The Singaporean Dollar hit a high in recent weeks against the Malaysian Ringgit with SGD1 equating to RM3.50. With this, some living in Singapore are taking advantage of the conversion rate by travelling to Malaysia to dine and shop.
The DollarsAndSense team set out on a food adventure to find out the prices of our favourite dishes and how much they cost across the border. We explored food stalls, kopitiams, and mamak eateries in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
#1 Nasi Lemak – S$5 In Singapore, RM7.50 (S$2.15) In Kuala Lumpur
Nasi lemak is the national dish of Malaysia. Due to its popularity, there are many renditions of it where it’s served with side dishes like fried chicken and curry chicken.
The basic nasi lemak comprises of fragrant coconut rice, fried anchovies, boiled egg, cucumber slices, fried peanuts, and spicy sambal sauce. The nasi lemak dish is ubiquitous and can be found at roadside stalls, kopitiams, and mamak restaurants. It’s an all-day dish one can enjoy at various times of the day.
A nasi lemak dish with fried chicken in Singapore was bought for S$5.
A similar Nasi Lemak dish costs RM3 + RM4.50 (Fried Chicken) = RM7.50 (S$2.15) in Kuala Lumpur.
#2 Char Kuey Teow – S$7 In Singapore, RM9 (S$2.58) In Kuala Lumpur
A dish you will find in kopitiams is the char kuey teow – flat noodles stir fried with dark sauce and ingredients like shrimp, taugeh, egg, and sometimes cockles. The dish requires skills in tossing the noodles in a wok and controlling of fire to create the coveted heat of wok hei.
Depending on the maker’s recipe, the dish can come with a tinge of spice but it’s generally not a spicy dish.
Char kuey teow is consumed for lunch and dinner and it’s commonly found in hawker stalls.
A plate of S$6 char kuey teow + S$1 for extra egg in Singapore equals a total of S$7.
Meanwhile, a char kuey teow with shrimp and cockles bought in Kuala Lumpur was charged for RM9 (S$2.58).
#3 Roti Prata/Canai – S$1.10 Per Piece In Singapore, RM1.50 (S$0.43) Per Piece In Kuala Lumpur
Roti canai is made from ingredients such as flour, salt, sugar, water, milk, egg, and margarine or ghee (a type of butter) are mixed together to form a dough. Then, the dough is flattened out and thrown around before it is pan cooked to create a crispy flattened bread.
Roti canai is served with dhal curry or other sauces. You may also take it with sugar as a sweet dish. It is a popular breakfast food, but it is also suitable for lunch and dinner. You can find it more commonly in mamak stalls.
Meanwhile, roti prata, which also comes from the same dish roti paratha, has a thicker and chewy texture to it.
In Singapore, plain roti prata (left) with a minimum of two pieces cost S$2.20 (S$1.10 per piece) with curry sauce.
In Malaysia, a plain roti canai (right) cost RM1.50 (S$0.43) per piece and came with three types of sauces.
#4 Nasi Briyani – S$7.50 In Singapore, RM10 (S$2.87) In Kuala Lumpur
To create briyani rice, one will have to cook the rice with several ingredients including oil, ghee, ginger, garlic, shallot, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, salt and chicken stock.
The grains used are fluffy and slightly longer than the usual rice. The dish is often served with a protein whether it’s chicken or mutton.
A nasi briyani dish (left) in a Singapore eatery cost S$7.50 served with curry chicken, vegetables and papadom.
A plate of nasi briyani(right) in Kuala Lumpur served with ayam masak merah and vegetables cost RM10 (S$2.87).
#5 Thai Basil Leaf Chicken Rice – S$6.90 In Singapore, RM10 (S$2.87) In Kuala Lumpur
Due to similarity in culture and taste profiles, Thai food has become a popular fare in Malaysia and Singapore.
One such Thai dish is the minced chicken rice dish where the meat is cooked with basil leaves to create a unique aroma. You can get this dish at hawker stalls specialising in Thai dishes.
A plate of Thai basil leaf chicken rice in Singapore costs a colleague S$6.90.
A similar plate of Thai basil leaf chicken rice costs RM10 (S$2.87) in Kuala Lumpur.
Food Price Difference Between Malaysia And Singapore – Which Cheaper?
It is observed that there is a difference in the prices of food in Singapore and Malaysia. The prices of food seem cheaper in Malaysia compared to Singapore with a dollar-to-dollar comparison. A Thai basil leaf chicken rice dish costs S$6.90 in Singapore and RM10 (S$2.87) in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, the nasi briyani in Singapore costs S$7.50 and RM10 (S$2.87) in Kuala Lumpur.
Read Also: What Are The Cheapest And Most Expensive Foods To Buy At A Coffeeshop
Featured Image Credit: Dollars And Sense Team
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