NYC to Singapore

[ReloSinga]

Hi guys,
I’m a female American looking to relocate to Singapore for work.
I have been living in NYC for most of my life and never worked outside of the country.
I’m currently in the process of finalizing the interviews and will soon start negotiating the expat package.

This is a huge adventure for me and this forum has been amazingly helpful. Thank you everyone!
I hope to make lots of new friends here!

I have so many questions but I will narrow down to few… I’m sure there might be existing posts covering the same information. Sorry if these are duplicates!


- Tax: I have been told many times that Singapore tax will be much less than US. I am single with no dependents and I put maximum 401k (retirement) in US, so pretty much I only walk away with 50% of my earning (in Cash) right now. I hope Singapore tax will be more favorable especially I won’t be putting down retirement funds? Also I believe I will be paying US tax for the money I make in Singapore. Is this true?


- The company I am talking with informed me that I will be working long hours… I have been reading different articles saying leaving on time (9am - 6pm) is considered bad work ethics in Singapore. I mean… do people even take vacations? Is taking a day off here and there considered as a slacker? I’m very curious about this point.


- Dating scene: I’m still single in 30s and I would love to meet single guys once I move. How are the dating scenes? Online dating is very common in US (especially NYC). How is Singapore?



Thank you guys so much and love to make some connections!

[bgd]

- Tax: I have been told many times that Singapore tax will be much less than US. I am single with no dependents and I put maximum 401k (retirement) in US, so pretty much I only walk away with 50% of my earning (in Cash) right now. I hope Singapore tax will be more favorable especially I won’t be putting down retirement funds? Also I believe I will be paying US tax for the money I make in Singapore. Is this true?

Tax rate will be lower but you will pay US taxes on income over a certain amount. SMS and others can tell you all about that.

- The company I am talking with informed me that I will be working long hours… I have been reading different articles saying leaving on time (9am - 6pm) is considered bad work ethics in Singapore. I mean… do people even take vacations? Is taking a day off here and there considered as a slacker? I’m very curious about this point.

It really depends on the industry and the company. If you find yourself facing off to the US then the hours can be long. I face off to Europe (generally) so tend to start a bit later and take calls from home. Local companies probably have the time at desk approach but, in my experience, multi-nationals don't, it's just about getting the job done. No problem with holidays, in my world it's only the Americans (US based) who never seem to take time off

- Dating scene: I’m still single in 30s and I would love to meet single guys once I move. How are the dating scenes? Online dating is very common in US (especially NYC). How is Singapore?

It's a bit hit and miss this one. Some girls struggle and others have no problems. You will certainly have a lot of competition in the form of the local (Singapore and surrounds) girls. But if I look at my (male) friends who partnered off in their 30s, it's probably a 70:30 split in favour of western women. But there is another group, slightly older, and they are pretty much all with Asians. You have the same online dating apps here and probably some local variations too. I think the online dating thing is global, it's just the quality that differs

Anyway welcome to Asia. It's different from NY but a lot of fun if you come with an open mind. It's certainly a learning experience.

[PNGMK]

Re dating I think I can say the situation for western girls has improved a lot since I moved here in the 90's. Back then the single expat guys seem to be only interested in Asian gals. However a lot of them have seen their older friends crash and burn in mixed marriages and with online dating the situation does seem to have leveled out. I no longer hear western girls complaining they can't compete or can't find men so it has improved I think. Clearly the universal rules of communication and respect go a along way to helping find the right partner and culture/race/religion should not be a barrier but often it becomes another hurdle in building a decent relationship.

[Addadude]

Maybe we shouldn't assume that the OP is only interested in dating Western men?

[Strong Eagle]

Taxes - you will pay Singapore income tax which is much lower than USA tax.

You will pay taxes in the USA as well but their is a foreign earned income exclusion of $104,100 for 2018. This means that you will pay no tax in the USA on _earned income_ up to $104,100.

Note, however, that you will pay income tax on rent, royalties, dividends, etc (unearned income) at the tax rate as though the exclusion did not exist, ie, the top rate for your earnings bracket.

Note also that if you make more than $104,100, you will be taxed at USA tax rates on the amount exceeding and at the rate as though no exclusion were in place. You will also get a tax credit for Singapore income taxes paid on income in excess of $104,100.

It's only the locals that hang around until the boss leaves, whenever that is, not actually doing anything, but not wanting to look like they are leaving early. I've not seen this to be a real issue in MNC's, and I've contracted into several.

If you're part of a global team that will be a royal pain in the arse. It's a 13 hour difference with CDT, 14 with CST, and you'll run into plenty of idiots in the USA who want to know why you can't take a call at 4 PM Mountain time. I flatly refused to take Friday night phone calls (hell, they wanted me to fly back from Kuala Lumpur after that!). Night time team calls can be very wearing, especially if your Singapore boss expects you in the office bright and early. You may have to put on your best pair of "gof*ckyourself" shoes and get these kinds of meetings straightened out with the boss.

[ReloSinga]

Thank you all for the replies. It was super helpful!
By the way, I'm Asian American if it helps (non-Chinese...)

Hope everything works out and I will move to Singapore in a few months!
I will keep you updated with the outcome.
Thanks again guys!