Nasi lemak is a crowd-favourite delight that’s beloved by Singaporeans, and the city-state has no shortage of establishments offering their take on the meal. The Malay dish’s origins can purportedly be traced back to Kuala Lumpur, where it was formerly wrapped in banana leaves and sold – albeit in smaller portions compared to today – by vendors who ventured from.
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Prices obtained from stalls listed above, accurate as of 10 Feb 2020. Subject to changes.
Given how price-sensitive Singapore consumers can be (especially when it comes to hawker food), hawkers are unwilling to increase prices despite their increasingly thin profit margins due to a combination of rising food cost and salaries for workers. Thus, resulting in affordable – some might even say ‘cheap’ – meal options typically ranging between S$3 to S$7. Of course, these costs vary based on food items. For instance, chicken rice will typically be pricier than a meatless meal, like chwee kueh (water rice cakes).
Thus, for fair comparison’s sake, the cost of 3 everyday hawker dishes that can also be found in restaurants or prepared at home have been averaged. Of the 3 meals, nasi lemak turned out the most expensive, presumably because of the number of ingredients it contains.