What Does It Cost to Give Birth in Singapore? A Gynaecologist’s Breakdown

Giving birth in Singapore typically costs from about S$1,500 in a subsidised public ward to around S$15,000 in a private hospital single room, based on Ministry of Health bill benchmarks. A caesarean adds roughly S$3,000 to S$5,000 to that. The four things that drive the difference are public or private, vaginal delivery or caesarean, your ward class, and how many days you stay. Singapore Citizens can claim up to $900 from MediSave for pre-delivery costs and between $1,120 and $2,770 for the delivery itself, and each child receives up to $62,000 under the SG Child Support Package.

Those headline figures hide something important, though. The bill benchmark and the package price a hospital quotes you are not the same number, and the difference is usually the obstetrician’s fee. That gap causes more surprise bills than anything else in Singapore maternity care. This article breaks down each cost separately, explains what MediSave actually covers, and sets out what changed under the new SG Child Support Package in 2026.

What a delivery actually costs, hospital by hospital

The figures below come from the Ministry of Health’s published hospital bill benchmarks, which are based on actual transacted fees for Singapore Citizens. They are a better guide than a quoted package price because they reflect what patients were genuinely billed rather than an advertised rate.

Two things to understand before reading the tables. A “typical bill” is the median, meaning half of patients were charged below that amount and half above. And the amounts are inclusive of GST but before any MediSave or insurance payout, so what you actually pay will be lower.

Public hospitals, vaginal delivery

Typical bills for an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, with or without episiotomy repair (MOH procedure code SI836U). Public hospital amounts are after government subsidies where these apply.

Hospital	Ward B2 (subsidised)	Ward A (unsubsidised)
National University Hospital	S$1,505	S$7,387
Singapore General Hospital	S$1,903	S$7,174
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital	S$2,700	S$6,448

Private hospitals, vaginal delivery

Same procedure, private hospitals (MOH code SI836U). No government subsidy applies.

Hospital	2-bedded ward	1-bedded ward
Thomson Medical Centre	S$8,861	S$10,798
Mount Alvernia Hospital	S$9,739	S$10,949
Raffles Hospital	Not published	S$10,223
Mount Elizabeth Hospital	Not published	S$13,143
Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital	Not published	S$14,429
Gleneagles Hospital	Not published	S$14,977

Caesarean delivery

A caesarean is a surgical procedure and the stay is usually three to four days rather than two, so both components of the bill increase. Figures below are for an uncomplicated caesarean section (MOH code SI834U) at the higher end of the typical range:

Hospital	Ward	Typical stay	Typical bill
NUH	Ward A	3.0 days	S$8,770
SGH	Ward A	3.4 days	S$8,867
KKH	Ward A	3.2 days	S$9,116
Thomson Medical	2-bedded	2.8 days	S$12,014
Parkway East	2-bedded	2.9 days	S$12,919
Gleneagles	2-bedded	3.1 days	S$14,748

Your own bill depends on your length of stay, whether any complications arise, and what your baby needs during the admission. Complicated deliveries such as twins, breech presentation, instrumental delivery or a repeat caesarean fall under separate MOH benchmark categories and are quoted individually.

One cost that is easy to miss: if you have an epidural, the anaesthetist bills you separately from both the hospital and your obstetrician. The MOH fee benchmark for an anaesthetist’s fee for an epidural during a normal vaginal delivery is roughly S$818 to S$1,090 including GST.

Why the package price you are quoted looks different

This is the point that catches most families out. A published bill benchmark is the total episode cost. A hospital delivery package is a bundled price for the hospital’s own services. In private care the obstetrician’s professional fee is usually quoted and billed separately from that package.

So if you compare a hospital package against the figures above and the package looks cheaper, it probably is not. Ask directly whether the number you have been given includes the doctor.

What you pay before the birth

Antenatal care runs for roughly nine months and is billed separately from the delivery itself. It is easy to underestimate because each individual visit feels small.

In private care, a specialist consultation typically costs between S$150 and S$250 per visit. Visits are usually monthly in early pregnancy, then fortnightly, then weekly in the final month. Across a full pregnancy, that adds up.

On top of consultations, budget for:

• Routine blood tests and urine tests, including blood type, glucose tolerance testing and Group B Strep screening
• Routine ultrasound scans at key points in the pregnancy
• Optional screening tests. The OSCAR test is commonly quoted at around S$300 to S$400, and non-invasive prenatal testing considerably more. A detailed fetal anomaly scan is commonly around S$280, and an oral glucose tolerance test around S$20 to S$50
• Supplements, including folic acid and iron, over nine months

These test costs are indicative ranges published in Singapore cost guides and vary by provider. Not every optional test applies to every pregnancy. Which ones are worth doing depends on your age, your history and your own preferences, and that is a conversation to have at your first appointment rather than a decision to make from a price list.

The hospital delivery package, and what it leaves out

Most hospitals in Singapore offer a delivery package. It typically bundles the delivery itself, your stay in the ward class you have chosen, routine care for you and your baby during that stay, and standard medications and items.

What usually sits outside the package matters just as much:

• The obstetrician’s professional fee, in private care
• Antenatal consultations, scans and tests across the pregnancy
• Complications or an unplanned change in delivery method
• An extended stay beyond the package duration
• Special care for the baby, if needed
• Your baby’s own charges, which are billed separately and include their hospital stay, vaccinations and items used during the stay

A caesarean section costs more than a vaginal delivery in almost every package, and the stay is usually longer, which increases the ward component too.

The obstetrician’s fee, explained

This is the part patients most often misunderstand, so it is worth being clear about.

In private care, your obstetrician’s fee is not payment for the delivery day alone. It covers your care across the pregnancy and afterwards: your antenatal appointments, monitoring, decisions made when something changes, being available when you go into labour whatever the hour, performing the delivery, and reviewing you afterwards. When you choose a private obstetrician, you are paying for continuity. The same doctor sees you at every visit and delivers your baby, rather than whoever is on duty.

Two practical points follow from that.

First, always ask whether the fee you have been quoted is the doctor’s fee, the hospital package, or both. If a package sounds unusually low, it often excludes the doctor.

Second, ask what happens if a caesarean becomes necessary. Most pregnancies are planned as vaginal deliveries, but a proportion end in caesarean for medical reasons. Knowing that figure in advance removes one source of stress from an already difficult moment.

What MediSave covers

Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can use MediSave, either their own or their spouse’s, towards pregnancy and delivery costs under the MediSave Maternity Package. Many people assume this only applies in public hospitals. It does not. The package applies at both public and private healthcare institutions.

The withdrawal limits are:

• Up to $900 for pre-delivery expenses, including antenatal consultations, ultrasound scans, tests and medications
• From $1,120 to $2,770 for the delivery itself, depending on the type of delivery procedure
• $1,130 per day for the first two days of admission, then $400 per day from the third day onwards

These limits took effect from 1 April 2025. You can read the full details on the CPF Board’s guide to Baby Bonus benefits and on the Ministry of Health’s Marriage and Parenthood Schemes page.

It is worth checking the figures wherever you read them. Several widely shared cost guides still quote the older withdrawal limits of S$750 to S$2,600 for delivery and S$550 a day for the ward stay. Those were revised upwards in April 2025.

One thing worth knowing: even if you deliver at a private hospital, you can still use the MediSave Maternity Package to offset your pre-delivery costs. Keep your receipts from antenatal visits.

What changed in 2026: the SG Child Support Package

At the 2026 National Day Rally, the government announced the SG Child Support Package, which replaces both the Baby Bonus Scheme and the Large Families Scheme. If you are budgeting for a pregnancy now, this is the most important recent change.

The new package provides up to $62,000 per Singapore Citizen child from birth to age 17, regardless of birth order. It comprises:

• $10,000 Baby Gift in cash, paid in two tranches within twelve months of the child’s birth
• $32,000 in Child Credits, paid as $2,000 a year over sixteen years, from the year the child turns one to the year they turn sixteen
• $5,000 Child Development Account First Step Grant

Added to the existing $5,000 MediSave Grant for Newborns and Edusave contributions through school, total direct support comes to around $70,000 per child. Full details are on the Made For Families page on the SG Child Support Package.

If you are already on the Baby Bonus Scheme

Families currently receiving the Baby Bonus Cash Gift will be transitioned automatically. Existing payouts continue as usual in the meantime. Children born before 1 April 2027 who are still receiving payouts keep them until 31 March 2027, with a top-up where applicable to bring their total support to $10,000.

The current Baby Bonus Scheme pays a Cash Gift of $11,000 for a first or second child and $13,000 for a third or subsequent child, disbursed every six months over the first six and a half years.

The MediSave Grant for Newborns

Separately, every Singapore Citizen newborn receives a MediSave Grant for Newborns of $5,000, raised from $4,000 in April 2025. A MediSave account is opened automatically when you register the birth and the grant is credited without you applying. It goes towards your child’s MediShield Life premiums, recommended childhood vaccinations and approved treatments.

A worked example

The following is illustrative only and is not a quotation. It shows how the pieces fit together rather than what any individual will pay.

A couple expecting their first child chooses a private hospital and an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, staying two nights.

• Antenatal care across the pregnancy, including consultations, routine tests and scans
• The hospital delivery package for their chosen ward class
• The obstetrician’s professional fee
• The baby’s separate charges for their stay

Against that, they can draw up to $900 from MediSave for pre-delivery expenses, between $1,120 and $2,770 for the delivery, and up to $1,130 per day for the first two days of the ward stay. After the birth, the $10,000 Baby Gift and the $5,000 MediSave Grant for Newborns follow.

The point of the example is not the total. It is that MediSave and government support meaningfully reduce the figure, and that the gap between the sticker price and what you actually pay is often large.

Questions to ask before you commit

Whichever route you choose, these five questions will prevent most surprises:

1. Is the doctor’s fee inside or outside the hospital package?
2. What is the fee if a caesarean becomes necessary?
3. What is not covered by the package? Ask specifically about antenatal scans, complications and the baby’s charges.
4. What happens if my stay is extended?
5. Can I have the estimate in writing?

A clinic that answers these directly is telling you something useful about how the rest of your care will go.

Talking it through

Cost is a legitimate part of planning a pregnancy and there is nothing awkward about asking. If you would like to understand what your pregnancy is likely to cost and what your options are, you are welcome to book a consultation and go through it properly.

Dr Law Wei Seng is an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre with over twenty years of clinical experience. You can read more about Dr Law or about pregnancy care and delivery at the clinic.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to give birth in Singapore?

Typical total bills run from about S$1,500 for a vaginal delivery in a subsidised public ward to around S$15,000 in a private hospital single room. A caesarean adds roughly S$3,000 to S$5,000. Those are total bills, not the package price a hospital quotes you, which usually excludes the obstetrician’s fee. MediSave and government support reduce the final out-of-pocket figure considerably for Singapore Citizens.

Is the gynaecologist’s fee included in the hospital delivery package?

In private hospitals, usually not. The obstetrician’s professional fee is normally billed separately from the hospital package. In public hospitals with team-based care it is generally included. Always ask which applies before comparing two quotes, because a package that looks cheaper may simply exclude the doctor.

Can I use MediSave to pay for delivery at a private hospital?

Yes. The MediSave Maternity Package applies at both public and private healthcare institutions. You can claim up to $900 for pre-delivery expenses, between $1,120 and $2,770 for the delivery depending on the procedure, and daily limits towards your ward stay.

How much government support do parents get in Singapore?

Under the SG Child Support Package announced in 2026, each Singapore Citizen child receives up to $62,000 from birth to age 17. This comprises a $10,000 Baby Gift, $32,000 in Child Credits paid over sixteen years, and a $5,000 Child Development Account First Step Grant. A separate $5,000 MediSave Grant for Newborns is credited automatically at birth.

Does a caesarean cost more than a vaginal delivery?

Yes, in almost all cases. A caesarean is a surgical procedure, the hospital stay is usually longer, and both the hospital package and the obstetrician’s fee reflect that. The MediSave withdrawal limit for delivery also varies by procedure type. It is worth asking your obstetrician for the caesarean figure in advance, even if you are planning a vaginal birth.

 

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Medically reviewed by Dr Law Wei Seng, MBBS (Singapore), MRCOG (UK). Last reviewed on 07/09/2026.

This article is for general information and is not a substitute for personal medical or financial advice. Costs and government scheme amounts are indicative and change over time. Figures last reviewed on 31/08/2026. Please confirm current amounts with the Ministry of Health, CPF Board or Made For Families, and confirm fees directly with your clinic and hospital.