SINGAPORE: One frustrated local recently took to Reddit to vent about how everyday expenses in Singapore seem to be quietly inching up “almost overnight.”
In a post on the r/asksg subreddit, he wrote that the “daily life in Singapore” has started to feel noticeably “more expensive” in recent months, even though his spending habits have remained the same.
The local clarified that he was not “talking about big-ticket items” but rather the “little things.” He said, “Kopi is edging closer to S$2, cai png now costs me S$6+ even when I go light, basic groceries like eggs, tofu, and vegetables have crept up in price. Even my regular haircut went from S$12 to S$15 without any notice.
“It’s not one big hike, but more like a slow crawl upwards in almost every category. I’ve started tracking my expenses down to the dollar and using budget apps, but even then it’s like S$5 extra here, S$8 more there, and suddenly I’m over budget by mid-month,” he added.
Ending his post, he asked other forum members: “Is anyone else noticing this? If so, how are you coping — cutting back on anything, using deal apps, changing your habits? Or is this just the ‘new normal’ we’re all quietly adjusting to?”
“New normal, and it will get worse.”
In the discussion thread, many Singaporean Redditors chimed in to say they’ve noticed the same thing. Prices, they said, have been steadily rising across food, services, and everyday essentials.
One commenter called it the new normal and doubted that things would return to how they were. “Yes, I feel it too. It is the new normal, and I doubt we will ever go back to the old prices. UNLESS there is a recession (unlikely and hopefully NOT). Prices of cars, houses, and everything else will remain high and will only get higher. Go to JB to eat and buy groceries.”
Another said, “New normal, and it will get worse. Advice is to get out while you can, lol.”
A third pointed out that this trend has been going on since the pandemic. “Been tracking that way post-COVID. Not stopping soon, judging by persistent rental increases.”
Meanwhile, a fourth user disagreed with the idea that prices had jumped overnight. They said the changes were gradual and clearly linked to the recent GST hikes.
“No, it happened very clearly during the first GST increase. Kopi at my usual shop went from S$1.80 to S$1.90,” they wrote. “Then, for the second GST increase a year later, the same kopi increased in price from S$1.90 to S$2.10. When else have we experienced an increase in the price of a product so drastically in only one year?”
In other news, a 20-year-old woman has alleged that her parents threatened to report her to the police for “theft” after she moved out with a phone and a laptop that they had previously purchased for her.
In a Reddit post published on Wednesday (July 2), the woman stated that she had recently left her family home and did not intend to return. She brought with her a phone and a laptop, which had either been gifted to her or bought for her by her parents when she was still residing with them. According to her, these items had long been treated as her personal belongings.
Read more: 20 yo woman says parents accused her of ‘theft’ after she moved out with gifted phone and laptop
