Another dating debacle has surfaced in Singapore: Lau Pa Sat for a first date, yay or nay? Whatever your stance, we’re not judging, but here’s the question – is treating a love interest to a non-hawker meal really such a tough ask? According to a new global study, it shouldn’t be, because Singapore has been named as the sixth most affordable city for dining out – second in Asia, below Osaka (#5).
Australian food magazine Chef’s Pencil has crunched the numbers to put together this list based on 177 cities’ meal-to-salary ratios. For Singapore, an average mid-range restaurant meal is listed at $39 against an average monthly salary of $4,642 – which translates to 0.8 percent of one’s paycheck. And turns out there isn’t all that big of a gap between us and first place, with Dallas’ (#1) meal-to-salary ratio at 0.7 percent.
Asia-wise, other cities in the top 10 include Tokyo (#7), Shenzhen (#8), and Seoul (#9).
Objectively, $39 for a meal in Singapore is already on the higher side of average. Even if we’re strictly looking at restaurants, and not hawkers or food courts, it isn’t difficult to find good food at much lower prices. Some new spots we recommend are Steak Sudaku for A5 wagyu under $30, Revolution for Asian-inspired pasta, and the Coach Coffee Shop for chic New York-style dining, sans high-end prices.
If you’re part of the one in five Singaporeans against hawker centre first dates, perhaps this list is a good one to whip out if you’re ever accused of being a gold-digger.
Now zooming in specifically on cheap eats, Singapore leads the pack with inexpensive meals averaging $9.30 (0.2 percent of average income). The rest of the top 15 list is mainly populated with Asian cities and a couple of Middle Eastern ones – likely due to the fact that our region is blessed with plenty of street stalls and small mom-and-pop eateries. Date discourse aside? We’re incredibly thankful for our hardworking hawker heroes and their honest-to-goodness local fare.
Most affordable cities in the world for dining out in 2025
- Dallas, United States of America
- Muscat, Oman
- Bern, Switzerland
- Denver, United States of America
- Osaka , Japan
- Singapore
- Tokyo, Japan
- Shenzhen, China
- Seoul, South Korea
- Houston, United States of America
- Doha, Qatar
- Luxembourg
- Brisbane, Australia
- Seattle, United States
- Paris, France
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Chicago, United States of America
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Washington D.C., United States of America
- Boston, United States of America
Best cities in the world for cheap eats based on meal-to-salary ratio
- Singapore
- Shenzhen, China
- Hong Kong, China
- Doha, Qatar
- Seoul, South Korea
- Shanghai, China
- Dubai, UAE
- Beijing, China
- Muscat, Oman
- Macao, China
- Tokyo, Japan
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Osaka , Japan
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Bangkok, Thailand
Visit Chef’s Pencil for the full list of the most affordable cities in the world for eating out, along with a deeper dive into the ranking methodology.
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