What to buy at Mustafa Centre: A guide to the 10 sections within
If you are Singaporean, you might have visited Mustafa for a late-night grocery run before. Or perhaps that time when you decided to buy a washing machine at 4am. Located along Syed Alwi Road in Little India, Mustafa Centre used to be open 24/7 but, after Covid, closes at 2am every day.
If you are a tourist, you may be wondering what to buy at Mustafa Centre. Mustafa sells a variety of cheap goods, ranging from food to perfume to jewellery under one roof.
Here’s our list of what to buy at Mustafa Centre, in descending order of value of the deal.
1. Home Appliances & Personal Gadgets (B2)
As the saying goes, nothing worth having comes easy. You’ll have to head down to Basement 2 for the biggest deals. Basement 2 houses home appliances such as TVs.
Here, you will be able to get basic smart TVs from S$269 – S$599, which can be up to about 25% cheaper than other places. Most of these come with a standard 1-year manufacturer warranty, so you can rest easy. If you prefer big-screen TVs, I saw a 75″ Samsung TV at S$1,299 (U.P.: S$3,999).
You will also be able to find washing machines (S$785-S$2899) and refrigerators (S$1129-S$2779), as well as microwave ovens (S$239-S$779) on sale here. Note that for certain models, you can request the staff at Mustafa to quote you a special price.
If you are looking for a mid-range laptop (S$398 – S$1428), you are at the right place. The laptops here also have either a 1-year Mustafa warranty or a 3-year international warranty.
2. GST Refund Counter (B2) & Money Changer (L1 & B2)
Basement 2 has a money changer and a Goods & Service Tax (GST) Refund Counter.
For foreigners who are unaware, Singaporeans pay a 9 percent consumption tax on goods and services. Tourists can get a GST refund if they spend more than S$100 on 3-same day receipts, which is nifty if you are buying expensive objects such as home appliances.
The exchange rates at Mustafa are not quite the steal they once used to be – you can find similar and sometimes even more competitive rates from changers in Change Alley and even some of the smaller money changers in the vicinity of Mustafa Centre.
3. Jewellery (B1)
Speaking of expensive items, the section most worth travelling to Mustafa for is the jewellery department in B1. While you are not allowed to haggle as gold prices there are fixed, you can walk away with substantial cost savings if you are buying a large amount of jewellery.
When we visited Mustafa on 1 Aug 2024, prices were set at S$101.60/g (22K-916 gold). For reference, SK Jewellery charges S$126/g for 916 gold and S$137/g for 999 gold. Please note that sales at the gold section stop by about 9.45pm and it closes formally at 10pm.
4. Beauty & Personal Care Products (L1)
If you are a sucker for good scents, the perfume section is at the entry to the newer Mustafa Centre building, just opposite the old building (you will have to cross the street). You can get two 125ml Davidoff Cool Water cologne for S$65 and two 200 ml bottles for S$90, which is quite a steal.
Most of the bargain offers on Level 1 are concentrated near the entrance. Here, you can currently get shampoo/conditioner for S$15.40/S$15.80 and Colgate toothpaste for S$7.95.
5. Personal Accessories (L1)
Wondering what else to buy at Mustafa? Level 1 also has a personal accessories section. It has analogue watches (S$13 for a Casio watch), spectacles frames and fountain pens.
The only of these items worth your money is the vintage-style watches, which are a rarity. If you are a vintage watch collector, you will able to get them at S$40/piece from Fasttrack.
The other section to look out for is the Smart Watch section. Here, purchase the Apple Watch Series 7 from S$459, Series 8 from S$499 and the Series 9 from S$588. Prices at the official Apple store online are about S$20 higher for each.
6. Electronics (L1 & B2)
If you are looking to get headphones (S$19.90 – S$24.50), they can be found near the smartwatch section. These are roughly half the price of those sold at major retailers such as Challenger. You can also buy wireless earbuds (from S$19.90) here and in Basement 2.
You can also find graphic and scientific calculators (S$15.90 – S$79) on Level 1. The bulk of these (S$25-S$29) are half the price of those at bookstores such as Popular, so you might want to get them ahead of a national examination. But check against the Singapore Examination and Assessment Board’s list to make sure that the model is approved for use.
7. Pharmacy (L1)
There’s also a section on Level 1 dedicated to medical devices. Here, diabetic patients can buy a sugar monitor for S$48. Also look out for the pharmacy at the back that stocks medicinal products. Here, you can purchase intimacy aids (e.g. 60-capsule Vitroman bottle for S$59.40), which may not be as easy to find at other pharmacies.
8. Souvenirs (L2)
There’s a minuscule souvenir section on Level 2, near the escalators. It stocks souvenirs including city plates (from S$10.50), figurines of the Singapore skyline (from S$11.90) and Merlions galore on every item from t-shirts and mugs to plates and decor.
While they are not value-for-money, it can be quite convenient for tourists to get such a wide variety in one place.
9. Supermarket (L2)
There’s a supermarket section taking up almost all of Level 2. Here, you will be able to find fresh produce, canned food, groceries and perishables. Their prices are only slightly cheaper (e.g. S$2.85 for a 1-litre Australian dairy fresh milk) than your typical supermarket.
10. Clothing Section (B1)
There’s also a clothing section in B1 that occupies half of the entire floor. Here, you will be able to find men’s, women’s and children’s clothing at relatively low prices (Button-up Shirts and Polo-Ts from S$10.90).
I found some of the deals similar to what you may see at a pasar malam (night market) but Mustafa also stocks a wide variety of branded apparel. Prices for these are similar to what you may find online.
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