future plans..

[burnthisname]

Hi everyone, i've been saving money for a while now to move to singapore for one year for study, i was hoping i could get some advice on costs of living

currently, my plans are to save about 47,000 of my local currency, equal to approx 55000+ SGD
40,000 goes to course & material fees, probably around 1200 goes to airfares
leaving me around 13,000 sgd to live off of for one year

ideally, i would share an apartment or something with a roommate or two, i would need a private room/bedroom with a desk. 10-20 minutes transit to the city centre, cooking- well, i see some singapore apartments don't actually allow cooking, so i think a microwave would be good enough
for meals, i'd probably eat only cheap/bulk nutritious foods like oats/lentils

working while studying is most likely not possible, as the program is very intensive

assuming i can find a nice place for 600sgd/month, that would leave me with about 5000 for all other expences (travel and food)

i'd also possibly have some kind of loan on standby incase i run out of money

visa costs are included in the course fees also

any advice? do i need to save more? do i have more than enough budget?

any advice is appreciated

[sundaymorningstaple]

You need at least 24K above your school fees.

[burnthisname]

elaborate?

edit:
ok i've been looking at student hostels and stuff, one is located near the city center and costs 900/month for one room, and includes utilities

[beppi]

This is a very good price for a room in that location - grab it if you can!
On top of this, you need another S$600/month for food and daily expenses - if you live VERY frugally.
Any entertainment, ethnic or otherwise special food, restaurant meals, taxi rides, beer/cigarettes/other drugs (except Teh Tarik), long distance phone calls, travel, etc. go on top of this and can potentially double this number or more.
Since Singapore is one of the costliest places on earth, it is better to err on the side of bringing more money - thus please follow SMS' advise above!

[JR8]

elaborate?

edit:
ok i've been looking at student hostels and stuff, one is located near the city center and costs 900/month for one room, and includes utilities

So from a budget of $13k/yr that leaves you with $2,100/yr... i.e. $40/pw for food (no beverages), no travel, no recreation, no clothes, no doctors bills, no nothing. $6/day... you'll struggle to just eat on that... Why do you want to do this?

[Wd40]

You are from Australia or Canada? Why do you want to come and waste your money on education here?

[burnthisname]

elaborate?

edit:
ok i've been looking at student hostels and stuff, one is located near the city center and costs 900/month for one room, and includes utilities

So from a budget of $13k/yr that leaves you with $2,100/yr... i.e. $40/pw for food (no beverages), no travel, no recreation, no clothes, no doctors bills, no nothing. $6/day... you'll struggle to just eat on that... Why do you want to do this?

well, in my first idea, rent was calculated at 600/month (which does sound cheap for a city to me, but i don't live there & i know you can atleast rent a room for that price in my country), following that, it would have left me with 6000+ for all other stuff- $125 a week, i could definately eat with that and have money left over for other expenses
the school i want to go to is super intensive, i wouldn't have alot of time for entertainment and stuff anyway

[JR8]

Your assumptions are incorrect.
Rework, and lets try again. Yep?

[Strong Eagle]

Come to Singapore for a visit, but if you're looking for an international degree, there are far more exciting (and probably educationally valuable) places to do it, unless it is NUS that you plan on attending.

Based upon the numbers you tossed out, I'd guess you're converting from Australian dollars. I'm assuming that you've looked at this website? http://www.topuniversities.com/asian-rankings

I'm with the others if you do decide to come. You really need to have about double your estimate to make it. And you haven't mentioned insurance or unexpected doctor visits, etc. I just don't see it.

Good luck anyway... I hope you are able to make your dreams happen.

[burnthisname]

Well, i'm not put off of it, it just means that i will have to save for longer- it's not like i have all this money saved right now, and have a budget i have to put in place immediately

as for the study, well, it's kind of weird to be given advice on that, given i haven't even mentioned what i want to study or with what school, at the very least, i'll probably have 2 or more years to think about it anyway.

[aster]

as for the study, well, it's kind of weird to be given advice on that, given i haven't even mentioned what i want to study or with what school, at the very least, i'll probably have 2 or more years to think about it anyway.

Enlighten us - why here out of all places? Why not go to the UK or US for instance?

[x9200]

Yep, it's not weird at all. Very justified question. Of course it is possible there are some niche subjects, but if this is anything within more general topic and you have to pay for all by yourself I would rather stayed in your country than come here.

[Strong Eagle]

Well, i'm not put off of it, it just means that i will have to save for longer- it's not like i have all this money saved right now, and have a budget i have to put in place immediately

as for the study, well, it's kind of weird to be given advice on that, given i haven't even mentioned what i want to study or with what school, at the very least, i'll probably have 2 or more years to think about it anyway.

I only asked the question because I curious about what you were thinking about.

I've got a niece taking Arabic and international relations with the intent of joining the state department. This gives her an opportunity to attend International Schools focused in these areas, perhaps with a stipend or scholarship.

I've got a granddaughter in her junior year in high school, just now beginning to look at options. One of those options is to do two years close to home then look for options overseas... again with the idea that the first two years make her attractive to overseas institutions looking for certain types of students.

In reverse, if you are in engineering, there are lots of schools in the US that will fall all over you to come complete your degree and preferably, graduate studies with them.

And finally, while anecdotal, my experience indicates that a foreigner coming to different Singapore universities might find them stifling in their approach to higher education.

Again, great that you are exploring and I hope that you obtain your goals.

[taxico]

Hi everyone, i've been saving money for a while now to move to singapore for one year for study, i was hoping i could get some advice on costs of living

currently, my plans are to save about 47,000 of my local currency, equal to approx 55000+ SGD
40,000 goes to course & material fees, probably around 1200 goes to airfares
leaving me around 13,000 sgd to live off of for one year

ideally, i would share an apartment or something with a roommate or two, i would need a private room/bedroom with a desk. 10-20 minutes transit to the city centre, cooking- well, i see some singapore apartments don't actually allow cooking, so i think a microwave would be good enough
for meals, i'd probably eat only cheap/bulk nutritious foods like oats/lentils

working while studying is most likely not possible, as the program is very intensive...

if you can share with us the location of the school you're going to, it might help us figure out how to best advise you re: place to live.

some universities in singapore have well-priced accommodations for international student, and may make your stay and exit from the country much easier (no need to wrangle with getting your deposit back, fighting over utility bills, etc).

bear in mind, i don't remember hearing about any sort of student food banks or food vouchers in local universities so if you're hungry and friendless, expect to stay hungry. it's not good to have such a tight budget when you're overseas because you're bound to need more money.

living in a cheaper place farther away from school can help keep living costs down - i think you will qualify for a subsidized unlimited use monthly bus/train ticket if you're in an approved tertiary institution.