How to get from Kota Kinabalu to Singapore

Why visit Singapore?

For a small island city-state, Singapore is a huge tourist hub in Southeast Asia. In 2024, the number of tourists visiting Singapore was nearly 3x its population!

This is for good reason. Head to downtown Singapore and you’ll find a number of tourist attractions, all connected by efficient and high-quality transportation.

To revisit your childhood, there’s Universal Studios and the resort island of Sentosa. For shopping, head to Orchard Road. For art, visit the Kampong Glam area. For an amazing night and light show, you have to visit Marina Bay Sands.

What you can’t bring in to Singapore

One important thing to keep in mind when entering Singapore is that they can be very strict about what you bring into the country. Allow us to share with you Maarten’s own experience when crossing the Malaysia-Singapore border by bus.

“My friend and I had a big bottle of gin when we checked in for customs and immigration. We were taken to a separate room for around 30 minutes before they finally let us leave with the alcohol. All the time we were so scared our bus would leave without us!”

Apparently, you can bring alcohol into Singapore, but there is a 1-litre limit when coming from Malaysia. If you exceed that, you’ll have to pay a hefty fine.

So pay attention to what goes into your luggage when travelling from Kota Kinabalu to Singapore. They won’t care if you don’t know the rules or if you just forgot to take it out of your bag. Prepare to spend a fortune on fines if you’re caught carrying any of these into Singapore:

• Chewing tobacco and imitation tobacco products, including e-cigarettes
• Chewing gum, except those used for medical/dental purposes
• Any object that looks like a weapon (toy guns or cigarette lighters shaped like a gun, etc.)
• Pirated materials (movies, software, etc.)
• Illegal drugs, firecrackers, or any form of unlicensed weapon
• Obscene materials (magazines, videos, etc.)

Visit Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority website for more info.

The flight is the only suitable way for travellers to cross the distance of 430 kilometre (267 miles) from Kota Kinabalu to Singapore. The journey takes around 3 hours 30 minutes, and ticket prices start from 63 SGD ($49).

Taking a flight is the only way you can get from Kota Kinabalu to Singapore. Travel time is around 3 hours 30 minutes, and fares start from 63 SGD ($49). That includes the transfers to and from the airports.

TIP: If you decide to travel by plane, please consider including a carbon compensation fee to reduce your impact on the environment.

From Kota Kinabalu city centre, you’ll first have to travel 10 km south to reach Kota Kinabalu International Airport. You have 2 transport choices: a 40-minute bus or a 30-minute taxi.

Buses bound for the airport depart from Merdeka Square. Hourly trips are available from 07:30-20:30, and a ticket costs 5 MYR ($1.30).

If you prefer to take a taxi, we highly recommend booking one with Klook. Rates start from 40 MYR ($10.20) for a 3-seater car. Minivans are also available for larger groups.

Taxis in Kota Kinabalu are known for overcharging and not using their meters. So unless you’re willing to pay double or triple the normal price, make the effort to book a Klook ride beforehand.

Air Asia, Scoot, and Batik Air offer several flights to Singapore from Kota Kinabalu every day. Flight time is around 2.5 hours. Airfares start from 51 SGD ($40).

Flights are limited, just about four available daily. It’s best to book your flight in advance to get the schedule you prefer.

From Singapore Changi Airport, you’ll have to travel 20 km west to reach downtown Singapore, where most of the tourist hotels are located. You have 4 options: a city shuttle for 10 SGD ($7.80); a taxi from 25 SGD ($19.50); the train for 2.70 SGD ($2.10); or a public bus for 2.50 SGD ($2).

Travelling solo? The city shuttle is a good mix of comfort and affordability. Although a shared ride, they offer free drop-off to most hotels in the city centre. You can book them at the airport upon arrival or online beforehand via Klook.

If you’re travelling in a group, it will be more cost-efficient to take a taxi. There’s plenty available at the airport. But if you want your private ride waiting for you as soon as you arrive, you can also pre-book one through Klook or BookAway

The train and the public bus are way cheaper, but often require at least one transfer. If you’re carrying bulky luggage, they’re not exactly a convenient way to get from the airport to Singapore city centre. For more details, check out our page on Singapore Airport.