There's now an easy way for you to search for affordable meals in your area.
BudgetMealGoWhere is a new website launched by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in collaboration with the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) that tells you exactly where to go for a cheap meal. Find yourself in the heartlands, feeling hungry and not sure where to go? Simply enter your postal code into the portal and it'll suggest a list of available budget meals and drinks at nearby HDB coffee shops. These suggestions start within 2km of your location.
If you're wondering what's in a budget meal, the good news is that it's more than a paltry snack, side dish, kid's meal, or half-portion meal. These are full lunch and dinner options, priced below $3.50 for meals and below $1.20 for drinks. An example of what you can expect on your plate? Economy rice with long beans, sweet and sour pork, and spinach ($3.30) with teh O ($1). To make things easier, you can even filter your search on BudgetMealGoWhere to find only halal options, budget meals or budget drinks too.
There are currently about 40 coffee shops listed on BudgetMealGoWhere, so options are pretty limited. HDB and GovTech assure that more are being added to the site though. Starting from May 2023, all coffee shops leased from HDB are also expected to offer budget meal options upon their tenancy renewal, so all 374 HDB rental coffee shops should have affordable options by 2026 – which only means more cheap meals for us all.
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