Mustafa centre vs Changi Airport- Changi is 2-3 times expensive!

We all buy chocolates for our family members and colleagues at airport, either because we didn't have time to buy them in city or we believe airport duty free stores are cheaper.

I wanted to find out if airport stores are really selling stuff at reasonable price or if it is very expensive. To check this out, I did a small study. When we'd gone to Mustafa centre in Singapore, I took photos of some popular chocolate brands. Later, while returning to Chennai, I roamed around in Changi airport to find out how much same product costs in an airport store. I couldn't find an exact match (same flavor/packaging, weight etc), so I took pictures of the closest match for the same brand.

Below is my finding, which concludes that Changi airport store is almost 2-3 times more expensive than Mustafa centre.

Above: Left: M&M at Mustafa, right, M&M at Changi

Item	Price at Mustafa Centre	Price at Changi	Remark
M&M	SGD 3.8 for 250 Grams	SGD 12.9 for 250 Grams (metal box)	You get a box extra but SGD 9 more (3 times)
Toblerone	SGD 3.9 for 200 Grams	SGD 20.9 for 400 grams = 10.45 for 200 grams	Slightly different flavors, 2.5 times more expensive
Kitkat Mini	SGD 5.5 for 250 Grams	SGD 26.64 for 517.7 grams = SGD 12.86 for 250 grams	2.3 times more expensive

Some pictures as evidence 

Above: Kitkat Mini at Mustafa followed by Kitkat Mini at Changi
Below: Toblerone at Mustafa, followed by Toblerone at Changi

Update: Above ToblerOne 400 gm costs Euro 8.95 at Paris Airport, but with buy 2 get one free. That works out to 6 euros per 400 gm.

Note that there're some difference in flavor and weight, as I couldn't find exact match. But then, price difference shouldn't be more than 10-20% because of packaging/flavor or weight.. Two to three times difference only means buying at airport is indeed a huge loss.

Also Mustafa is the cheapest place to buy anything in Singapore. If you compare with normal stores, the difference could be little less.

Below is another comparison- w.r.t currency conversion rate

Above: Currency conversion rates offered at Changi
Below: Currency conversion rate at Mustafa

Similarly, I bought a key chain at Mustafa for 2.9 SGD. A similar one costs 12.84 SGD at Changi (not same brand/design etc, but similar. 

At both places, tourists are eligible for 7% GST refund, but that is a bit complex process- you should buy for min 100 SGD per day, fill a form, wait in queue at refund counter, pay for some processing fee and effectively you will get a few dollars back.

My friends at Changi airport may not like it, but it is a fact that airport is an expensive place to buy anything. Airport stores need to pay high rentals and won't have the volume of business to lower per unit price. At Mustafa you might have to wait for your turn to pay. What's true for chocolate is also very likely to be true for other products. What's true in Singapore will hold good for other cities too in general. Be careful.