Daiso, the famous one price Japanese livingware store, has finally opened in The Curve, Mutiara Damansara late last year. Modelled after Japanese 100-Yen shops and a cheaper version of Muji, our closest Daiso used to be in Singapore so imagine how delighted Malaysians were when Daiso opened in Kuala Lumpur!

Prior to the Malaysian Daiso store opening, I used to drop by the Daiso in Singapore. Here’s a comparison of the two Daiso stores and how they fare from an unbiased shopper who loves Japanese products.

Daiso Stores

The Daiso store in Malaysia has its sign and entire storefront in a strange muted green that tends to remain me of hospital surgical gowns. Not the best most attractive signboard!

On the other hand, the Daiso store in Singapore has its store front painted in a bright and cheery red which, according to marketing experts, may be a more attractive pulling factor!

However, a quick check on the Daiso website revealed that Daiso does not seem to have a standard storefront sign as it ranges from neon letters in Vancouver to the same muted green in Dubai! Perhaps the fact that Malaysia and Dubai are Muslim countries have something to do with that!

Find out below which is a better store!

Daiso RM5 and Daiso $2 Deals

Everything in a Daiso store is sold at the same price which makes it easy to shop and very easy to end up buying more than you expect! Products are usually priced quite low, RM5 in Kuala Lumpur and $2 in Singapore but do watch out as these add up very quickly!

At an exchange rate of SGD1 to RM2.4, the Daiso store in Singapore comes across as a wee bit cheaper at RM4.60 instead of RM5. Although it may seem little, it does make for some savings by buying in Singapore if you are there for work or a holiday.

Japanese Food and Snacks

One big advantage the Daiso store in Singapore has is its huge range of Japanese food and snacks which the Malaysian store is totally devoid of, perhaps due to the Halal factor. Shelves and shelves of delicious sweet and savoury Japanese crackers, pretty Japanese confectionery and delicious furikake or Japanese savoury rice sprinkles are available for $2 a pack.

This makes it very affordable as most Japanese snacks and food products retailing in Malaysia are definitely not as cheap.

Storage and Household Products

The Daiso store in Singapore seems to be a better equipped store. It covers a wider area and has a much bigger range of Japanese household products and clever storage containers. Its range of bento accessories are sure to impress any bento lover with their cute and useful food containers, food picks, rice shapers and others.

The Curve Daiso store had a small range of bento accessories when they first opened but sadly, the range has dwindled now and do not seem to be replenished that quickly. The type of products available here are also less with fewer varieties of each product.

Personally, I find the Singapore Daiso store offers a more enjoyable shopping experience with its wide variety of products. I would recommend it if you are visiting or living in Singapore. However, if you are in Kuala Lumpur, the Daiso store in The Curve is pretty good on its own with its quirky and useful Japanese crockery, storage containers and household items. Even if you end up buying nothing which is very unlikely, it makes for great browsing!