Type "haircut near me cheap" into Maps in Singapore and you will get two very different answers. The express 10-minute chains sit at a flat S$14 for men and S$18 for women at QB House, or a flat S$12 at EC House (both prices as of June 2026, GST included). Walk into an old-school heartland barber instead and a basic men's cut is often S$8 to S$12, while a training-school chair like Kimage Hairdressing School starts from about S$7. The cheapest cut is almost never the salon with the loudest promo. It is the unbranded shop two blocks from your flat that prices per visit, takes cash or PayNow, and never tries to sell you a five-figure package. This guide gives you the verified 2026 prices, the GST nett-price rule, and how to use CDC vouchers on a trim.
For a no-frills men's cut, your cheapest reliable options in 2026 are a training-school chair (Kimage Hairdressing School, from around S$7), a heartland Malay or Chinese barber (roughly S$8 to S$12), or a flat-rate express chain like EC House (S$12) or QB House (S$14 for him). For women, the floor is higher because a wash-and-blow is usually bundled in, so expect around S$18 at QB House or S$22 for a junior-stylist cut at a chain like Kimage.
The money rule that matters more than any single price is this: pay per visit and treat any prepaid package as an unsecured loan to the shop. The beauty and wellness sector topped Singapore's consumer complaint table in 2025, and a chunk of those losses came from outlets that shut while still holding customers' prepaid balances. A haircut is a S$7 to S$20 decision. There is no reason to convert it into a S$300 commitment. Keep the committed money near zero and the per-cut price low.
If you want to see how small recurring costs stack up over a year, run them through the personal budget calculator. A S$14 cut every five weeks is about S$145 a year; a S$45 salon cut on the same schedule is roughly S$470. That S$325 gap is real money you could redirect into an emergency fund.
Here is how the main budget options line up. Prices are the published or widely reported rates as of June 2026 and are for a basic cut unless noted. Always check the specific outlet, because heartland shops and training schools change rates without much notice.
| Option | Men's cut | Women's cut | What you get | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimage Hairdressing School (Marina Square) | from S$7 | from S$7 | Cut by a supervised trainee | Cheapest legit chair; longer wait, student doing the work |
| EC House | S$12 | S$12 | Quick cut, ~10 min, cut only | Flat rate, no wash or blow |
| Kojimaya (Clarke Quay Central) | S$12 | S$12 | Cut by senior stylist, no time limit | Flat rate, walk-in |
| QB House | S$14 | S$18 | ~10 min express cut, cut only | GST included; kids (under 7) S$25 at select outlets |
| Heartland barber (Malay / Chinese) | S$8 to S$12 | n/a (often men only) | Traditional cut, sometimes shave | Cash or PayNow; no booking |
| The Base Salon (Clementi) | S$22 | S$24 | Cut at a full salon | Student rate S$16 with valid ID |
| Kimage (junior stylist, islandwide) | S$22 | S$22 | Cut, shampoo and blow | Senior-stylist tiers cost more |
The three formats solve different problems, and matching the format to your hair is how you avoid overpaying.
These are vending-machine-ticket, cut-only outlets. No wash, no blow, no chit-chat. QB House runs a flat S$14 for men and S$18 for women, GST included, with a kids cut (under 7) at S$25 available only at Waterway Point, City Square and VivoCity as of June 2026. EC House holds a flat S$12. The trade-off is zero pampering and a queue at peak hours. For a clean fortnightly trim, this is the best value-per-minute in Singapore.
The unbranded shop in your HDB cluster is often the genuine cheapest, with men's cuts from about S$8 to S$12 and many traditional Malay barbers around the S$8 to S$9 mark. You usually pay cash or PayNow, there is no app, and the barber may have been cutting the same neighbourhood for decades. The catch is variability; a great heartland barber is gold, a rushed one is a haircut you regret for three weeks.
If you want a wash and a proper style, a junior-stylist tier at a chain like Kimage is around S$22 for cut, shampoo and blow. Full salons such as The Base offer student rates (around S$16 with ID). The deepest discount is a hairdressing school: Kimage Hairdressing School at Marina Square starts from about S$7 because a supervised trainee does the cut. Bring patience and a clear photo of what you want.
Singapore's GST has been 9% since 1 January 2024 and remains 9% in 2026, per the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS). A GST-registered salon must show GST-inclusive (nett) prices on its displays and menus, so the S$14 on a QB House board is the amount you actually pay. The trap is the mid-tier salon that quotes "S$45" verbally and then adds 9% GST plus a service charge at the till, turning a S$45 cut into roughly S$53.
Two quick checks save you the shock. First, ask "is that nett?" before you sit. Second, know that very small barbers and heartland shops often are not GST-registered at all (a business only must register once its taxable turnover passes S$1 million a year), so their cash price is the final price with nothing added. If you want the broader picture of how this tax works, see our GST explainer.
Many neighbourhood hair salons and barbers are CDC-voucher heartland merchants, so you can offset a cut with the vouchers every Singaporean household receives. Check whether your usual shop is participating on the official CDC Vouchers GoWhere portal before you go; the shop will display a CDC decal at the entrance. Used on a S$10 heartland trim, the vouchers can make a cut effectively free for several months of the year.
Timing is the other lever. Some salons run weekday happy-hour pricing (for example, midday slots that knock a few dollars off), and express chains are emptiest on weekday afternoons, so you skip the queue. If you are reorganising the small recurring spends in your life, grooming sits alongside other quiet drains worth auditing, like a cheap massage routine or your phone plan. None is large alone, but the 50/30/20 budgeting rule only works when you keep the 'needs' bucket honest.
Search terms surface the branded chains first, so the genuinely cheap options take a little legwork. Use this order.
A supervised trainee cut at a hairdressing school like Kimage at Marina Square starts from about S$7. Among walk-in chains, EC House holds a flat S$12 and QB House charges S$14 for men, both GST included as of June 2026.
As of June 2026, QB House charges a flat S$14 for men, S$18 for women, and S$25 for kids under seven at selected outlets, all GST inclusive. EC House charges a flat S$12 for a roughly 10-minute cut. Both are cut-only with no wash or blow.
Yes, many neighbourhood barbers and hair salons are registered CDC-voucher heartland merchants and accept vouchers for services like cuts and colour. Check the official CDC Vouchers GoWhere portal or look for the CDC decal at the shop before you go, since not every outlet participates.
A verbal quote at a mid-tier salon may exclude the 9% GST and sometimes a 10% service charge, so a S$45 cut can become around S$53 at the till. Always ask whether the price is nett, meaning GST-inclusive, before you sit down. Express chains and most small heartland barbers already charge final prices.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.