Earlier this year, I was served #shookt tea when I found out that McDonald’s charges us different prices at different outlets in Singapore. Many of our readers were surprised too, and suggested we keep up the great “investigative journalism”… So for part two, here’s a similar comparison for Starbucks menu prices in Singapore.
Ready to pen the mother of all exposés, I split the districts into 4 different tiers of “atas”. These are the 8 Starbucks outlets we visited:
| “Atas” tier | Starbucks outlets visited |
| Heartland | Siglap, Westgate |
| Private residential estates | HillV2, Thomson Plaza |
| Town | Scape, Suntec City |
| Tourist spots | Jewel Changi Airport, One Fullerton Hotel |
My guess was that the downtown outlets and those at popular tourist spots would be the most expensive – that was the case for McDonald’s anyway.
BUT LO AND BEHOLD! Starbucks came through!
As it turns out, Starbucks coffee prices are actually the same at most outlets in Singapore.
Starbucks Singapore menu prices (at most outlets)
To my delight, I found that there was no price difference for almost all the outlets. The exception was One Fullerton and which was only very slightly pricier. Siglap, Westgate, HillV2, Thomson Plaza, Scape, Suntec City & Jewel Changi Airport were the same; these are the prices for the Grande beverages:
| Drink category | Starbucks menu item | Price at most outlets (Grande) |
| Cold Brew | Cold Brew | $5.80 |
| Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew | $7.30 | |
| Cold Foam Cold Brew | $6.80 | |
| Cold Brew with Coconut Milk | $6.30 | |
| Espresso & Coffee | Espresso (single) | $3.70 |
| Cold Foam Iced Espresso | $7.30 | |
| Ristretto Bianco (Hot) | $7.60 | |
| Flat White | $7.60 | |
| Latte Extra Shot | $7.40 | |
| Vanilla Latte | $7.30 | |
| Caffè Latte | $6.60 | |
| Cappuccino | $6.60 | |
| Caffè Mocha | $7.30 | |
| White Chocolate Mocha | $7.30 | |
| Caramel Macchiato | $7.40 | |
| Coconut White Mocha Macchiato | $8.10 | |
| Caffè Americano | $5.20 | |
| Brewed Coffee (Hot) | $4.40 | |
| Teavana Teas | Matcha & Espresso Fusion | $7.50 |
| Vanilla Black Tea & Espresso Fusion | $7.50 | |
| Black Tea with Ruby Grapefuit & Honey | $6.10 | |
| Iced Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly | $8.10 | |
| Tea Latte | Earl Grey | $6.60 |
| English Breakfast | $6.60 | |
| Chai | $6.60 | |
| Green Tea | $7.10 | |
| Hojicha Tea | $7.10 | |
| Vanilla Black Tea | $7.10 | |
| Chocolate Black Tea (Hot) | $7.10 | |
| Soy Green Tea | $7.80 | |
| Iced Shaken Tea | Hibiscus with Pomegranate Pearls | $7.50 |
| Iced Shaken Tea Lemonade (Hibiscus, Green, Black) | $6.10 | |
| Full-Leaf Brewed Tea | Black Tea (Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Chai) | $4.50 |
| Green & White Tea (Mint Citrus, Emperor’s Clouds & Mist, Youthberry) | $4.50 | |
| Caffeine-Free Herbal Tea (Chamomile, Mint Blend) | $4.50 | |
| Frappuccino Coffee | Caramel | $7.30 |
| Espresso | $7.30 | |
| Mocha / White Chocolate Mocha | $7.30 | |
| Dark Mocha | $7.90 | |
| Java Chip | $7.90 | |
| Caramel Macchiato | $7.90 | |
| Frappuccino Cream | Chocolate Chip | $7.90 |
| Green Tea | $7.70 | |
| Hojicha Tea | $7.70 | |
| Vanilla / Raspberry | $7.30 | |
| Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly | $8.70 | |
| Blended Juice | Raspberry Black Currant | $7.30 |
| Mango Passion Fruit | $7.30 | |
| Other Beverages | Signature Hot Chocolate | $7.20 |
| Caramel Hot Chocolate | $7.90 |
Note: It’s a looooong table – you can scroll for more menu items and prices.
Generally, most beverages are between $6 to $8. The brewed coffee ($4.40) and teas ($4.50) are the cheapest items on the menu.
The only few to exceed $8 are the Coconut White Mocha Macchiato ($8.10), Iced Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly Frappuccino ($8.10) and Chocolate Black Tea with Earl Grey Jelly ($8.70).
Starbucks Jewel Changi Airport – $1 more, but it was a typo error
Next, Singapore’s new favourite mall, Jewel Changi Airport.
When I went to check out the highly anticipated opening of Jewel Changi Airport last month, I took a peek at the Starbucks there. There are 2 Starbucks outlets in Jewel, one on the 2F and one on 1F (24 hours).
What I found was pretty strange…
The prices look pretty similar to the other outlets… except wait – let’s zoom in on the cold brew section:
??????!
While everything else on the menu is literally the same, the Cold Foam Cold Brew is $7.80, which is $1 more than the other outlets ($6.80). Is it that the east-siders and/or tourists have a particular preference for this beverage? If not, what could possibly explain the random anomaly?!
I’m convinced this is a typo error because 1) it makes no sense for just 1 item to be so much more expensive, and 2) the other sizes are the “right” price.
@Starbucks, please reach out to us – more than anything we are genuinely curious!
Update (8 May 2019) – Starbucks did contact us and as predicted, it was a typo error. The right price is $6.80, just like the other outlets above.
Starbucks One Fullerton – $0.30 to $0.60 more for Grande beverages
Unlike Jewel Changi Airport, it wasn’t just one thing with a fishy price at Starbucks One Fullerton. Sian as it is, I can’t say I’m surprised – One Fullerton is home to many chi chi restaurants like Forlino, P.S. Cafe and more.
Let’s look at their menu:
Across the board, most Grande beverages are $0.30 more expensive, with a few fancy drinks that are up to $0.60 more. The Hojicha and Green Tea Lattes are $7.70 instead of $7.10, and the Caramel Hot Chocolate is $8.50 instead of $7.90.
Conclusion – Starbucks coffee prices are the same at most outlets!
Generally, it seems like Starbucks prices are quite standard throughout most parts of Singapore, which is great news. There was no price hike even for Scape (prime Orchard Road), Suntec City (near the CBD) and Jewel Changi Airport (tourist spot).
Perhaps it is because they already have a high-enough profit margin, so the differences in rent and other overheads don’t matter as much, but whatever the case, I’m just thankful I can head downtown and not have to worry about paying a premium. Oh, and it doesn’t seem to matter if the store is open 24h either, because the Jewel Changi Airport one is.
One Fullerton was the only one that was more expensive, and even then, the prices only differed by a few cents, which seems reasonable for the ultra-“atas” area.
Of course, I didn’t make it to all 124 Starbucks outlets in Singapore, and these findings are just for the small sample size of outlets that I could afford to visit. So take it with a pinch of salt, okay? And if you have more Starbucks menus, feel free to send them our way!
Are you surprised that Starbucks prices in Singapore are pretty much the same islandwide? Tell us in the comments below.
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