Singapore - Post Report Question and Answers
How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
You can get almost everything here, but pricing depends on where and how you shop. Alcohol is very expensive everywhere. At the expat grocery stores, grocery prices are comparable to major US cities, with some things like U.S. dairy and U.S. meat being much much more expensive. Keep costs down by shopping outside of the embassy/expat bubble at Sheng Siong, Giant, and other grocers aimed at the local market. redmart.com is a good online grocer tadafresh.com pulls your order from local wet markets There are also local authentic regional shops, such as lamexicana.sg for Mexican ingredients. - Mar 2022
This is where you need to rely on local knowledge. We find grocery shopping affordable by going to pretty affordable places such as Hyper Fairprice, Giant, Mustafa and Wet Markets. Mustafa is a one stop shop and has incredible prices for house hold products and cosmetics and everything else you can think of. - Aug 2015
It's all here but outrageously expensive. Box of cereal is US$12. Can of Pilsbury cinnamon rolls is US$14. You can buy fresh produce and chicken/fish at the many wet markets, which I love to shop but I don't see many other expats there. Small commissary is on north side on island, 30 minutes away, and it's mainly a super sized convenience store. Alcohol is crazy expensive, but duty free available to diplomats at Embassy store and Navy Exchange/commissary. - Aug 2015
Everything is available. Groceries cost about twice as much as in the U.S. - Apr 2012
Groceries are a bit expensive and some products (ie certain US candies) are outrageous. I used a grocer to deliver my food since I had four kids and no domestic help, but there are small grocery stores everywhere and fresh food markets scattered across the island. - Nov 2011
You can find almost anything you want at the grocery store but you have to check the prices. Some things are ridiculously expensive. - Mar 2010
Everything's available. If it's imported from beyond SE Asia, you pay more, but not punishingly more. If you buy American brands, you'll pay on average maybe 30% more than at home. Breakfast cereal is oddly expensive, and beer and wine are ridiculous: an Australian wine retailing at US$8 in US is US$20 and up. We shop at Fairprice and Cold Storage: the first is cheaper, with smaller selection, and smells of durian; the second is standard US-style supermarket with lots of international foods. - Dec 2008
You can find nearly anything, but at a price. We found that cooking Western or American cuisine wasn't worth the price, so we mainly ate out. - Aug 2008
It's the same scenario as the restaurants-you can find anything, ranging from very cheap (local groceries) to very expensive (imported/Western). Singapore has some of the best fruit available on the planet, and it's dirt cheap. Try durian at least once. - Jun 2008
