Tourist shocked by $4 sugarcane juice in world's costliest city Singapore

The tourist, identified only as Liu, said he visited the Holland Village Market & Food Center on Feb. 23 and ordered a medium-sized cup of sugarcane juice with lemon.

Upon payment, the stall owner asked him to pay S$5, reported Shin Min Daily News.

"I asked her why it was so expensive and she told me that it was because of rising costs," the 60-year-old said, according to news site Asia One.

He then had purchased beef rice from a nearby stall which cost S$6 and he claimed the price of the drink was "outrageous."

A view of Holland Village Market & Food Center in Singapore. Photo by Flickr

Sugarcane juice is the liquid extracted from pressed sugarcane, contains many vitamins and minerals, is rich in antioxidants, protein and soluble fiber. It is consumed as a beverage in many places, especially where sugarcane is commercially grown such as Southeast Asia.

In Vietnam, a cup of sugarcane juice costs VND10,000-15,000 (US$0.41-0.61) and the drink is sold at street side stalls where kumquat is added to balance the sweetness.

Liu shared his food experience in a Facebook post which quickly drew the attention of netizens, many of whom said the price was too expensive.

"Wow that is expensive," a netizen wrote.

"What is limited edition for sugar cane juice? Special ingredient added?" another asked.

One commenter said: "From Holland. Of course not cheap."

According to Shin Min Daily News, the sugarcane juice stall owner said that he had been operating the stall for 15 years and had never received any complaints.

The prices of his beverages were listed clearly at the stall.

A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit showed Singapore maintained its pole position as the world’s most expensive city for the ninth time in the last 11 years.

According to Numbeo, the world's largest database of user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide, the average single person’s estimated monthly costs in Singapore are S$1,506.