Relocating from Dubai to SIngapore

[abininu06]

Hi,

I am currently in talks with my company in relocating to Singapore as Manager. I currently earn between AED 15000 to AED17000 in dubai . I have one daughter who is currently going to Grade 1 in Indian CBSE school (DPS).


Apprecaite if you could let me know what could be the good salary pay scale to start with considering the leaving cost is highert out in singapore than Dubai.

My Office would be in Cleantech and currently the offer would be between SG 7000 to 9000.

Also heard people staying in malaysia and driving down to singapore. is this possible.

[BoroBoy]

Where did you live in dubai and how much rent were you paying and bow big was the place?

[abininu06]

I currently Leave in sharjah in a two bedroom Flat, Hall + Dinning room , annual rent is around 40000 AED around 14000 SGD. Also i own a car out here and i know the MRT is good out there so i guess will not need to own a car.

[BedokAmerican]

I haven't experienced it myself, but I've heard that commuting from Malaysia can be a hassle, but maybe someone else has had good experiences doing that. I don't know. Where in Singapore would you be working?

As far as a car goes, you might not need one if you live near a train station and work near a train station. Keep in mind, though, that living near a MRT station might mean paying higher rent. Also, oftentimes you have to go somewhere that's not near the MRT, so then you'd have to rely on buses or cabs and that can be a hassle waiting around in the heat or rain, especially if you have a young child with you. On the other hand, parking can be very challenging and cars are pricey here.

[Wd40]

I currently Leave in sharjah in a two bedroom Flat, Hall + Dinning room , annual rent is around 40000 AED around 14000 SGD. Also i own a car out here and i know the MRT is good out there so i guess will not need to own a car.

Your rent there is very cheap. Here expect to spend $2500 SGD minimum for a month. Also unless you have some sort of ties with Malaysia, you wont be able to legally stay there and work in Singapore.

[the lynx]

I haven't experienced it myself, but I've heard that commuting from Malaysia can be a hassle, but maybe someone else has had good experiences doing that. I don't know. Where in Singapore would you be working?

As far as a car goes, you might not need one if you live near a train station and work near a train station. Keep in mind, though, that living near a MRT station might mean paying higher rent. Also, oftentimes you have to go somewhere that's not near the MRT, so then you'd have to rely on buses or cabs and that can be a hassle waiting around in the heat or rain, especially if you have a young child with you. On the other hand, parking can be very challenging and cars are pricey here.

Possible, but only if you have the residency status in Malaysia as a foreigner.

And normally those who commute from Johor, Malaysia to Singapore daily for work, live near the highway and work close to AYE for easy accessibility (Tuas, Jurong, Buona Vista, West Coast Pasir Panjang, Buona Vista, Science Park, Keppel and even CBD).

[abininu06]

My Company is near to Jurong west and also i undertood its not very far from Tuas. Also we have a operating company in Malaysia but my visa will be from Singapore.

I heard that Car and staying near MRT is expensive.

Do we have option of bikes or renting cars out in singapore.

Also would SGD 8000 is a good to start with considring the leaving cost out there. As i said before i earn nearlly 17000 AED out in dubai.

Also how bout school education cost for my daughter . how much would it cost.

[Wd40]

DPS in Singapore will cost you about 800 a month or more, budget for 1000 for schooling. Tell us your goal. You want to save a certain amount? You want to have a certain lifestyle? It is hard to say if 8000 is good salary vs your UAE salary, since we don't know what the living cost in UAE is and we also don't know what your lifestyle is.

[zzm9980]

One option is to stick your kid in an International School in JB (a bit cheaper than Singapore) and then get yourself Malaysian residency visas as their guardian. That's two birds with one stone.

[x9200]

The only condo close to Cleantech is Floravale. The rental there is around 3-3.5k for 3BRs at this moment. If you live there you are practically in a walking distance from your workplace so all other expenses you may suffer is the cost of a bicycle or your shoes. Alternatively you can look for a place in the nearby HDBs (probably 2.5-3.5k range) or a bit further along the 199 bus route.

I don't know what are the rental/schooling costs in Malaysia but I always had this impression that it is only worth the hassle if a) you are Malaysian or b) upper/middle class expat with the desire to live in a landed property.

Consider this: even your country fellowmen (assuming you are an Indian), known for being oriented towards money saving, typically chose to stay in Singapore.

[Strong Eagle]

I just wonder how many times I could daily pass through either Woodlands or Tuas checkpoints before I would finally decide that shooting myself would be the better option.

Seriously, even on a bike, the wait times at rush hours can be immense. And every day, coming into Singapore, passing through passport control... twice... (at a cost), then stopping to open your boot on the way out. And every day, on the way out back through two passport control stations and into the Malaysian version of a car check... sometimes no check... sometimes a pain in the ass.

And here's a hint... make sure your wife is happy where you choose to live. She gets to stay there all day. You want to come home to a happy wife, or a pissed off wife who hates where she lives? My take is a wife would be a lot happier in Singapore than in JB.

[PNGMK]

Motorbike is a good idea for transport.

[Wd40]

Commuting from JB to Singapore during peak hours on a bike means being stuck there at the immigration for atleast an hour and nobody switches off their bike's engines. The amount of smoke you inhale you will start wondering is this the kind of life you wanted? You might as well be stuck in Bangalore's traffic, atleast you will be in a car.

[abininu06]

Thank you all for the feedback. I guess staying in malysia is not a good option.


Being in dubai and with my current sallary, i save around 1500 SGD. WOuld it be more if i shift to singapore with a salary of SGD 8500.

Considering the expense of Rent, food, other expenses and schooling for my daughter and having my 2nd baby soon.

I dont think my wife will be able to work for next 2 to 3 years.

[Wd40]

I think you should be able to save $2000-$3000 a month, rough estimate(without taking the second baby into account), if you restrict your rent to $2500-2800 3 bedroom HDB/2 bedroom condo and stick with mrt/bus and don't need a live-in maid.
You will be able to send your daughter to DPS. Note that DPS is in Kovan, north east side of Singapore. The other Indian International Schools(NPS & GIIS) also I believe are in the eastern side of Singapore. So you must consider living somewhere central-north or eastern side of Singapore.