The overall prices of hawker food increased 6.1 per cent in 2023, compared to 5.7 per cent in 2022.

This was the highest since 2008, with the increase in hawker food prices partly due to higher input costs, according to an article published by the Singapore Department of Statistics (SingStat) on May 6.

This includes pricier raw food ingredients due to supply chain disruptions triggered by Covid-19 and compounded by other events, such as the Russia-Ukraine war.

Hawker centre food cheaper

Across establishments, the average price level of cooked food items sold at food courts and coffee shops tends to be higher than that sold at hawker centres.

At hawker centres, beverages saw a more significant price increase, while prices for noodle-based and rice-based cooked food rose faster at food courts and coffee shops.

SingStat noted that hawker food inflation eased significantly to 4.1 per cent in December 2023, compared to its peak of 8.3 per cent in January and February 2023.

Average price of sliced fish bee hoon is S$5.35

Economical rice, chicken rice, fishball noodles, and coffee/ tea were common food items driving the price increase at food courts, coffee shops, and hawker centres.

SingStat reported that noodle-based cooked food items saw the most substantial average price increase of 7.6 per cent in 2023.

Among noodle-based cooked food items, SingStat compared the prices of char kway teow, fishball noodles, mee rebus, mee siam, sliced fish bee hoon and wanton noodles.

SingStat noted that slice fish bee hoon had the highest average price of S$5.35, while mee siam had the lowest average price of S$3.65.

In 2023, prices of all six noodle-based items rose between 6.4 and 9.5 per cent.

At hawker centres, the prices of fishball noodles and wanton noodles increased the most, while the price increase for char kway teow was the most gradual.

More pronounced price increases were observed at food courts and coffee shops, with a bowl of fishball noodles costing 10 per cent more in 2023 than in 2022.

Sharp increase in price of char siew rice

For rice-based cooked food items, SingStat looked at the prices of chicken rice, chicken nasi briyani, char siew rice, duck rice, economical rice (one meat and two vegetables), and saba fish set with rice sold at hawker centres, food courts, and coffee shops.

Chicken nasi briyani and saba fish set cost the most at an average price of S$6.52 each, while economical rice recorded the lowest average price of S$3.82.

Char siew rice recorded the sharpest increase of 8.3 per cent in 2023.

The prices of chicken rice, char siew rice, economical rice, and saba fish significantly increased at food courts and coffee shops compared to those sold at hawker centres.

Chicken nasi briyani saw the largest price increase at hawker centres at 8.4 per cent.

Canned drinks average price of S$1.71

Looking at the prices of coffee/ tea with and without milk, canned drinks, and Milo with milk, canned drinks saw the highest average price of S$1.71.

Coffee/ tea without milk had the lowest average price of S$1.22.

Prices of beverages at food courts and coffee shops rose between 5.8 and 6.7 per cent.

Prices of beverages at hawker centres increased between 4.6 and 8.6 per cent.

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