Moving to Singapore

[SarieW]

Hi,

My husband has been asked to relocate from Sydney to Singapore. His company are willing to pay rent and healthcare for us. ( Family of 3, 2 adults and 1 child).

We are working through trying to understand if it will make financial sense for us to move and had a few questions that we wondered if anyone could help us with.

1. Is the cost of living compared to Australia a lot higher in terms of the below:

Groceries ( currently spend $250 (aud) per week
Utility Bills ( currently electric is $600 aud per quarter)

2. I have a 2 year old daughter are there plenty of activities to do? She will be going to pre school but on the days she doesn't we like to do dancing,
Music and sports lessons.

3. If we decide to lease a car, do you pay insurance on top of the lease cost. ( not entirely sure we will need one)

My husbands boss has said the cost of living isabout the same, but after a recent trip to Singapore we think it is probably more expensive.

Thanks everyone, I'm sure this will be my first of many posts!

[Addadude]

See my replies in red below.

1. Is the cost of living compared to Australia a lot higher in terms of the below:

Groceries ( currently spend $250 (aud) per week)
I think it's about the same. If you shop in the more local supermarkets (NTUC Fairprice, Sheng Siong etc) you'll be saving more. If you really need Australian-style groceries and brands you'll be shopping in the larger Cold Storage supermarkets, Market Place and Jasons, where prices are quite a bit higher.

Utility Bills ( currently electric is $600 aud per quarter)
This is a hard one to answer as probably the biggest variable is how often you would use your aircon and in how many rooms. For example I have a small household and we only use the aircon (an old one and thus less power efficient) in the master bedroom at night and our monthly utility bill (Electricity and Water) comes to about $250 a month.

2. I have a 2 year old daughter are there plenty of activities to do? She will be going to pre school but on the days she doesn't we like to do dancing, Music and sports lessons.
Dancing and Music, no problem. There are lots of schools, 'enrichment centres' and activities in community centres for kids to do this. Check out United Square for a taster - http://www.unitedsquare.com.sg/mall_dir ... =cat&id=19 Sports on the other hand may be a problem for your child with Singapore's hot and humid climate. Depends on the kid I suppose.

3. If we decide to lease a car, do you pay insurance on top of the lease cost. ( not entirely sure we will need one)
This one I can't help you with I'm afraid. I took one look at car prices here when I stepped off the plane and packed my driving license away.

My husbands boss has said the cost of living isabout the same, but after a recent trip to Singapore we think it is probably more expensive.

Thanks everyone, I'm sure this will be my first of many posts!

[Strong Eagle]

Take a look at this website: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... =Singapore

Play around with the numbers. I've found it to be reasonably accurate for cities that I know about... cannot reference Sydney, however.

[BTun]

Hi SarieW,

Generally the cost of living is higher in Singapore because of rent and cars. I can offer you a few tips..

Groceries. Diary, meat and alcohol is around double (if not more) the price in sydney. Also, the shelf life is a few days less. If you like fresh milk or cheese you may go broke after a few weeks!
Nearly every other item i can think of is cheaper. Bread, eggs, soft drink, fruit, vegetables, etc.

Utility bills. Electricity gas and water comes on the same bill every month. Most of the bill will be air conditioning running costs so make sure the condo you get has brand new air conditioning as they run far more efficiently. You'll be up for more than $600 a quarter

Pick a condo that is walking distance to a MRT station (train), and supermarket. The bus and train network here is fantastic and in my opinion the extra cost of a car is not required.


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