Singapore versus London

[SXonSkis]

Hello forum, I'm looking for some advice. I've been contacted about a great job in Singapore and need to decide whether it's worth leaving London for. FYI it's a Senior VP position at one of the major banks. If anyone can provide advice comparing Singapore to London it would really help!

1. Cost of living versus London - after tax (is it really only 15%?) I will make double what I do here. Is the cost of living comparable to London?
2. Work life balance - I work in the financial sector in London so am used to pressure, long hours - in Singapore is it the same, better or worse? I do get 30 annual leave in my current job though, what do you get in Singapore?
3. Ease of getting around and getting things done - the crush of London - the tube, crowds at the shops, ...etc is really starting to annoy me. Is Singapore the same, better or worse in this regards?
4. Finding friends - My main reservation is probably the large number of close friends I will be leaving behind. I'm a 40 year old, single male - how easy is it to find similar people to spend time with? Especially considering I won't be relocating with a wife & kids so not really sure how to go about meeting new people.
5. Climate - is the heat really that bad? I'm Australian by the way, so can handle low 30's temperature but not great with humidity.

Any advice appreciated!

SXonSkis

[ecureilx]

Hello forum, I'm looking for some advice. I've been contacted about a great job in Singapore and need to decide whether it's worth leaving London for. FYI it's a Senior VP position at one of the major banks. If anyone can provide advice comparing Singapore to London it would really help!

1. Cost of living versus London - after tax (is it really only 15%?) I will make double what I do here. Is the cost of living comparable to London?
2. Work life balance - I work in the financial sector in London so am used to pressure, long hours - in Singapore is it the same, better or worse? I do get 30 annual leave in my current job though, what do you get in Singapore?
3. Ease of getting around and getting things done - the crush of London - the tube, crowds at the shops, ...etc is really starting to annoy me. Is Singapore the same, better or worse in this regards?
4. Finding friends - My main reservation is probably the large number of close friends I will be leaving behind. I'm a 40 year old, single male - how easy is it to find similar people to spend time with? Especially considering I won't be relocating with a wife & kids so not really sure how to go about meeting new people.
5. Climate - is the heat really that bad? I'm Australian by the way, so can handle low 30's temperature but not great with humidity.

Any advice appreciated!

SXonSkis

Some replies

1 www.iras.gov.sg has a tax calculator.

2 long hours or not depends on the work place. Quite a few places frown on you if you get up at 6, though a fair number give you odd looks if you stay late, the latter thinking you are not managing your time right

3 if you stay near work, you may cycle or short commute to work

Though some may disagree, I feel Singapore isn't jam packed, unless you only depend on the train

Get used to the buses, it's not that bad

5 Singapore Is close to the equator, and humid...

Though almost all places are air-con sometimes a short walk can make your shirt wet enough to make it see through

After more than 10 years I am starting to feel it's getting more hotter. Global warming or is it this year bad?

[bgd]

Some replies

1 http://www.iras.gov.sg has a tax calculator.

2 long hours or not depends on the work place. Quite a few places frown on you if you get up at 6, though a fair number give you odd looks if you stay late, the latter thinking you are not managing your time right

3 if you stay near work, you may cycle or short commute to work

Though some may disagree, I feel Singapore isn't jam packed, unless you only depend on the train

Get used to the buses, it's not that bad

5 Singapore Is close to the equator, and humid...

Though almost all places are air-con sometimes a short walk can make your shirt wet enough to make it see through

After more than 10 years I am starting to feel it's getting more hotter. Global warming or is it this year bad?

2: In my experience the hours here are longer than London, particularly if you have global responsibilities. If you are only Asia based then not so bad.

3: Have to agree with Ecureilx on this one, Sg is less crowded than London and any other large city in the region. Try and avoid the MRT though. And the CBD is pretty busy in the evening rush, but not to London's standards.

4: Sg is an expat location so it's relatively easy to meet new people here. But expat's are transient so don't expect a stable pool of friends.

5: I like the climate, hot and humid, but I'm in the minority. If you don't like humidity you may find it tough here. But aircon is everywhere and people adapt.

Personally I find Sg a pretty good place to live. It's a good intro to Asia and a good base for travel in the region. It does start to lose it's shine after a while but then so does pretty much anywhere. If the job/package is right then you can do a lot worse than here.