How to get from Changi to the CBD
By LINDA JAMES | Updated FEBRUARY 9, 2025 | PLAN
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There are 6 ways for travellers to get from Changi to the CBD: taxis, ride share, the MRT (train), public buses or airport or private shuttle buses.
Taxis, ride share and private shuttle buses are the quickest and most convenient because they’ll take you door to door and have no luggage restrictions and little waiting time.
If you want to save your money for other things such as attractions and food, then public transport is the way to go. I find the MRT cheap, reliable, easy and safe. I’ve written a detailed guide on how to use it as well.
Of course, you’re also going to need to know how to navigate through Changi airport. It’s one of the most well organised airports I’ve been too and the signage is plentiful and in English.
The airport is 20km northeast of Singapore city and the 6 ways to get from Changi to the CBD are:
Taxis
A taxi ride into the city takes about 30 minutes depending on the traffic. It costs between $S25 and $S40 depending on the time of travel (it’s most expensive between 5pm and 6am).
Just follow the signs to the taxi stands in the Arrival areas of Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4. All fares are metered.
The taxi stands are manned by incredibly efficient staff. If there’s a queue when you arrive, it won’t last long.
There is the usual range of taxis – standard, premium and maxis – and the staff will sort you out according to what you need.
There is an airport surcharge of $S8 from Friday to Sunday, 5pm–midnight and $S6 for all other times.
The taxis also have a midnight surcharge between midnight and 6am of 50% of the final metered fare as well as a peak-hour surcharge of 25% from 6am to 9:30am, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays), 10am to 2pm on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, and 5pm to midnight, Monday to Sunday. You’ll find a list of public holidays in my Ultimate guide: what you need to know before you go.
One of the main taxi companies in Singapore is called ComfortDelGro. They have a great app, called CDG Zig. I love it because I can check a trip fare in the CDG Zig app then check in the Grab app and generally end up saving a few dollars. It all adds up!
Costs to get from Changi to the CBD
| OPTION | PRICE | TIME | AVAILABLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi | $S25-$S40 | 30 min | 24/7 |
| MRT train | $S2.20 | 45 min | 05:31–23:18 |
| Public buses | $S2.34 | 60 min | 06:00–22:52 |
| Airport shuttle | $S10 | 40 min | 07:00–23:00 |
| Private transfers | $S50 | 30 min | 24/7 |
Ride share
The main ride share app used in Singapore is Grab. Download the app before you leave – especially if you’re not going to get a local SIM – as you need to get texts to verify your access.
It works the same way Uber works so it saves you having to worry about carrying cash or credit cards and all your trips are automatically billed.
The prices are not always cheaper though than those in the CDG Zip app so it pays to compare.
Easy to navigate
Options for everyone
Train
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT/subway) is the best low-cost option to get from Changi to the city and takes about 40 to 50 minutes.
It’s exceptionally easy to navigate especially after you’ve read my detailed explanation of how to use the MRT.
Briefly, there are six lines and each one is a different colour on the maps, which are very easy to follow: North-South (red), East-West (green), North-East (pink), Circle (yellow), Thomson-East Coast (brown) and Downtown (blue). Each station is numbered using the letters eg Orchard station is on the North-South line and is NS22.
To get to the city, you can take the train from Changi Airport MRT Station (CG2) to Tanah Merah MRT Station (EW4), which is just two stops, then transfer to the East-West Line towards Tuas Link MRT Station (EW33).
This will take you to stations such as Bugis, City Hall and Tanjong Pagar, which are very convenient for many hotels.
Alternatively, you can take the train from Changi Airport MRT Station to Expo MRT Station (CG1/DT35), which is just one stop, then transfer to the blue Downtown line towards Bukit Panjang MRT Station (BP6/DT1).
This will take you to Bencoolen, Chinatown and Bayfront, also home to many hotels.
At various stations, you can transfer to other lines, which will get you just about anywhere you want to go. For example, if you wanted to go to Orchard Road, you could take the green East-West line to City Hall and then change to the red North-South line and get off at either Somerset or Orchard.
To get to Pasir Ris, take the train from Changi Airport MRT Station to Tanah Merah MRT Station, then take the green East West Line towards Pasir Ris MRT Station (EW1).
The MRT station is located below Terminal 2 and 3 at Changi Airport, and the fare from Changi (CG2) to Orchard station costs $S2.20 for an adult with a travel card. Use this handy fare calculator for other destinations (https://mrt.sg/fare).
The first train from Changi Airport MRT Station to Tanah Merah MRT Station from Monday to Saturday is at 5:31am and Sunday and public holidays 5:59am.
The last train connecting to Tuas Link is at 11:18pm each day and Pasir Ris at 12:06am.
Get detailed train times on the SMRT Journey Planner.
Public Bus
In terminals 1, 2 and 3, the bus stops are located at the basement bus bays. You can take buses 24, 27, 34, 36, 53, 110 and 858.
In terminal 4, you can take buses 24, 34, 36 and 110 from the bus stop next to Car Park 4B. You can take buses 27, 53 and 858 from the bus stop near the SATS Inflight Catering Centre 1.
You can pay with contactless Mastercard/Visa/NETS bank cards, mobile wallets, EZ-Link cards or cash. However, you’ll need to have the exact fare for your trip as drivers do not give change.
Public bus no. 36 goes from Terminals 1,2, and 3 to Orchard Road and the Civic District in Singapore centre. The trip takes about an hour and costs $S2.34 to Orchard Road.
The Land Transport Authority has a great website where you can check out the different routes and calculate fares for different transport modes.
Private Shuttle Buses
These are a generally faster and more convenient way to get from Changi to the CBD because they don’t do so many stops and go to most downtown hotels (they list about 143 hotels).
The service runs every 30 minutes from 7am to 7pm and every hour from 8pm to 11pm.
They leave from the Ground Transport Concierges (GTC) in the arrival halls of each terminal at Changi Airport. Follow the signs inside the terminal that read “City Shuttle/Limousine Ground Transport Concierge”.
The ride takes about 20-40 minutes, and costs $S10 for adults and $S7 for children under 12. You can buy tickets online or from the City Shuttle counters in the arrival halls.
- Terminal 1 – arrival pick-up, basement (next to Lobby B)
- Terminal 2 – arrival hall, level 1, door 5
- Terminal 3 – arrival hall, level 1 next to the information counter
- Terminal 4 – arrival hall, level 1 next to the information counter
Private transfers
These usually cost anywhere from $S50 for a sedan to $S78 for a 7-seater minivan to get from Changi to the CBD.
Conclusion
There are 6 ways to get from Changi to the CBD: taxis, ride share, the MRT (train), public buses or airport or private shuttle buses.
The quickest and most convenient ways are taxis, ride share and private shuttle buses but if you want to save your money for attractions and food, then public transport is the way to go. I think the MRT is cheap, reliable, easy and safe. I’ve written a detailed guide on how to use it as well.