Hawker food prices up by as much as 20% since 2012: CASE

SINGAPORE — A survey by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) has shown that hawker food prices have increased by 10 to 20 per cent as compared to December 2012, when it was last conducted.

The survey analysed prices from a total of 503 hawker food stalls selling five common dishes in Singapore for the month of July.

CASE stated that the the mode prices — the price most commonly charged by hawkers in the survey — for chicken nasi briyani, chicken rice, plain roti prata and mixed vegetables rice comprising two vegetables dishes and one meat dish, have increased by between 10 to 50 cents as compared to the December 2012 survey. The mode price of a bowl of fishball noodles however, remains unchanged at S$3.

The survey also showed that a smaller percentage of hawkers are selling food below the average price, meaning that more hawkers have moved to sell their food at higher mode prices over the last two years.

Despite this, CASE believes that hawker food prices are still ‘generally affordable to the average consumer, as there are still substantial numbers of stalls selling hawker food below the most common price’.

CASE’s press release also provided a list of stalls that offer competitive prices for hawker food, adding however that their lists were not exhaustive.