Most Singaporean men and second-generation permanent residents give two years of full-time service to National Service. Part of the experience is receiving a monthly allowance, which starts at about $790 for Recruits (including $715 in Rank Allowance and $75 in Vocation Allowance).
From time to time, the monthly allowance for full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) becomes a topic of public debate. Most recently, a TikTok video by a user named Sheldon argued that $750 was insufficient for NSFs in high-cost Singapore. His $750 figure is likely in reference to NSF allowance prior to the latest increase in July 2025.
At the heart of his argument is “the big keyword, inflation”. He went on to say that today’s NSF allowance gives him a lower purchasing power than the $450 monthly allowance his commander received when he enlisted years ago.
Read Also: Complete NSF Allowance Guide: How Much Can You Earn As A Full-Time National Serviceman?
NSFs Only Able To Buy 77 McSpicy Burgers With $750
Sheldon gave an example, using an NSF favourite book-out meal – a McSpicy burger. Pointing out that despite the rise nominal NSF allowance, his purchasing power has been eroded.
In his video, he said that a $750 NSF monthly allowance could only buy 77 McSpicy burgers. But, his commander would have been able to buy 106 McSpicy burgers with $400, as the burgers were cheaper back then.
Hence, the NSF allowance may not kept pace with inflation, as McSpicy burgers used to cost $4.50 back then, compared to $9.50 today.
I’m not sure about the prices of McSpicy burgers, but let’s assume his figures are fairly accurate. For example McSpicy burgers cost about $9.70 (instead of the $9.50 he quoted), but you can buy about 77 McSpicy burgers with $750 (so he’s quite accurate). Similarly, a $450 allowance back can buy 100 McSpicy burgers at $4.50, rather than the 106 he quoted, but let’s assume he should also be fairly accurate.
McSpicy Burgers Not Entirely A Fair Comparison For Cost Of Living
Using the McSpicy burger as an example can be intuitive, but it’ll hardly be precise because it focuses on a single item price rather than broad inflation.
From historical data of NSF allowances, let’s assume Sheldon’s commander was an NSF around 2012.
Based on figures from the Singapore Department of Statistics, the overall cost of fast food has risen about 26%. This shows that focusing on just one item on one restaurant’s menu may skew the level of inflation experienced.
In sheldon’s example, McSpicy burgers have risen about 111% from $4.50 to $9.50.
We can also go even further to look at the overall level of inflation since 2012. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All-Items in Singapore has risen at a slightly slower pace of 17% in that time.
Meanwhile, the NSF allowance has jumped from $450 to $750 – which is about 67%.
NSFs Allowance Has Risen Even Higher To $790 Today
We also have to understand that NSF allowances do not get adjusted year-to-year. We are not arguing whether this is a good or bad thing in this article (that’s for a whole other article). Instead, we’re just saying that adjustments take time to reflect in NSF allowance.
For example, the NSF allowance for Recruits was adjusted in July 2025 to $790 – already higher from what’s probably Sheldon’s own experience of getting $750.
This means the NSF allowance has risen more than just the 67% we calculated earlier. It’s risen closer to 76% since 2012.
NSFs Also Receive Some Non-Monetary Benefits To Offset Their Everyday Cost
NSFs also get non-monetary benefits beyond their NSF allowance. They receive free medical care if they are sick or injured. While this can be seen as a major benefit, NSFs are typically young and healthy, and from personal experience, going to the doctor is mainly about being excused from training at this age. Also from personal experience, many of the injuries are due to training itself.
NSFs also get SAF eMart credits to offset their clothing and equipment costs for training. From my own time in NS, I can safely say that many NSFs have to spend out-of-pocket for equipment costs that enable a more comfortable journey in NS.
While not really an “enjoyment”, many NSFs also spend much of their stint in camp and only book out on weekends. This means food and accommodation costs are covered. NSFs tend to book out on weekends only, especially during the first three months as Recruits in Basic Military Training (BMT).
Occasionally, there are also disbursements to those who are serving or have served the nation, such as the $200 National Service LifeSG credit given in 2024.
Read Also: 22 Useful Items You Can Buy From The SAF eMart – That You Can Use In Your Civilian Life
But, Is $750 Really Enough For A Person Living In Singapore?
While we’ve discussed inflation and how much prices have increased compared to NSF allowance, we actually haven’t discussed a bigger issue that perhaps the TikToker does not go into much details on – whether the NSF allowance is even enough in the first place.
The cost of living in Singapore is extremely high. NSFs are also people who deserve the dignity of living off their own means and work. It can feel condescending for some to say that service for the country cannot be measured in just monetary terms, while they themselves are receiving much better pay.
Just because NSF allowance has increased 67% since 2012 does not necessarily mean it is higher than inflation. It could just mean that it was lagging very far behind in the first place.
This brings about another important perspective. Beyond just spending two years serving the nation, NSFs and their families may be subsidising the rest of Singapore to provide the vital national security we all treasure.
Since NSFs are given an allowance that is not meant to be compensation, why does it have to be low and not much higher. Perhaps we can borrow an example from internships, some firms can offer very good packages if they value their internship programme. Other firms see interns as a low-cost merry-go-round for labour. After all, if we treasure our men sacrificing two years and providing a vital element of national security – we should give them an allowance commensurate with the gratitude.
As the cost of living continues to rise in Singapore, public discussions about whether the allowance should be adjusted more fairly, or even show more gratitude for service, are entirely legitimate. Lip service can only go so far, especially for NSFs who have bigger family commitments and have dependants who need their support instead of being able to subsidise their National Service.
