For almost 30 years, Subway has served its trademark 6-inch sandwiches in Singapore. It is one of the most prolific fast-food restaurants in the country, with almost 150 locations across the island. That’s comparable to the number of McDonald’s locations here.
Last week on LinkedIn, user Wasi Hossain shared his impressive research on McDonald’s prices (limited to chicken-based burgers). He confirmed that different McDonald’s outlets priced their menu differently (which should not be surprising to anyone at this stage) but that there were up to 40 different pricing tiers for a la carte burgers. Inspired by this, the team at DollarsandSense suggested I look at Subway’s prices as well, to see whether this was a popular business practice.
Using the Subway Singapore mobile app, I checked the prices for about 50 locations. As it turns out, most of the locations use one of only two main pricing tiers, and the difference between them is just 20 cents. I compared the prices of the Extra Value Meal, the 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal, and the a la carte prices of 5 popular sandwiches.
Firstly, I need to point out that regardless of outlet, all Extra Value Meal prices are $6.80, and it is the most value-for-money option on the menu.
For the remaining items, however, the prices are as follows:
| Tier 1 Price | Tier 2 Price | |
| Extra Value Meal | $6.80 | $6.80 |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $10.20 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.20 | $7.00 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.40 | $8.20 |
| Chicken Teriyaki (6-inch) | $8.40 | $8.20 |
| Italian BMT (6-inch) | $8.70 | $8.50 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.20 | $9.00 |
There did not seem to be a clear distinction as to which Tier a Subway restaurant would belong to. “Tier 1” pricing was generally found in more popular locations, such as Star Vista, Esplanade, and Suntec City Mall, while “Tier 2” pricing would be locations that were less accessible like IMM, Siglap Centre, and Pasir Ris West Plaza. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, the outlet at 30 Tuas Bay has “Tier 1” pricing, while Tiong Bahru Plaza has “Tier 2” pricing.
But I found 7 outlets with prices below “Tier 2” pricing, and some even had significant price differences. I’ve ordered them from most expensive to least expensive according to the price of their 6-inch Sub Regular Cookie Meal.
#1 Holland Village
This is one of the oldest Subway restaurants in Singapore and has been around since 2000. It has seen so many neighbours at Lorong Liput come and go, standing strong against the odds as Holland Village rapidly evolves around it, following the opening of Holland Village MRT Station in 2011. Perhaps, for these reasons, it offers one of the cheapest cookie meals and a cheaper Italian BMT.
| Tier 2 Price | Outlet Price | |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $9.90 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.00 | $7.00 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.20 | $8.20 |
| Chicken Teriyaki | $8.20 | $8.20 |
| Italian BMT | $8.50 | $8.20 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.00 | $9.00 |
#2 Khoo Teck Puat Hospital
With Subway’s marketing as a “healthier” option, you would expect more Subway restaurants in hospitals to offer lower prices. Despite having a presence in 7 hospitals in Singapore, only the one at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital has a cheaper menu. In fact, all the other 6 hospital menus are at “Tier 1” prices or higher.
| Tier 2 Price | Outlet Price | |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $9.60 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.00 | $6.90 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.20 | $7.90 |
| Chicken Teriyaki | $8.20 | $7.90 |
| Italian BMT | $8.50 | $8.40 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.00 | $9.00 |
#3 Republic Polytechnic
It is not surprising that the remaining 5 outlets on this list are found in educational institutions. Like McDonald’s, Subway is also aware that students are price-sensitive consumers. What is surprising is that prices aren’t consistent among them, with Republic Polytechnic having the highest prices among the 5 educational institutions.
| Tier 2 Price | Outlet Price | |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $9.30 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.00 | $6.50 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.20 | $7.70 |
| Chicken Teriyaki | $8.20 | $7.70 |
| Italian BMT | $8.50 | $8.10 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.00 | $8.80 |
#4 Nanyang Polytechnic
When it comes to a la carte sandwiches, Nanyang Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic have the lowest prices in Singapore. The only reason Nanyang Polytechnic is in the middle of the list here is because their Cookies Meal is not as cheap as the remaining outlets on this list.
| Tier 2 Price | Outlet Price | |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $9.30 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.00 | $6.10 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.20 | $7.10 |
| Chicken Teriyaki | $8.20 | $7.10 |
| Italian BMT | $8.50 | $7.40 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.00 | $7.80 |
#5 Temasek Polytechnic
As mentioned earlier, the pricing at Temasek Polytechnic is almost the same as the outlet in Nanyang Polytechnic. It beats Nanyang Polytechnic because the Cookies Meal is 10 cents cheaper.
| Tier 2 Price | Outlet Price | |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $9.20 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.00 | $6.10 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.20 | $7.10 |
| Chicken Teriyaki | $8.20 | $7.10 |
| Italian BMT | $8.50 | $7.30 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.00 | $7.80 |
#6 NTU
Perhaps because of its relatively inaccessible location, NTU’s Cookies Meal prices are at least 30 cents cheaper than those of the Polytechnics. The a la carte sandwiches are more expensive, however.
| Tier 2 Price | Outlet Price | |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $8.90 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.00 | $6.30 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.20 | $7.50 |
| Chicken Teriyaki | $8.20 | $7.50 |
| Italian BMT | $8.50 | $7.60 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.00 | $8.30 |
#7 SMU City Campus
Defying all expectations of menu pricing according to location, the very central SMU City Campus outlet boasts the lowest price for a Cookies Meal. There is a lack of air-conditioned seating, which may explain the lower prices.
| Tier 2 Price | Outlet Price | |
| 6-inch Sub Regular Cookies Meal | $10.20 | $8.60 |
| Tuna Mayo (6-inch) | $7.00 | $6.30 |
| Roasted Chicken Breast (6-inch) | $8.20 | $7.50 |
| Chicken Teriyaki | $8.20 | $7.50 |
| Italian BMT | $8.50 | $7.80 |
| Subway Melt (6-inch) | $9.00 | $8.30 |