Local here. Depending on your budget & lifestyle, you can live lavishly or live frugally. Also, do you see Singapore as a temporary place for a couple of years before jetting home or a place where you wanna get PR? How open minded are you to live like a local or do you just want to keep to yourself in your bubble?
If you have unlimited budget, feel free to live in a
condo/landed
property, eat out or order food delivery daily, drive/ride hail whenever you want.
If you wanna be more mindful in your spending, live in HDB, cook at home, take public transport.
Or you can mix both sides of the budget spectrum. Ride hail and eat out occasionally.
First thing to take note is that food & essentials are imported into SG. We don’t have the land to produce our own stuff. Learn to get over the fact that some things won’t be as cheap as back home. Either you stock up & bring some over or find cheaper alternatives or just pay the price difference.
Groceries, essentials, other stuff to purchase...: For unlimited budgets, there’s Jason’s, Cold Storage and other speciality shops. Slightly more wallet friendly options Giant, Sheng Siong, and Fairprice. Though some people say Fairprice ain’t wallet friendly but it’s everywhere and convenient. Most wallet friendly is wet markets found in HDB estates, they usually have fresher produce than supermarkets. Floors are usually wet, hence the name.
If you are used to keeping certain food stuffs like butter outside the fridge, the climate here will either cause it to melt or go mouldy quickly. Read the label and refrigerate if it says so. Leaving unwashed dishes in the sink will attract pests, so clean up ASAP.
Your other essentials like shampoo, toothpaste, etc. can also be found in the above supermarkets, pharmacies like Watsons or Guardian, online, or smaller beauty product shops in HDB estates. The latter is very worth it in terms of pricing.
Electronics & furniture… just wait for a sale or get second hand items from other expats who are moving out.
A lot of stuff can be ordered online anyway if you’re lazy to go out to shop.
Transport: Cars are hella expensive but if you have the budget, go ahead. Public transport is efficient & quick, waiting time isn’t that long. My foreigner husband is happy he doesn’t have to drive ‘cos he hates city parking so he’s content without a car. There are apps where you can rent cars for a few hours for occasions like moving some items… There are also traditional car rental places to rent a car for a period of time.
I grew up without a car and so did plenty of other people. The whole “if you have kids, you must have a car” mindset is untrue.
Housing: Don’t knock on HDBs until you try it. Majority of the population live in HDBs and it ain’t bad. The pricing of some HDBs are almost on par with
condos. Don’t listen to those who have never lived in one before and only heard stories from friends/colleagues. Public housing aren’t slums or ghettos like other countries. You want to exercise? There are exercise equipment downstairs or you can go to the HDB estate’s sports complex or swimming complex.
Condos have plenty of facilities but you gotta ask yourself if you’re gonna use it weekly. If you’re not, it’s just a waste of maintenance fees. Condos are also smaller than HDBs unless you find those built before the 90s which tend to be bigger. If you want a new & bigger condo, pay more for rent. You essentially pay more for convenience… whether you use the facilities, that’s up to you.
Landed property like terraces & bungalows are very pricey too ‘cos we do have a lack of land and if you wanna stay on such houses, prepare to pay a premium, even for rental. Terrace houses are usually adjacent to other houses so if you don’t like that, either you don’t go for it or you live with it. Bungalows are stand-alone with pretty big gardens. Whether you stay in HDB, condos, terrace, your neighbours are gonna be fairly close anyway. Landed property are usually located far away from roads so having a car would be more convenient.
Healthcare: Make sure your company insurance covers you & your dependents ‘cos foreigners are charged the full rate if you go to public hospitals. Ifnyou have unlimited budget, feel free to go to private hospitals. Quality between public & private are the same, difference is waiting time.
Activities: The weather is hot & humid so locals prefer activities that are indoors in air-conditioned comfort. That means spending time in shopping malls like the movies, eating out, shopping. We do have museums & theatres but the arts scene may not be as vibrant as other cities.
Outdoor wise, you can go to the beach (Sentosa or East Coast Park) or hike along the various park connectors. We don’t have much in terms of natural scenery, I’m afraid. Pre-COVID, it’s very common among locals & foreigners to jet off to other SEA countries over Friday-weekend and come back Sunday night.
Schooling: I don’t have any children but everyone else has gave their input here.
