A bad taste in the mouth: Hawker food prices jumped 20% since 2012, reveals new study

Can average consumers still afford it?

Singapore is known for its excellent and affordable food, but a survey released today by the Consumers Association of Singapore revealed that hawker food prices have increased by 10-20% for most food items since 2012.

The survey was conducted in July 2014 and covered 503 hawker food stalls selling five common food items--Chicken Nasi Briyani, Chicken Rice, Fishball Noodles, Roti Prata and Mixed Vegetables Rice.

Compared with the previous price survey conducted in December 2012, the mode prices have increased by 10 cents to 50 cents for all dishes except Fishball Noodles.

The survey also found that the percentage of hawkers selling food below the mode price has decreased. Most of the hawkers have moved to sell their food at higher mode prices over the past two years. 

"Nonetheless, we believe that hawker food prices are generally affordable to the average consumer because there are still substantial numbers of stalls selling hawker food below the most common price," noted the report.