Planning my move to Singapore

[NYY1]

Got your point. Will assess the situation in first few months then will decide. Affordability and utilisation will play role. Are Grab and other taxi services too expensive?

See if someone else will reply with the average amount they are spending on a car all in (vehicle/COE, petrol, road fees, parking, insurance, etc). I have a guess but it's just a guess.

Grab ect one way half-way across the island can be S$ high-teens to low-$20s. Usually, you can't go very far without paying at least $10. So you can figure out per working/school day what you need and then some buffer for entertainment on the weekend (or take public then when not in a hurry). If it is raining, waiting time can be a bit more and prices can jump but if you set your mindset that there's "nothing one can do" it is OK.

You can consider is find a place that is more convenient to/from pubic transport. Try to get closer to MRT vs. having to transfer on a bus (waiting time is the biggest constraint). One thing is that "not far" from the MRT or public transport is sometimes "not exactly short" or "very quick" in the heat of the day or the middle of a down pour. With kids, it becomes even more of a challenge. I'd also look for whether there are covered walkways from MRT to home and test out the routes at the time you will be going (especially the routes the kids need to take, some directions can be very crowded at peak times and not easy to manage with little kids).

Of course, for many here a car is a luxury and it is definitely not needed, so as you say you can test it out for a few months and then decide whether to stick with it or get a car. One constraint is that the housing will likely be fixed for a year or two, so some of the above impacts how easy or difficult it is.

[NYY1]

Thank you all for taking time to respond to my query. Your suggestions are very helpful. I got a pretty good idea - School and accommodation are the key expenses....Have been working on finalising school at the moment, once finalised will begin on the accommodation in the area close to the school.

This forum is a great help! Thanks.

Cost of schooling can vary greatly, but I personally recommend SAS if you can afford it.

I think they are looking for the UK curriculum. But if willing to deal with something else I think most would agree (I guess).

[malcontent]

Don't know about the US tax laws regarding tip income off the top of my head today but when I was in the business back in the 1970's if you were waitstaff in a proper restaurant and didn't report a minimum of 15 % of your income as tip income IRS would automatically correct your return by adding that much. You were welcome to dispute it, but you would get penalties & interest charges if you did as most restaurants that are not fast food oriented are already tested out by IRS agents and know what the average tips for that city/style of restaurant is. In some upper class restaurants it could go as high as 25% average tips for excellent staff and most were excellent and those that were not, did have a job very long. In fact, in NYC and probably LA but I don't really know there, there were waiting lists to get jobs at those places. It was nothing for a good waiter/waitress to make 100G/yr even back then. It is a well known fact that a huge number of movie and Broadway stars survived back in the day by waiting tables in NYC waiting on that big break.

Yep, this is my impression as well. The tip economy is huge in the US, and tipping 15% would make you seem pretty stingy. Wish it didn’t have to be this way, because it does add up quickly.

If the actual statistics are accurate, 15% is average… so the idea that it is stingy is just popular myth. I don’t buy it. Anything in the teens is normal, above that is generous and below that can be stingy (depends on the service).

[smoulder]

Using grab or taxi. Be careful though because sometimes you have to wait quite a bit before you get a driver and even then there's a chance he might cancel on you. Additionally, if your kids don't meet the minimum height requirement, you'll have to restrict yourself only to taxis because a normal grab is not permitted to have smaller kids without a child seat. And then of course, you have to consider if it is really safe enough for your kids to be in a car with no child's seat.

[malcontent]

Got your point. Will assess the situation in first few months then will decide. Affordability and utilisation will play role. Are Grab and other taxi services too expensive?

Most people I know here who don’t have a car (myself included) eventually settle into taking BMW (bus, MRT, walk) almost exclusively. Inevitably, you will face the rain. Over the years I have learned to keep an extra pair of socks in my desk drawer at work, that is usually what gets drenched the most, and having a dry pair to change into is a godsend.

And trust me when I say, it’s not because of the cost — the bus/train is more reliably predicable. Taking a taxi can be a hassle and frustrating at times, especially when it’s raining or during rush hour — you can wait 15-25 minutes on hold just to make a booking, or worse case, you just won’t get one! Trying to flag one from the street is never a sure thing.

[smoulder]

Got your point. Will assess the situation in first few months then will decide. Affordability and utilisation will play role. Are Grab and other taxi services too expensive?

Most people I know here who don’t have a car (myself included) eventually settle into taking BMW (bus, MRT, walk) almost exclusively. Inevitably, you will face the rain. Over the years I have learned to keep an extra pair of socks in my desk drawer at work, that is usually what gets drenched the most, and having a dry pair to change into is a godsend.

And trust me when I say, it’s not because of the cost — the bus/train is more reliably predicable. Taking a taxi can be a hassle and frustrating at times, especially when it’s raining or during rush hour — you can wait 15-25 minutes on hold just to make a booking, or worse case, you just won’t get one! Trying to flag one from the street is never a sure thing.

On a side note Mal, how did you drive to Malaysia? Did you rent a car?

[tiktok]

I bought a second car 4 years ago and it works out to 5k a year (running costs excluded). But given the rise in COE prices, the same thing would be 8-9k now.

[x9200]

Got your point. Will assess the situation in first few months then will decide. Affordability and utilisation will play role. Are Grab and other taxi services too expensive?

See if someone else will reply with the average amount they are spending on a car all in (vehicle/COE, petrol, road fees, parking, insurance, etc). I have a guess but it's just a guess.

We own cars for number of years already and typically organize it this way that we chose a car not older than 7y, upfront payment 15-25k (PARF from the previous car goes here) and monthly installment between 650-850. Currently we are with a Honda Shuttle, installment ~770, Rd Tax ~700, insurance ~800, petrol prices rocketed recently and right now we pay something like 200-300 (daily commuting Hillview area <-> Orchard), parking ~200 . That's roughly it I believe.

Main reasons for having a car: bringing the kid to school, avoiding long travel time with public transport and annoying taxi/grab that are not really reliable and available (at times).

[NYY1]

.....
Currently we are with a Honda Shuttle, installment ~770, Rd Tax ~700, insurance ~800, petrol prices rocketed recently and right now we pay something like 200-300 (daily commuting Hillview area <-> Orchard), parking ~200 . That's roughly it I believe.

Main reasons for having a car: bringing the kid to school, avoiding long travel time with public transport and annoying taxi/grab that are not really reliable and available (at times).

Thank you. These are all monthly? I can make sense of all of them except the insurance?

I don't disagree on the reasons. Again, everyone has to decide on the cost-benefits. For me, the peak convenience time was kids very young or primary school age. Also depends on where going to primary school and how close it is.

[x9200]

.....
Currently we are with a Honda Shuttle, installment ~770, Rd Tax ~700, insurance ~800, petrol prices rocketed recently and right now we pay something like 200-300 (daily commuting Hillview area <-> Orchard), parking ~200 . That's roughly it I believe.

Main reasons for having a car: bringing the kid to school, avoiding long travel time with public transport and annoying taxi/grab that are not really reliable and available (at times).

Thank you. These are all monthly? I can make sense of all of them except the insurance?

I don't disagree on the reasons. Again, everyone has to decide on the cost-benefits. For me, the peak convenience time was kids very young or primary school age. Also depends on where going to primary school and how close it is.

All monthly except the insurance and the rd. tax (both annually).

[tiktok]

We own cars for number of years already and typically organize it this way that we chose a car not older than 7y, upfront payment 15-25k (PARF from the previous car goes here) and monthly installment between 650-850. Currently we are with a Honda Shuttle, installment ~770, Rd Tax ~700, insurance ~800, petrol prices rocketed recently and right now we pay something like 200-300 (daily commuting Hillview area <-> Orchard), parking ~200 . That's roughly it I believe.

Main reasons for having a car: bringing the kid to school, avoiding long travel time with public transport and annoying taxi/grab that are not really reliable and available (at times).

How much was the PARF from your previous car? That's an opportunity cost people often ignore.

[x9200]

How much was the PARF from your previous car? That's an opportunity cost people often ignore.

8-9k; earlier 12-13k.

[malcontent]

On a side note Mal, how did you drive to Malaysia? Did you rent a car?

My wife owns a car, so we took that. Before she owned a car I would rent a car, but not from here - we would cross the border and then I would rent in Johor. Normal procedure: they wait for me at City Square and I go get the rental car (around 10-15 mins walk) and then I pick them up at the pick/up drop-off area at City Square. This worked out well, but driving across the SG-MY border is much less hassle, with a drive up window you don’t need to get out of your vehicle.

[Roadtosingapore]

Thank you all for taking time to respond to my query. Your suggestions are very helpful. I got a pretty good idea - School and accommodation are the key expenses....Have been working on finalising school at the moment, once finalised will begin on the accommodation in the area close to the school.

This forum is a great help! Thanks.

Cost of schooling can vary greatly, but I personally recommend SAS if you can afford it.

I think they are looking for the UK curriculum. But if willing to deal with something else I think most would agree (I guess).

Thanks. I have not checked any schools other than the ones following the UK curriculum. Top Schools are all 40k SGD+ and they don't have place availability. I am awaiting response from few schools by end of next week, so hopefully will be able to finalise the school selection soon.

[Roadtosingapore]

Got your point. Will assess the situation in first few months then will decide. Affordability and utilisation will play role. Are Grab and other taxi services too expensive?

Most people I know here who don’t have a car (myself included) eventually settle into taking BMW (bus, MRT, walk) almost exclusively. Inevitably, you will face the rain. Over the years I have learned to keep an extra pair of socks in my desk drawer at work, that is usually what gets drenched the most, and having a dry pair to change into is a godsend.

And trust me when I say, it’s not because of the cost — the bus/train is more reliably predicable. Taking a taxi can be a hassle and frustrating at times, especially when it’s raining or during rush hour — you can wait 15-25 minutes on hold just to make a booking, or worse case, you just won’t get one! Trying to flag one from the street is never a sure thing.

BMW From your response, I can imagine the struggle without a car. I will have to see how much I am left with each month after all necessary expenses, and then decide wether a car can be fit into my budget or not.