rockstargirl wrote: ↑Mon, 11 Jul 2022 3:24 pmHi everyone,
Have been in SG since past 6 years and seeing effect of the inflation world-wide and post covid fluctuations, how do we evaluate quality of life against other developed nations?
Singapore mostly wins in terms of good transportation, job opportunities, safety and proximity to most of exotic sea side traveling spots. On the other hand, sometimes it feels too small mostly for travel freaks. Since lot of samaritans here have been to multiple countries as opposed to my limited exposure, any suggestions will be helpful for the folks who are willing to move in or even move out.
Public transportation infrastructure here is top notch, but there is a major inconvenience factor compared to other developed countries. This is evident with my team… most do not want to return to the office and would rather continue to work from home — several told me they have a long commute, up to 2 hours one-way. Even for myself, although I live just 12km from the office, it’s almost 1 hour each way. Bus to MRT or longer walk to MRT then change trains, and then catch a shuttle to the office, and you have to time it just right or suffer a long wait for the next one… or take another public bus. In other countries you’d just drive. I just got back from the US and was reminded how convenient it is to just get in the car and go. Compared to here, it’s dirt cheap to own a car there, no COE, no ARF, no road tax, no ERP and no parking charges. You only have to worry about gas (half the price of here), maintenance and insurance (about the same as here).rockstargirl wrote: ↑Mon, 11 Jul 2022 3:24 pmHi everyone,
Have been in SG since past 6 years and seeing effect of the inflation world-wide and post covid fluctuations, how do we evaluate quality of life against other developed nations?
Singapore mostly wins in terms of good transportation, job opportunities, safety and proximity to most of exotic sea side traveling spots. On the other hand, sometimes it feels too small mostly for travel freaks. Since lot of samaritans here have been to multiple countries as opposed to my limited exposure, any suggestions will be helpful for the folks who are willing to move in or even move out.
I think part of this depends on exactly where you are living elsewhere. Podunk town in the middle of nowhere? Yes, can probably get a lot of what you need within 5-10 minutes drive, 30 minutes tops. Major metro? Many of the same issues here; pay more for housing to be close to work or deal with longer commutes, either by driving or on public transport. Probably won't hit 2 hours but could easily hit 1 hour.malcontent wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 8:13 amPublic transportation infrastructure here is top notch, but there is a major inconvenience factor compared to other developed countries. This is evident with my team… most do not want to return to the office and would rather continue to work from home — several told me they have a long commute, up to 2 hours one-way. Even for myself, although I live just 12km from the office, it’s almost 1 hour each way. Bus to MRT or longer walk to MRT then change trains, and then catch a shuttle to the office, and you have to time it just right or suffer a long wait for the next one… or take another public bus. In other countries you’d just drive. I just got back from the US and was reminded how convenient it is to just get in the car and go. Compared to here, it’s dirt cheap to own a car there, no COE, no ARF, no road tax, no ERP and no parking charges. You only have to worry about gas (half the price of here), maintenance and insurance (about the same as here).
.....
I still remember the challenges of riding the circle line once it got popular. When I arrived at the platform I would stand a bit back, knowing that there wouldn’t be any space for me. Once the train approached I wouldn’t look for a door that had space (none would), but rather look to see which door had a person getting out… as long as I saw one get out, I knew I could get in (even if the other passengers tried to pretend that I couldn’t). Ah… those were the days!
I grew up in a small town, population 5,000. It’s surprising, but you can get most of what you need in a small town. They even have a Walmart. To visit the mall, we had to drive to a bigger town 30 minutes away. And to visit a major metro, 2 hours drive.NYY1 wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 8:56 amI think part of this depends on exactly where you are living elsewhere. Podunk town in the middle of nowhere? Yes, can probably get a lot of what you need within 5-10 minutes drive, 30 minutes tops. Major metro? Many of the same issues here; pay more for housing to be close to work or deal with longer commutes, either by driving or on public transport. Probably won't hit 2 hours but could easily hit 1 hour.
I think most 1,000,000 plus cities, with the exception of NYC, housing for families would mainly be outside of the downtown areas? NYC is easy to have a 1 hour+ commute if not living in Manhattan. I would think most others are in the 30-60 minute range to the better suburbs/living areas.malcontent wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 12:38 pmIf I were to ever live in a major metro, I think I would stay in the burbs and hopefully not have to work downtown. But overall, I find US cities with metro populations between 250,000 and 1,000,000 to be ideal for both convenience and quality of life.
That’s because you said you were holidaying in the middle of nowhere in rural US which is safer than US cities. It depends on where in the US you’re staying in. Of course small towns would be quieter and not as dramatic as cities.malcontent wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 8:13 amI just got back from the US… do you think I was dodging bullets and getting mugged the whole time? Not once did I feel any less safe than I do here. The perception simply is not reality.
Thank you. I wasn't going to say it but I always thought the correct comparison was SG vs 5 MM+ metro area. Not SG vs a cow pasture.MOCHS wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 1:36 pmThat’s because you said you were holidaying in the middle of nowhere in rural US which is safer than US cities. It depends on where in the US you’re staying in. Of course small towns would be quieter and not as dramatic as cities.malcontent wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 8:13 amI just got back from the US… do you think I was dodging bullets and getting mugged the whole time? Not once did I feel any less safe than I do here. The perception simply is not reality.
If those Singaporeans stay in cities overseas, than probably those cities might be more “colourful” than SG itself. If they stay in the countryside, it’s a whole story altogether.
Sorry, this is in relation to commute or opportunity? When I mentioned NYC, what I meant to say is that in many metro areas of say 3 MM - 5 MM people (or so) I don't think it is uncommon for families to live outside of the CBD/downtown area and face commutes of 30-60 minutes, which is similar to here. Younger people can live in some downtown areas but families not so much.sundaymorningstaple wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 7:03 pmEven that is a bad comparison. NYC (city limits) is around 11 M on a daily basis and is roughly 580 sq/km in area. Singapore is 5.5 M on a daily basis and around 530 sq/km. May have grown some 20 sq/km due to dredging and landfilling over the last 10~15 years.
One other thing is that even within cities or metro areas things can vary a lot. Westwood around UCLA is quite a bit different from inland areas. Same for Fifth Avenue vs. other parts of the greater NYC metro area. Obviously one can control where they go and try to avoid trouble. That used to work very well, possibly not quite as well in recent times.MOCHS wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 1:36 pmThat’s because you said you were holidaying in the middle of nowhere in rural US which is safer than US cities. It depends on where in the US you’re staying in. Of course small towns would be quieter and not as dramatic as cities.malcontent wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 8:13 amI just got back from the US… do you think I was dodging bullets and getting mugged the whole time? Not once did I feel any less safe than I do here. The perception simply is not reality.
.....
That is true, but almost every day I would drive 40 minutes into town (I had a lot of shopping to do after 3 years absence).MOCHS wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 1:36 pmThat’s because you said you were holidaying in the middle of nowhere in rural US which is safer than US cities. It depends on where in the US you’re staying in. Of course small towns would be quieter and not as dramatic as cities.malcontent wrote: ↑Fri, 15 Jul 2022 8:13 amI just got back from the US… do you think I was dodging bullets and getting mugged the whole time? Not once did I feel any less safe than I do here. The perception simply is not reality.
If those Singaporeans stay in cities overseas, than probably those cities might be more “colourful” than SG itself. If they stay in the countryside, it’s a whole story altogether.
This was O'Hare then Blue Line to South Loop Area to Union Station?malcontent wrote: ↑Sat, 16 Jul 2022 8:42 am]
.....
I flew into Chicago, and normally I have someone pick me up or rent a car from the airport… which completely isolates me from the “color” you mention. However, this time I tried something new — I took public transit (the CTA) from the airport to downtown and then took the Amtrak (high speed rail) from there — this is so my elderly parents wouldn’t have to drive in the crazy Chicago traffic.
Like Singapore, you can tap and go with any credit card that is contactless. Unlike Singapore, the train was old, noisy, and rickety (reminded me of the ones I took in NYC), but reasonably clean. Note that I would not have taken this train at night, this was in the early afternoon. I did not encounter any freaks, gang bangers or thugs… in fact, the vast majority of people I saw on the train and in the stations were just ordinary folks. Nobody messed with me, talked to me or even approached me for the 40 minute ride into downtown. When I got out, it wasn’t at a popular station — it was old and dingy with a very narrow escalator that seemed to be popular for urination (at least from the smell), LOL.
At the station exit, they were quick to open the handicap gate for me, given my luggage wouldn’t fit otherwise. I then proceeded to walk 2 blocks to Union Station (Amtrak), picking up a slice of famous Chicago pizza along the way. The boarding process was a little chaotic, but not bad. I was impressed with how clean and comfortable the Amtrak train was… really nice, spacious, modern and clean, and this was in coach class. It was only $27 for the 240km journey and it took just 2 hours… not bad at all.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests