Beer Prices in Singapore: The Pint That Left No Change 🍻

“Here’s your beer. Enjoy.”

“Thanks. But I gave you twenty dollars. Can I get the change?”

“One pint costs twenty dollars.”

Welcome to my early education in Singapore bar prices.

In a note from June 2022, I recorded seeing a pint of craft beer for S$32. That was one price I encountered, not a typical price for every bar or a current offer. There were cheaper places too, especially during happy hour.

Read the small print on the menu

There is another useful detail when comparing prices: whether the displayed figure is the final bill. According to IRAS, food-and-beverage businesses often add a service charge, typically 10%, and GST is charged on the amount including that service charge.

For an illustration using the 9% GST rate checked in September 2026, S$20 before a 10% service charge becomes S$22, then S$23.98 after GST. This is arithmetic, not a quote from a particular bar. Check whether the menu already includes those amounts.

It helps to check the serving size and the final price before expecting change.

Beer and pizza, eventually

I was also unimpressed with some expensive pizzas in those early years. My search improved: I now have a regular slice at Choice Cuts on Joo Chiat Road.

The pizza problem was eventually solved. The change from that first pint is still not coming.