper food with that price.”
Beyond cafe meals and fast food, other commenters brought up several everyday items and food they felt had become rather poor value for money.
One wrote, “For me it's convenience store drinks—last time it felt like grabbing a drink on a hot day was easy; nowadays I always hesitate - 3 dollars plus for some drinks is crazy, and sometimes it's something as common as Coke.”
Newsletter
Get updates straight to your inbox
Another complained about chicken rice, saying, “The portion is getting smaller, with the meat being pressed and slapped several times. Just not worth it.”
A third wrote, “Dim sum. It's so freaking expensive now. It's just not worth it anymore. Imagine 7.50 dollars per cart with just 3 siewmais; add GST and service, and it's almost 10dollars.”
A fourth shared, “Have you seen how much FRUITS cost these days? It's an extravagant food choice at this point.”
A fifth added, “Clothing shopping—it's all polyester regardless of price tag.”/TISG