How do expats feel about living in Singapore?

[abbby]

How do expats feel about living in Singapore? Especially for those who have been in Singapore for several years ie: the cost of living, rent, food, transport, car, GST hike etc...

[smoulder]

First question is "who's an expat"

[sundaymorningstaple]

smoulder, excellent question. I'm guessing they would have to be on an employment pass of one sort or another. If it's been exchanged for PR I don't think they qualify technically, although mentally I'm sure they want to be considered 'expat' for face, perchance. I've been a PR for over 27 years and been on the Little Red Dot for over 40 years now. I have more blood relatives here than I do in the US now. I've been on the fence for over 20 years now. Still don't know what I am, but I doubt it is Expat at this juncture.

[jwoods1864]

I like it and am now officially back. However, if I were planning on having kids with my partner, I would be looking elsewhere. I also think rental costs make having a partner nicer too because it helps for rental costs.

It seems that it has become a very challenging climate potentially for expats with families or who intend to have families. It also seems less attractive as a single person unless said person is on a very high wage. This could be seen as a bit of a snapshot in time regarding some of these points I suppose.


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[Wd40]

To me, even after being here for 13+ years, the main thing that matters is how much I am saving each year. Thats all. So far including this year the trend has been rising. Here is my annual savings over the years in '000 SGD and my networth.



This year has been my highest savigns so far, the increased rentals havent hit me yet, my renewal is only in Sept next year. I have saved a total of 870k since 2009 and my networth has grown to 1257k. This year markets were bad, so networth is down.

I take things on a yearly basis and as long as I am saving like 70k+ a year, I think I will be happy.

[jalanjalan]

I too don't consider myself an expat, and haven't for well over 20 years, but having grown up in Canada I can still see some things from a "foreign" angle, so I'll have a go at the question:
If I had a work assignment here, I'm sure I'd still love it, because Singapore is just such a nice place to live and work. I gained loads of experience because it's globally connected, but felt instantly at home because it's still a kampung at heart. For daily living expenses, it's all within range for a major city, and my lifestyle isn't posh. I would be scared at the housing costs at the moment though.

[malcontent]

First question is "who's an expat"

I’d say there are many shades of gray in between the following two extreme:

1. The true blue expat sent here by their employer who are protected from much of the high cost of living through an expat package.

2. The true blue Singaporean, born and raised, with parents who are also Singaporeans.

Both extremes are becoming more and more rare as time goes by.

I am a weird shade of gray. I have continuously been on an EP since 1997, and remain so today. But I was fully immersed in the local scene from day 1, signing up for a room rental with a local family in a HDB and sitting down to a plate of chicken rice within 24 hours of my arrival in 1996. I was hired by a US MNC on local terms in 1997 and have been ever since, except for once when I was sent to the US for an assignment in 2001… as an expat in my home country - with the same benefits that a Singaporean would get if sent there.

My wife is another shade of gray, she is Indonesian, but lived her whole life in SG from primary school onwards and has been a PR for over 3 decades. English is her strongest language, but her family is at least 3rd generation in Indonesia. They speak mostly bahasa among themselves, with some Singlish and dialect thrown in for good measure.

For my family, it’s also kind of a weird mix with one child in local and another in International School. We eat a mix of local, western and Indonesian food, but also Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian, Mexican, Greek, Italian… the list goes on. We live in an expat heavy area, but we source the bulk of our groceries from the wet market. I make my own teh tarik at home almost every day and take public transport unless I can borrow a car.

But to the original question, do I feel the pinch? The largest source of pain would be from mortgage payments, and the rate has been ratcheting up. I’ve tried not to pay attention because it’s stressful to even think about it. It is not affordable, but it never has been. My only solace is the principle that would be returned someday.

Beyond that, the other major source of pain is international school fees. Both of my kids will be transitioning to college in the coming years, so I try not to think too much about that too.

[malcontent]

To me, even after being here for 13+ years, the main thing that matters is how much I am saving each year. Thats all. So far including this year the trend has been rising. Here is my annual savings over the years in '000 SGD and my networth.

This year has been my highest savigns so far, the increased rentals havent hit me yet, my renewal is only in Sept next year. I have saved a total of 870k since 2009 and my networth has grown to 1257k. This year markets were bad, so networth is down.

I take things on a yearly basis and as long as I am saving like 70k+ a year, I think I will be happy.

Wow, you keep really good track of things. You have done well.

For me, most of my “savings” can only be counted in principle repayments. Outside of automatic savings with my employer, I really can only derive “cash savings” from bonuses. My monthly pay is all spent before I earn it. It’s been hard for me to accept that, but I don’t see any other options.

[Wd40]

I feel a large part of what we are is based on the television/movies we watched growing up. If you watched growing up American television/movies or Indian television/movies all your life then you are an American or Indian. There is no way you can have a proper conversation with a local because so much of what we know will some how be connected with what we watched. There was this Phua Chu Kang guy television show here in Singapore, so something iconic like that. If you never watched it you would never be able to connect.

My daughter although has lived all her life in Singapore the television we watch is Indian and her friends are all Indian. So there is no way she will ever be able to connect with a local. But then when she goes to India she will feel right at home.

[smoulder]

Wd40, I suspect your daughter might be somewhere in the middle of being able to fit right in if she moves to India and being able to socialize well with "true blue" Singaporean kids. Just watching TV and exposure through that is not sufficient.

[Wd40]

Wd40, I suspect your daughter might be somewhere in the middle of being able to fit right in if she moves to India and being able to socialize well with "true blue" Singaporean kids. Just watching TV and exposure through that is not sufficient.

TV is one part, food is another, culture, festivals it is everything. All these you acquire while you grow up and the settings you are in. I dont think 1st generation migrants would ever be able to integrate. You can make local friends and all that but it is all superficial at the end of the day. I would say my daughter would fit 80% perfectly in Indian settings and less than 20% in Singapore settings.

Singapore is a bit like Dubai in my opinion. Kids of foreigners can live here all their life but they will perfectly fit in when they go back to their home country, even if they never lived there. While in Singapore they will always remain foreigners, even if they live here all their lives.

[smoulder]

Agreed - the 1st generation will never fit in 100 percent. However, by that same token, it's difficult for kids born and raised in another country to go the country of origin and just fit in with no issues. This despite the cultural and people exposure that you mention. There are just certain things about living in a particular country that you can't prepare for without actually living there.

One possible scenario is that Singapore is a clean and sterile environment, so there can be culture shock when kids raised here move to a country like India. Simple things that we take for granted because we were born there may be jarring to someone who is not used to it. Like seeing poverty, beggars, the traffic, the honking and so on. I think you get the idea.

Not to say that adjustment will never happen, but maybe something to think about.

[Wd40]

Agreed - the 1st generation will never fit in 100 percent. However, by that same token, it's difficult for kids born and raised in another country to go the country of origin and just fit in with no issues. This despite the cultural and people exposure that you mention. There are just certain things about living in a particular country that you can't prepare for without actually living there.

One possible scenario is that Singapore is a clean and sterile environment, so there can be culture shock when kids raised here move to a country like India. Simple things that we take for granted because we were born there may be jarring to someone who is not used to it. Like seeing poverty, beggars, the traffic, the honking and so on. I think you get the idea.

Not to say that adjustment will never happen, but maybe something to think about.

Yeah, going home for annual vacations help. When I used to go to school in Kochi, India, we had classmates joining even in like 9th and 10th grade from gulf countries and they absolutely perfectly fitted in. Main reason is they are so much exposed to Indian culture there. They dont have a different accent etc. But I would imagine kids who live in America, Australia or UK etc find it much more difficult to come back and adjust in India, because they get so heavily influenced by the local culture there, mainly accent, education system, culture etc.

People say, Singapore is like a melting pot of different cultures, but in reality, it is just everyone stays within their own culture

[Swn4]

Singapore is not a melting pot - it is more like a quilt where each distinct piece of cloth joins together to form the whole quilt design.


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[malcontent]

Or to use a local term… rojak. Singlish itself is one clear result of this mishmash. This diversity is one the most distinctive and appealing things about Singapore IMO.