An Indian tourist’s recent trip to Singapore has challenged the city-state’s reputation for expensive dining. Subi, who spent a week there, discovered that the prices of cafes and restaurants in Singapore are comparable to those in Mumbai. Taking to social media platform X, she expressed her surprise, writing, “Was in Singapore for a week and I was shocked to see how Mumbai is SO expensive when it comes to nice cafes/restaurants and going out.”
Her post sparked a lively discussion online about the cost of living in the two cities and the underlying factors. Some users highlighted the disparity in purchasing power parity as a key reason. One user explained, “It’s because of the inequality that even little things like grabbing a coffee from a cafe is a ‘luxury’ that costs 450 rupees while most of us don’t make as much as our developed country counterparts to make these expenses make sense.”
was in Singapore for a week and I shook how mumbai is SO expensive when it comes to nice cafes/restaurants and going out, coffee, ubers, experiences etc. like Singapore was just as/very slightly more expensive as most restaurants in bandra and that’s absolutely insane
— subiii (@_subiii_) November 15, 2024
Others blamed the high cost of dining out in Indian cities on classism and inflated rents. “Indian cities are insanely overpriced for everything. I feel like it’s a combo of crazy high rents in India inflating everything & classism – people want to be gated away from most of society,” commented another user.
Subi, however, offered a counterpoint, pointing out that despite Singapore’s significantly higher rents, its cafe prices remain on par with those in Mumbai. She wrote, “I agree but it’s not just that. Singapore rents are 20x that and they still charge the same for a coffee. In India, we premium-ize everything because of classism and we want to keep everyone away.”
This ongoing conversation has brought attention to the socio-economic factors shaping the cost of leisure activities in urban centers like Mumbai and Singapore.