Is RM10 Still Enough For A Ramadan Bazaar Today?

Nine years ago we wrote an article about the types of food that you can get with RM10 at three different Ramadan bazaars.

While our writer back then could buy all sorts of delicacies, from local favourites such as kebabs and murtabaks to a variety of kuih, the same can’t be said for us bazaar lovers in 2024.

But how much of a difference has the prices changed over the last nine years? And does your RM10 have the same (or at least similar) purchasing power as it used to?

To figure this out, we went back to the same three Ramadan bazaars and compared the prices of the same foods that were bought back then.

And to make things interesting, we’ll add in what the prices in 2015 would be if it was adjusted to today’s inflation just so you can get an idea of the disparity in increasing costs.

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

Over the years, the Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) bazaar has grown bigger and more popular than ever as the destination spot for folks to get their Ramadan grub in the Kuala Lumpur region.

While the mainstays of nasi ayam, murtabak, and thirst-quenching drinks such as fruit juices, bandung cincau, and air mata kucing are present, it’s the addition of newly popular foods such as burritos and street churros that elevates the selection of mouth-watering delicacies.

But those mouth-watering delicacies come at an eye-watering cost as an 8-pc street churro can set you back RM7 and one beef burrito costs RM15(!) with an add-on of a cheese/egg costing you RM3.

A lot of the new foods will be way beyond our budget of RM10. But what about the foods bought nine years ago?

Surprisingly, we were able to find a beef murtabak at the same price, making it relatively affordable. The same can’t be said for the beef kebab and kuih koci as they received a price increase of RM2 and RM3 respectively.

This means that with RM10, we can only buy two of the three items today.

Bangsar

Located behind Bangsar Village 2, the Bangsar Ramadan bazaar continues to provide bazaar-goers with all the favourite foods and drinks that you’ve come to expect at a price that is not as upscale as the Telawi area where the bazaar is located.

Like the TTDI bazaar, there are many newly popular foods, such as lava crab buns that cost RM6.50 a piece and popia bergedil at RM5 for four pieces for all you food lovers to enjoy.

What about the foods the writer bought back then and how do the prices compare today? Let’s take a look.

It seems like the foods at Bangsar experienced the same level of price increase as the TTDI bazaar with nasi ayam going up a whopping RM4 and air mata kucing increasing by RM2. With the current prices, we can only afford to buy either just the nasi ayam or just the drink, but not both.

Bandar Tun Razak

Tucked within the suburbs, the Bandar Tun Razak bazaar doesn’t boast as many stalls or fancy new foods as the previous two. However, plenty of neighbouring folks still flock to this little bazaar that offers all the usual foods of a Ramadan bazaar.

From nasi campur with a variety of lauks to roti johns and fresh coconut juices, there’s enough variety in this small, sleepy bazaar to accommodate food lovers. But what about the food prices? Are they more affordable compared to the other two? Let’s find out.

Unfortunately, we were not able to find any curry puffs on our visit but even without the curry puffs, it seems like our RM10 wouldn’t be able to buy all of the foods from nine years ago.

Mee goreng biasa and Tau fu fah experienced the highest increase in prices at RM5 and RM3.50 respectively. The kuih pelita also increased its prices but you at least get an extra piece at RM5.

So, what’s the verdict? Well, our writer back then said that RM10 can work depending on which bazaar you go to. Unfortunately, that doesn’t ring true today as the bazaars we’ve visited showed that RM10 is barely enough nowadays.

Maybe next year we might need to set the limit at RM20 instead.

Want to save your money during this Raya season? Check out our 4 Tips To Help You Save Money For Your Raya Shopping.