Singapore + Beyond in 5 Days on a Budget
Five days is enough to eat across five neighbourhoods and still cross into a different country on a public bus for less than SGD 5. All prices below are SGD unless a leg actually crosses the border. This nests on top of the 4-day itinerary ; six days available, the 6-day itinerary adds a second border crossing into Indonesia.
Book these before you go
- Compare capsule hostels near Chinatown or Bugis on Agoda ; Fragrance Hotel outlets and The Pod Boutique Capsule Hotel are reliable budget options.
- Check a guided hawker food tour for Days 1-3.
- Check Gardens by the Bay conservatory tickets for the Day 2 evening option.
- Check a Johor Bahru day trip from Singapore if you’d rather not navigate the causeway bus and immigration queue yourself.
Where to stay
Capsule hostels near Chinatown or Bugis run SGD 35-55 a night, The Pod Boutique Capsule Hotel and Fragrance Hotel outlets are reliable budget options. Mid-range like Hotel Jen Orchardgateway sits around SGD 150-220.
| Day | Focus | Distance/travel time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Chinatown’s hawker hub | - | SGD 15-25 |
| Day 2 | Katong and Old Airport Road | - | SGD 15-25 |
| Day 3 | Kampong Glam and Little India | - | SGD 15-25 |
| Day 4 | Tiong Bahru and Pulau Ubin | ~10 min bumboat each way | SGD 15-25 |
| Day 5 | Johor Bahru, Malaysia | ~45-60 min bus + immigration | SGD 10-15 plus a few ringgit |
Day 1: Chinatown’s hawker hub
Land at Changi and take the East West Line MRT into the city, about 35 minutes for SGD 1.50-2.20. Morning: Chinatown’s shophouse streets and the free Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, then lunch at Chinatown Complex, 700-plus stalls including Liao Fan Hawker Chan (Bib Gourmand chicken rice) and Xiu Ji Ikan Bilis Yong Tau Foo, SGD 4-8 a meal. Afternoon: Maxwell Food Centre for Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, SGD 5-6, then the free Marina Bay waterfront. Evening: dinner at Lau Pa Sat, satay street behind it after 7pm, and the free Spectra light-and-water show at Marina Bay Sands.
Day 2: Katong and Old Airport Road
Morning: Grab to Katong/Joo Chiat (SGD 10-15), pastel Peranakan shophouses, and laksa at 328 Katong Laksa, SGD 5 small, SGD 7 large. Afternoon: Old Airport Road Food Centre, a proper locals’ hawker hall, char kway teow or oyster omelette for SGD 4-8. Evening: the free, outdoor Supertree Grove and OCBC Skyway at Gardens by the Bay. The ticketed Cloud Forest and Flower Dome run SGD 46 tourist adult combo and are skippable; the free light show covers the same ground for less.
Day 3: Kampong Glam and Little India
Morning: the Sultan Mosque and Haji Lane’s independent cafes, coffee for SGD 5-8. Afternoon: Arab Street’s textile and perfume shops. Evening: Little India is at its best after dark, spice shops lit up; eat at Tekka Centre, biryani or roti prata for SGD 4-7.
Day 4: Tiong Bahru and Pulau Ubin
Morning: Tiong Bahru’s 1930s art-deco estate and its Michelin-recognised market, Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (SGD 3.80-4.80), Jian Bo Chwee Kueh, and Hong Heng Fried Sotong Prawn Mee (Bib Gourmand). Best Wednesday to Sunday before 2pm. Afternoon: a bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal to Pulau Ubin, SGD 4 each way per person, cash only, plus SGD 2 for a bike, boats leave once 12 people are aboard between roughly 6am and 7pm. No malls, no towers, just cycling trails and mangroves and a couple of zinc-roofed drink stalls. Evening: cheap seafood back near Changi Village.
Day 5: Johor Bahru on a public bus
This is the one day trip that leaves Singapore entirely, so bring your passport, Malaysia is a separate country with its own currency, the ringgit. Take the MRT to Kranji or Woodlands, then a public bus (SBS Transit 170X or SMRT 950) across the Woodlands Causeway for as little as SGD 1.19-2.10 by card. Tap out at the Singapore checkpoint via ICA , walk through immigration on foot, then re-board any bus with the same number on the Malaysian side, no extra fare if it’s within 45 minutes. The Causeway Link CW2 coach is a step up in comfort for about SGD 4.80.
Once in Johor Bahru, food is the entire point: a plate that runs SGD 6-8 in a Singapore hawker centre costs a fraction of that in ringgit across the causeway. There’s also a KTM shuttle train option if you’d rather skip the bus queue. A new rail link, the RTS Link connecting Woodlands North MRT directly to JB’s Bukit Chagar in about five minutes, is targeted for December 2026, with some reports pointing to a slip into early 2027, so check current status before counting on it; expected fare once running is around SGD 5-7.
Head back the same way before the last connecting bus of the evening, checkpoint queues get longer after dark.
How much does 5 days including Johor Bahru cost?
Under SGD 30 a day for the four Singapore-side days, plus under SGD 5 in bus fare for the Malaysia crossing itself. Food across the causeway is the real saving, not the transport.
Do you need a visa for the Johor Bahru day trip?
Most passport holders get visa-free entry to Malaysia for short visits, but rules vary by nationality, so check before you go. Everyone needs a physical passport for this crossing, it’s a different country regardless of how short the bus ride feels.
Getting around: tap a contactless bank card at the MRT gantry through SimplyGo , nothing to buy or top up in advance. Fares are SGD 1.28-2.57 a trip, with same-card transfers inside 45 minutes counted as one ride; foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard (not Amex) carry a SGD 0.60 daily admin fee on top of the fare. Grab is the ride-hail app, Uber sold its Southeast Asia business to Grab in 2018 and never came back.
Currency in Singapore is SGD, it’s an independent country, not part of Malaysia, and hasn’t been since 1965. Tap water is safe. Tipping isn’t customary, though restaurants (not hawker stalls) often add 9% GST plus 10% service charge. Chewing gum is legal to chew, only its sale and import are banned. Chope-ing a hawker table with a tissue packet is normal etiquette, not theft.
Carry small ringgit cash for Johor Bahru rather than relying on cards everywhere, hawker-style stalls there are cash-first, same as Singapore.