Singapore has a reputation for being expensive, and the grocery bill can sometimes confirm it. For travellers staying a little longer, however, there is a simple way to keep everyday costs under control: shop like a local.
While Singapore’s restaurants, cafés and hawker centres make eating out remarkably easy, having a well-stocked kitchen is still one of the most sensible ways to manage your spending, particularly if you are staying for several weeks or more.
Singapore’s grocery scene ranges from enormous supermarkets and neighbourhood stores to elegant organic grocers, specialist food shops and online services that will deliver everything from fresh vegetables to imported cheese directly to your door.
For expats and longer-stay visitors, the best strategy is not necessarily to choose one supermarket. It is to mix and match.
Best Singapore Supermarkets for Expats
Little Farms for the premium grocery run
Little Farms sits firmly on the more polished end of Singapore’s grocery spectrum, but it earns its place on the list for anyone looking for high-quality fresh produce, organic food and specialist ingredients.
Its shelves cover the essentials, including fresh fruit and vegetables and pantry staples, alongside gluten-free, vegan and keto-friendly products. There is also a sizeable wine selection, with more than 200 bottles from small producers around the world, including labels that can be difficult to find elsewhere.
The online shop is particularly useful when you are staying in a condominium or simply do not fancy carrying groceries across Singapore. Same-day delivery is available for orders placed by noon from Monday to Saturday, with free delivery for orders above $100.
First-time online shoppers can use the code WELCOME20 for 20 per cent off their first order.
Little Farms currently has locations at River Valley, Holland Village, Tanglin, Tanjong Pagar, Serangoon Gardens, Sentosa, Katong and One Raffles Place.
Best for: organic produce, premium ingredients, imported products and a more curated grocery experience.
Culina at COMO Dempsey Hill Gourmet groceries and a meal worth staying for
Set across more than 15,000 sq ft at Dempsey, Culina at COMO Dempsey is part gourmet food hall, part specialist grocer and part modern bistro. It is the sort of place where a quick grocery run can easily turn into lunch.
Step inside and you are greeted by the aroma of freshly baked bread, followed by shelves and counters filled with premium ingredients sourced from around the world. Expect carefully selected cuts of meat, fresh seafood, pastries, cheeses, wine and other speciality products that are not always easy to find in conventional supermarkets.
But Culina is more than a place to stock the kitchen. Its contemporary bistro makes a convenient stop after shopping, serving familiar dishes with a polished touch. The menu includes favourites such as fish and chips and spaghettini with crabmeat in a spicy tomato sauce.
Whether you are looking for a few exceptional ingredients for dinner or simply want somewhere to browse, eat and linger, Culina makes grocery shopping feel rather less like an errand.
Cold Storage a.k.a expat supermarket classic
Some supermarkets are simply useful. Others become part of the landscape.
Cold Storage has been serving Singapore shoppers since 1903, when it began as a small depot specialising in frozen meat from Australia. Today, it has 47 stores across the island and remains one of the more familiar names for shoppers looking for imported and international products.
Its appeal to expats is fairly straightforward. Alongside the usual fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and pantry staples, many branches carry brands and products from overseas, including the popular Waitrose range.
It is not necessarily where you would go to do the cheapest possible weekly shop, but it can save considerable time when you are trying to recreate something familiar from home.
Best for: imported groceries, international brands, familiar expat favourites and premium supermarket shopping.
Not on your budget? Here are some more affordable options for daily purchase
NTUC FairPrice: the everyday essential
For keeping the grocery bill sensible, NTUC FairPrice is difficult to overlook.
As Singapore’s largest supermarket chain, FairPrice has stores in neighbourhoods across the island, with formats ranging from compact FairPrice Express outlets to larger FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets and the more premium FairPrice Finest stores.
The range is broad enough to cover most everyday needs, from fresh food and snacks to toiletries, cleaning products and household supplies.
For visitors staying in Singapore for an extended period, FairPrice is often the practical backbone of a grocery routine. You can pick up the basics here and save the specialist shopping for somewhere else.
Best for: affordable everyday groceries, toiletries, cleaning products and household essentials.
Sheng Siong: where value meets local flavour
If you want to see a slightly more local side of Singapore’s grocery culture, head to Sheng Siong.
The chain is particularly useful for affordable fresh food, vegetables, seafood, local snacks and household products. Its stores have a more bustling, neighbourhood feel than some of the polished premium supermarkets, which is part of the appeal.
It is also a useful place to experiment with local ingredients and snacks without paying speciality-store prices.
For the budget-conscious shopper, Sheng Siong is one of the places worth checking before heading to a premium grocer.
Best for: affordable groceries, seafood, vegetables, local snacks and household goods.
Prime Supermarket: neighbourhood convenience
Prime Supermarket occupies a useful middle ground. Its stores are generally neighbourhood-oriented, making them convenient for picking up everyday essentials without turning a grocery trip into an expedition.
It is particularly worth considering for frozen foods and pantry staples, with regular deals that can make a difference if you are shopping on a budget.
Best for: frozen food, pantry staples, everyday groceries and neighbourhood shopping.
Giant Hypermart when you want to buy everything at once
Sometimes you do not need a carefully curated grocery experience. You need toilet paper, cereal, detergent, vegetables and enough snacks to survive the week.
That is where Giant comes in.
The hypermarket format means a broad selection under one roof, covering food, fresh produce, meat, household products and everything in between. It is particularly useful for bigger shopping trips when convenience matters more than browsing boutique shelves.
Best for: large grocery runs, household products and buying in volume.
The Singapore grocery strategy: mix and match
The smartest way to shop in Singapore is not necessarily to become loyal to one supermarket. Instead, divide the shopping.
Pick up inexpensive basics from Sheng Siong, Prime Supermarket or FairPrice. Visit Cold Storage when you need imported brands. Head to Little Farms or specialist grocers for organic products, premium meat, unusual ingredients or health-focused food.
For those interested in reducing packaging waste, specialist bulk stores such as Scoop Wholefoods and The Source Bulk Foods are also worth exploring.
Singapore’s international population has also created a surprisingly rich network of speciality shops. Depending on what you are cooking, look out for stores specialising in African, German, Thai and South African products.
The result is a grocery routine that feels less like a single weekly chore and more like a small map of Singapore’s food culture.
Grocery Store delivery in Singapore
There is another option, particularly useful during heavy rain, busy working weeks or when your shopping list contains more bottled water than you would like to carry.
Online grocery delivery is well established in Singapore.
RedMart through Lazada offers an especially broad selection, from fresh and organic products to Korean noodles, imported snacks, household products and eco-friendly cleaning supplies.
The major supermarket chains, including FairPrice, Cold Storage, Giant, Sheng Siong and Prime, also offer online shopping and delivery, with availability varying by location and delivery slot.
Specialist retailers such as Little Farms, Ryan’s Grocery and Meat Club are useful when you have specific dietary requirements or are searching for premium ingredients.
Delivery charges and minimum spending requirements vary between retailers, but orders above roughly $60 to $100 often qualify for free delivery. Smaller orders may attract a delivery fee of around $4 to $7.
If you need groceries on the same day, book early. Delivery slots can become scarce around public holidays and particularly busy periods.
For condominium and HDB deliveries, leave clear instructions about the building, lift access and where the driver should leave the groceries. It sounds obvious, but it can save an unnecessary phone call when someone is standing downstairs with six bags of groceries.
A few rules for smarter grocery shopping
Use loyalty programmes. Supermarket memberships and shopping apps can unlock discounts and promotional prices that add up over several weeks.
Compare before buying premium products. Singapore’s grocery market is competitive, and the same imported product can occasionally appear at noticeably different prices.
Buy heavy items online. Rice, drinks, cleaning products and household supplies are considerably less annoying when somebody else carries them to your door.
Shop locally for everyday ingredients. Singapore’s supermarkets and wet-market-style stores can be surprisingly good value for fresh produce, seafood and local snacks.
Save the premium shops for what matters. You do not need to buy every item at an organic grocer. Use specialist stores for the products that are difficult to find elsewhere.
Watch the promotions. Household goods, snacks and pantry products frequently appear in promotional cycles, so timing a larger shop around discounts can make a noticeable difference.
Grocery shopping in Singapore does not have to mean choosing between convenience and cost. After all, settling into a new city is partly about discovering its restaurants and neighbourhoods. It is also about learning where to buy your breakfast.
