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Ranking popular bak kwa brands’ prices for Chinese New Year 2025, from lowest to highest

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Prices of barbecued pork slices, commonly known as bak kwa, are sizzling this Chinese New Year (CNY) season. The festive delicacy has seen its highest seasonal markup of the year, surging by as much as S$18 per kg, according to a CNA report.

Sellers attribute the spike to rising manpower and raw material costs, as well as the higher Goods and Services Tax (GST) charged. Despite the hefty markup, bak kwa remains a CNY must-have for many Singaporeans, with some sellers striving to keep it affordable by tweaking their production processes.

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(Photo: 8days)

To help you stretch your dollar this CNY, 8days has compiled the ultimate price list of the most popular bak kwa brands, ranked from the cheapest to the priciest. For consistency, the prices stated below are for the classic sliced pork bak kwa that’s favoured by most Singaporeans.

FYI: We have left out a couple of famous brands such as Peng Guan and Chai Ho, as they are completely sold out for CNY.

And the lowest-priced bak kwa is (surprisingly)…

KIM PENG HIANG, S$58/KG​


Founded in the 1930s, Kim Peng Hiang is a family-run biz known for its unusual pineapple bak kwa and the insane three-hour queues it draws during Chinese New Year. It does live up to the hype though; it emerged the tastiest brand from an anonymous taste test we did for our bak kwa ranking in 2019.

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(Photo: 8days)

Despite its enduring popularity, the cash-only bak kwa stalwart did not raise its price this year for its sliced pork bak kwa, made with “99 per cent lean meat”. It remains at a reasonable $58 a kilogram.

FRAGRANCE, S$62.70/KG​


Fragrance is probably one of the best-known Singaporean bak kwa brands due to its ubiquity; since its founding in 1969, the family-run chain has expanded to 40 outlets islandwide.

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(Photo: 8days)

When we called an outlet to do a price check, a staff member shared that the S$62.70 per kg price is due to a “5 per cent off promotion”, and that the actual price of the bak kwa was S$66 per kg (last year’s price was about S$61.20 per kg). Last we checked on Jan 27, the promotion was still ongoing, and Fragrance’s staff said that the promo end date was “uncertain right now”.

KIM JOO GUAN, S$72/KG​


This over 30-year-old brand specialises in hand – not machine – made chilled Australian free-range pork bak kwa with a bit of bite. Kim Joo Guan keeps its prices unchanged all year round, so you won’t have to worry about price hikes during the festive season.

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(Photo: 8days)

KIM HUA GUAN, S$74/KG​


The old-school Kim Hua Guan was established in the 1960s, and now has three retail outlets including Toa Payoh and Balestier. Like the similarly-named Kim Joo Guan, this brand’s pricing remains unchanged for CNY 2025.

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(Photo: 8days)

BEE CHENG HIANG, S$74/KG​


This name needs no introduction; it seems like every other corner in Singapore (and elsewhere in the world) there is a Bee Cheng Hiang bak kwa outlet. It has some 367 stores across 11 regions, and 40 alone locally.

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(Photo: 8days)

The price for BCH sliced pork bak kwa this year is S$74 per kg, a S$2 increase from its previous S$72 per kg price last year. When we rang up an outlet, a staff member told us: “Every year prices will increase because there are more people buying closer to the [CNY] date.”

BEE KIM HENG, S$80/KG​


Bee Kim Heng is a hawker stall located in People's Park Food Centre that has been operating for almost 50 years. On Jan 25 this year, it raised its bak kwa price from S$76 per kg to S$80. The stall’s staff explained: “Demand went up and our supply is low right now, so the price went up.”

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(Photo: 8days)

That said, S$80 per kg for sliced pork bak kwa is the highest price among the more popular brands this year; it’s a four-way tie among Bee Kim Heng and three other shops (scroll down to find out more).

NEW EASTERN (KIM TEE) DRIED & MINCED PORK, S$80/KG​


Some of Kim Tee’s longtime regulars still refer to the shop as Ang Sar Lee (a Hokkien term that refers to the Serangoon Gardens shophouse with a red zinc roof that Kim Tee was located in). Over 50 years later, it’s still operating there.

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(Photo: 8days)

Its bak kwa price is now S$80 per kg this year, up from S$62 per kg the year before. The reason? A staff member said: “It’s mainly because of the [increase in] manpower costs. Our bak kwa is charcoal-grilled, so we have to hire more manpower [to grill the bak kwa].”

The sliced pork bak kwa is currently sold out, but there are other options available like the Signature minced pork bak kwa for S$74 per kg and Chilli Bak Kwa for S$78 per kg.

SANG HOCK GUAN, S$80/KG​


Sang Hock Guan is an old-school bak kwa shop tucked away in Ang Mo Kio. When we asked its staff about last year’s pricing, the auntie on the line told us she “forgot already”, but that there was an increase to its current $80 per kg price this year. “Prices will increase every CNY; there is very little stock left,” she said.

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(Photo: 8days)

LIM CHEE GUAN, S$80/KG​


It’s practically a Singaporean CNY tradition to queue up for Lim Chee Guan bak kwa every year. The historied family-owned brand was founded in 1938 in Chinatown, and now has four outlets, including Ion Orchard and Jewel Changi Airport. Its sliced pork bak kwa price hit S$80 per kg last year but remained the same price this year.

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(Photo: 8days)

This story was originally published in 8Days.

For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/


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