But the risk of escalation in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as well as geopolitical tensions between China and the United States could disrupt travel plans and global supply chains, causing steep increases in energy and commodity prices. Given Singapore’s role as a regional transport and logistics hub, it would be severely impacted.
In line with global trends, inflation remained elevated for Singapore in the first half of 2023, but there was
some easing by June. But
core inflation, which is a better gauge of the price increases most Singapore households face, is expected to edge up in the first quarter of 2024.
This reflects the GST hike due from 8-9% on January 1, 2024, as well as increases in the costs of water, electricity and public transport. To support higher living costs, the Ministry of Finance announced a S$1.1 billion ($825 million) Cost-of-Living Support Package on September 28, 2023.