CAO wrote:the lynx wrote:CAO wrote:@the lynx: Thanks for heads up regarding this. Do you reckon utilities will run as high as S$1000 a month for a fairly modern 1BR? I'm sure I will be more generous on the a/c than locals are. Still - for S$5k I'm assuming I will be able to get a nice enough apartment and not have to compromise too much with my standard of living compared to Sweden?
Additional info: company pays for all costs involving the relocation. That is: 1mth temporary
Service Apartment while looking for a permanent place, they also pay for the shipping of my furniture, as well as storage in Sweden for the stuff I leave behind. Also they pay my plane ticket for the ride over.
Note that not all furniture is suitable.
condominiums in Singapore are very small, unless you pay more than SGD9k for a spacious ones. And different bed sizes apply here too. Unless your company is not paying for new furniture, I'd suggest not to bring them over because you may find some of them won't fit in some layout. And if you're bringing in European-sized beds, you need to bring the sheets, duvets as well because it will be hard for you to find the right size in Singapore. Electrical appliances too. Different voltage. May as well buy all of them new and spare the headache, since your company is paying for your storage back in Sweden anyway.
If you have a cable channel subscription, land line, electricity, water etc, probably it will hit around SGD500. I'm not sure. It all depends on your usage. But a SGD5000 plus monthly rental will give you comfortable sized 1BR in good location.
Got it - will in case look through my stuff and see what would better be left behind. Is furniture or electrical appliances generally cheap or expensive in Singapore? I feel that i've come to the stage in my life when I (even though i'm from Sweden) don't want to pick up my entire home in flat packages from IKEA...
Standard electrical appliances come in wide range of prices and quality. For example, you can have a Japanese/Chinese brand kettle for only SGD30, while a top-notch high-featured all-bling European brand will cost SGD300. So kettle, fan, toaster, microwave oven, blender, radio alarm clock etc won't be a problem. There are malls or outlets where you can buy all these in one stop like Funan, Courts, Ikea, Challenger, Best Denki, Harvey Norman etc.
Furniture is a bit tricky because it all depends on you. I know some friends who insist to import European bed frames etc because they are too tall for Asian size (and the rest of the package i.e. sheets etc). And some have obsession to high quality teak wood furniture. While some are content to have everything from Ikea because it is fun, cheap and convenient, the quality of Ikea here leaves a lot to desire. You can look into Vhive for the better version of Ikea but selection is limited. Anything else you can pop into furniture malls in Jurong East, Bedok and etc. If you are not fussy, possibilities are endless. Even better if your company is giving you allowance for furniture.
