Singapore is one of the most expensive cities to travel. The basic things you spent on traveling: accommodation, food, and transportation are costly; as such, those things that are not basic, like tours are also not cheap too. As Pinoys, there will always be another part of the traveling budget that we allot too: pasalubongs – and that too can be expensive when traveling in Singapore.
When traveling to Singapore, Lucky Plaza in Orchard Road will be a good place to buy pasalubong. But there’s also a place where you can buy pasalubong at a cheaper price. Mustafa Shopping Center.
What is Mustafa Shopping Center?
It is a 6-level (including 2 basement levels), 24-hours shopping center located in Little India where you can buy a lot of things. Think of it like 168 Shopping Mall in Divisoria, only more organized, and more high end.
How to go to Mustafa Shopping Center?
It is easy to go to Mustafa. Ride the North-East Line and alight at Farrer Park station. From there it is just less than 5-minute walk.
What can you see and buy at Mustafa?
Mustafa offers a wide variety of things. Most are your daily needs; some are high end branded items.
Basement 2 is where you can find your technology needs. Home appliances, electronics items, gadgets, computer and games.
Basement 1 is where you will find apparels. Women and Men clothing, children’s clothing, and shoes.
Level 1 is where you will find the pharmacy, some jewelry (mostly branded watches), perfumes, cosmetics, and toiletries.
Level 2 is where you can find the supermarket, souvenir items, and chocolates (you can buy the cheapest chocolates in Singapore at Mustafa).
Level 3 is where you can find household items like glass wares, beddings and blankets, utensils, china wares, etc.
Level 4 is where your male companion will be happy to roam around. This is where the hardware and care accessories are located.
Are the prices of goods comparable to shopping in the Philippines?
Honestly, I find items in Singapore so much expensive than that the Philippines. This is true not just in Mustafa. Say for example, Kinder Joy which I can buy for Php45-50 here in the Philippines; at Singapore, Kinder Joy is SGD2.5 which when converted to PHP (at SGD1 = PHP38) would be Php95. Some items I find cheaper in Mustafa are perfumes (they sell perfumes at very affordable prices), chocolates (Ferrero and Cadbury are also very affordable compared here in the Phils), and toiletries (shampoos, conditioners, and other toiletries in large sizes are a little bit cheaper at Mustafa compared to the Phils, but you wouldn’t want to carry those heavy toiletries with you for a small savings). Souvenir items are a little bit pricier here than in Chinatown – so buy yours at Chinatown.
What is the best time to visit Mustafa?
We went to Mustafa around 9 in the evening. The place is safe (as everywhere in Singapore is). So I guess, any time of the day would be a good time to visit Mustafa.
I was shopping so much and I suddenly was short of SGD. What do I do?
Mustafa Shopping Center accepts credit cards. You can use yours while shopping. But if you have extra Philippine peso or any other currencies, you can have it exchanged at the Mustafa Money Changer located at the ground floor. Do take note that their exchange rate is quite higher than others.
I shopped a lot, are there any discounts I can get?
If you were able to shop at Mustafa (or any other shopping center), worth SGD100 and above, you can claim a tourist refund of 7%. This is called the Goods and Services Tax Refund (GST). At Mustafa, you can claim it right away at the Basement 2; but if you were not able to claim it there, you can still claim it at Changi Airport before going home. Do take note that SGD100 receipt should be on the same day and the same shop (can be a combination of 3 receipts). For more info about this, please visit: GST SG
Is including Mustafa in your itinerary worth it?
For me, yes. The place is where you can score some branded items at a lower cost. You can also buy local items (Indian, Chinese, and Singaporean delicacies) at Mustafa. If in case you are not planning to buy anything, I still suggest you go and visit the place, just for experience. 🙂
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