We compared staying at the worst-rated hotels in New York City and Singapore. Neither felt like a good value at $95 a night.

New York and Singapore are home to a variety of hotels marketed as budget-friendly. With reporters in two of the biggest tourist cities in the world, we decided to compare our experiences staying at the lowest-rated budget hotels.

We searched on Google Reviews in Singapore and New York for the lowest-rated hotels with at least 120 reviews.

In December, US-based reporter Laura Casado spent a night at the Bowery Grand Hotel in New York, a budget hotel with 2.3 out of 5 stars on Google Reviews. It cost $95 for a single-night stay on Expedia, for a private single room with a shared bathroom.

In November, Singapore-based reporter Marielle Descalsota spent a night at Hotel Calmo Chinatown, a budget hotel with 2.5 stars on Google Reviews, and 2.4 stars at the time of her visit. It cost 135 Singapore dollars, or $96 on Agoda for a night's stay. Marielle booked a superior double room, which had a double bed mattress and an ensuite bathroom, for one night.

Representatives for the Bowery Grand Hotel did not respond to Insider's request for comment about the issues Laura experienced during her stay. In an email to Marielle, a hotel representative for Hotel Calmo Chinatown said of her issues at the hotel, "We are aware of these reviews. We will strive to do better and improve."

The hotel in Singapore where Marielle stayed was located in Chinatown, one of the top backpacking districts in Singapore — and for good reason. Chinatown is filled with some of the city-state's top hawker centers and historical monuments. It's also where dozens of budget accommodations like motels and hostels are located.

The New York hotel where Laura stayed was located in Manhattan's Lower East Side, a historic neighborhood that was home to many generations of immigrants, and today is known for its nightlife, music scene, and classic eateries. The hotel was also within walking distance of Chinatown and Little Italy.

The Singapore hotel was between shophouses in Chinatown, across a street of bars and restaurants. The hotel was housed in a former 19th-century Cantonese opera house. Marielle felt the entrance to the hotel seemed more like an upscale boutique hotel rather than a budget one — it was discreet and classy.

The New York hotel was located above a lighting shop in Manhattan's Lower East Side, and Laura thought finding the entrance was confusing at first since there wasn't a clearly marked sign on the front door.

Marielle noticed that the Singapore hotel's escalators were broken. Fortunately, she didn't have any suitcases to take up the steps as she had only brought along a duffel bag. There were also cigarette butts wedged in between the escalator steps.

Walking into the New York hotel, Laura saw that the tile floors at the top and bottom of the stairs were worn and some tiles were broken. She also saw dirt and dust on the stairs and landing.

Marielle found the lobby at Hotel Calmo Chinatown to be underwhelming. It looked like a crossover between a hostel and a love motel. There was an air conditioning unit in front of the check-in counter, and the only piece of furniture was a small green chair.

In New York, the lobby at the Bowery Grand Hotel was one room with a front desk. There wasn't any furniture to sit on or decor in the room, besides several large trash bins that Laura noticed near the desk, which was also blocked off behind a half-glass wall.

Marielle's room at Hotel Calmo Chinatown was large enough for two people. It was around 150 square feet, with minimal furnishings. In fact, there was only a mattress on the floor, without any bed frame included.

Laura's room at the Bowery Grand was a lot smaller than she'd expected, and it had just enough room to fit some furniture and walk around the bed. She estimated the room to be around 10 feet long and 5 feet wide.

On the other hand, Marielle's room in the Singapore hotel had a few electronics but no phone. Instead, guests were asked to contact the front desk by scanning a QR code.

In the New York hotel, Laura's room was simply furnished with a twin bed, sheets, a brown blanket, and a white hand towel. At the foot of the bed, there was a small plastic trash bin and a white side table that turned out to be a broken filing cabinet turned against the wall.

Marielle's room at the Singapore hotel had wide, floor-to-ceiling windows which were the highlight of the room. It opened to resemble an open-air balcony where she could see the many shops and tourists outside.

Meanwhile, the room at the New York hotel had no windows. The Expedia listing said the hotel had airconditioning, but since there weren't any temperature adjustment controls or buttons in the room, Laura figured the air-conditioning and heating were controlled by the property manager.

Thankfully, she thought it was a comfortable temperature in the hotel and her room, and much warmer than the cold and rainy weather outside.

The bathroom in the hotel room in Singapore where Marielle stayed also came with shampoo and body soap in the shower, and a dental kit.

In the New York hotel room, Laura found several travel-sized toiletries, including a toothbrush, single-use toothpaste, and a bar of hand soap, and she thought receiving these items for free was a thoughtful touch.

Marielle had previously stayed in dozens of budget accommodations in Singapore, and the bathroom was better than she expected. At Hotel Calmo Chinatown, the bathroom was small but had all the basics — a toilet, shower, and basin.

Laura usually spent her solo travels staying in hostels and budget hotels, so she'd used communal bathrooms before. She noticed that while one of the shared bathrooms was unavailable during her stay, three others were usable.

At the Singapore hotel, Marielle felt the bathroom was clean enough, but she thought it was poorly designed. The shower was located right next to the toilet, with no divider between the two, meaning water would splash everywhere during a shower.

In NYC, Laura was surprised to see dirt, grime, and dust in the shared bathrooms at the Bowery Grand. Each bathroom has a stand-up shower, a toilet, and a sink, but only one of the two bathrooms she went into had a mirror above the sink. She also noticed there was no toilet paper or soap in the bathroom.

The Singapore hotel was noisy because of the thin walls and busy location. The noises only became fainter around 2 a.m. when the shops began to close down. Marielle decided to enjoy the streets and only returned to the hotel in the late hours of the night. By the time she returned, the hotel had already quieted down.

In the New York Hotel, Laura could hear what sounded like a washing machine running on the floor above and coughing from another guest in a room down the hall. But there wasn't any noise from street traffic, which she was pleasantly surprised by as the hotel is near a busy intersection.

The best thing about the Singapore hotel was the location — it was lively and perfect for tourists. The cleanliness in the room was also decent, without any insects or pests. However, Marielle felt the poor furnishings and mattress on the floor meant she couldn't justify staying there again.

Laura thought the New York hotel's only saving grace was its convenient location on the Lower East Side. It's within walking distance of Little Italy and Chinatown, and a quick subway ride away from places like Greenwich Village and Wall Street, which could be a perk for some tourists. However, due to the lack of cleanliness and subpar amenities, Laura wouldn't stay there again.