Singapore Expats

Cost of living

Discuss about life in Singapore. Ask about cost of living, housing, travel, etiquette & lifestyle. Share experience & advice with Singaporeans & expat staying in Singapore.
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shubhox
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Cost of living

Post by shubhox » Thu, 29 Jun 2006 4:53 pm

Hi,
I know this topic has been taken up quite a number of times in this forum, but I never got a clear idea of the costs. So here's my go at it.
We are a couple who would be moving to Singapore soon, and we expect to have a combined income of $100k/annum. I have been to Singapore before and I liked my stay at the Guilin View condo at Bukit Batok. But since my stay was just for a week, I could not fathom the real cost of living. Can you please help me out here?
Here are my guesses:
Rent for 2 bedroom condo at Guilin View - $1500 :D
F&B - $800 for 2 people :o
Transport - $100 for 2 people :)
Bills/entertainment/internet/phone - $200 for 2 people (keeping in mind that entertainment for me and my wife is just movies and not pubs/discos) :?
What do you think? Too much? Too less?
Please do advice.
Thanks.

kimm
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Post by kimm » Thu, 29 Jun 2006 7:35 pm

suggest u adjust higher................................

ringo100
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Post by ringo100 » Thu, 29 Jun 2006 8:34 pm

Rent for 2 bedroom condo at Guilin View - $1500

Don't know the condo but most 2 beds will be about $2,000 with utilities.

F&B - $800 for 2 people

2 people 3 meals a day 30 days a month about $4.40 per meal.

Can be done if you can eat very basic food every day. I spend about that and i'm one person who eats in food court for a least 2 meals per day.

Transport - $100 for 2 people

2 people 2 trips per day gives budget of$0.83 per trip. I have no idea where you work but that seems too low and you will never use a taxi. I spend about that for 1 person.

Bills/entertainment/internet/phone - $200 for 2 people (keeping in mind that entertainment for me and my wife is just movies and not pubs/discos)

Broadband maybe $60 per month
4 trips to cinema $80 per month
2 phones $120 per month depending on usage.

If you want a hermit life style maybe.

What do you think? Too much? Too less?

Why such a low budget when overall salary quite good?

shubhox
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Post by shubhox » Thu, 29 Jun 2006 9:01 pm

ringo100 wrote:Rent for 2 bedroom condo at Guilin View - $1500

Don't know the condo but most 2 beds will be about $2,000 with utilities.

F&B - $800 for 2 people

2 people 3 meals a day 30 days a month about $4.40 per meal.

Can be done if you can eat very basic food every day. I spend about that

...................

Why such a low budget when overall salary quite good?
Thanks for the perspective ringo100! Actually, no I am not trying to live a hermit lifestyle but just didnt know the exact costs...Your post does give me some direction to how much we can spend and save.....

kaurikid
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Cost of living

Post by kaurikid » Sat, 01 Jul 2006 9:26 pm

Guiling view 1200-1500 dollars a month

Broadband internet 80 dollars a month
Local phone line 25 dollars
Low use handphone plan 30 dollars
Electricity 150 dollars(one air con at night)
Transport 150 to city and back plus a couple of taxis thrown in
International calls if you use zone1511 5 cents a minute to UK US NZ AUS

Westmall cheap movie night $8.50 Mon, Tue

Food 200 dollars a week

Hope this help :shock:

shubhox
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Re: Cost of living

Post by shubhox » Mon, 03 Jul 2006 3:06 pm

kaurikid wrote:Guiling view 1200-1500 dollars a month

Broadband internet 80 dollars a month
Local phone line 25 dollars
Low use handphone plan 30 dollars
Electricity 150 dollars(one air con at night)
....

Hope this help :shock:
Yep it does clear the scene further...thanks kaurikid!

kaurikid
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Need anymore info don't heistate to ask

Post by kaurikid » Mon, 03 Jul 2006 3:56 pm

Cool
Any more questions, send them my way.

Bukit Batok is a good place to live, plenty of recreational facilities, reasonable good shopping.

Starhub is a good service provider for hp , internet, idd calls etc.
I was with Singtel for 7 years and I find starhub services much better. :)

bunty
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Re: Cost of living

Post by bunty » Mon, 03 Jul 2006 4:25 pm

shubhox wrote:
kaurikid wrote:Guiling view 1200-1500 dollars a month

Broadband internet 80 dollars a month
Local phone line 25 dollars
Low use handphone plan 30 dollars
Electricity 150 dollars(one air con at night)
....

Hope this help :shock:
Yep it does clear the scene further...thanks kaurikid!
shubhox- have pm'ed u on the approximate costs...cheers

shubhox
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Re: Cost of living

Post by shubhox » Mon, 03 Jul 2006 4:30 pm

bunty wrote:
shubhox wrote:
kaurikid wrote:Guiling view 1200-1500 dollars a month

Broadband internet 80 dollars a month
Local phone line 25 dollars
Low use handphone plan 30 dollars
Electricity 150 dollars(one air con at night)
....

Hope this help :shock:
Yep it does clear the scene further...thanks kaurikid!
shubhox- have pm'ed u on the approximate costs...cheers
Thanks Bunty...I got it!

shubhox
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Re: Cost of living

Post by shubhox » Mon, 03 Jul 2006 4:39 pm

shubhox wrote:
bunty wrote:
shubhox wrote: Yep it does clear the scene further...thanks kaurikid!
shubhox- have pm'ed u on the approximate costs...cheers
Thanks Bunty...I got it!
Bunty, I am not able to reply to your private message as i dont have the requisite posts here....but yes, I am from India too!

littlespotz
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just my humble opinion

Post by littlespotz » Fri, 14 Jul 2006 2:09 am

food

$900 if you are eating in a food court. It will be cheaper if you eat at a hawker centre but there's no aircon. However, the local government seemed to have embarked on a frenzied rebuilding spree. Most hawker centres are now spanky new or in the process of upgrading. They do offer cheap fare and the upgraded surroundings (read lush landscaping, mood lighting and bright tiles) meant that they do not lose out to the air-con brethen.


Accomodations

Lots of condos are going for below 2k now although they are either small or in places a tad inaccessible. Oh well, the public transport here is pretty good and fairly cheap compared to many western countries. Take the subway - its fast and cheap - just avoid the rush hour crowd @ 8am n 6pm!! I would say that condo prices seem to be dipping rather than rising - at the rate the locals build new condos, there is definitely going to be a downward pressure on prices.


Broadband

My Broadband cost about $50 odd. i suggest you go to the retailers' websites for a look - http://www.singnet.com.sg/plans_and_services/ataglance/ or http://www.starhub.com/online/index.jsp.


Local Phone

around $40 if you tend to chat on phone in the evenings. I know i do!


Utilities

I spent about $200 on monthly bills - 2 rooms aircon at night plus arnd 8 hours of computer usage. If you want to find out how to keep costs down, try going to the Singapore Power (SP) Customer service centre at somerset to talk to the officers there. In fact if you are going to apply for a new utilities account, you should go there. The officers are pretty kind and would even give you brochures on conservation and estimation of consumption based on your usage!!


Cellphone

Mine's about $47 and comes with 500 free smses and free incoming calls all day. Check and compare all local telcos to determine which deal is best - and grab a phone too!!


Movies

I'm not sure about the other cinema operators but Cathay cineplexes offer $7 movie tickets on weekdays. Which is very cheap considering other operators are offering them at $8.50!! The only bad point is that they only run 3 complexes and the 3 are all in town. Check out their website http://www.cathay.com.sg/cineplexes.html for more info!!


Transport

Definitely around $100 per person - this is only for the sub n buses. I suggest you take the sub since its faster! Just avoid the rush hour crowd!


okay. hope this helps. Singapore can be costly if you don't know what, where and how to spend money! Just ask locals for advise if you're in need of help or directions! Most locals are very friendly once the ice is broken (i found that smiling apologetically works like magic everytime!!) and some are so chatty you would rather they stop talking. Many times, I've asked for directions only to have the locals bring me right to the doorstep!!


ps: another tip - look for Mustafa, the only 24hr shopping mall here. The layout is kind of messy but the food items they stock is unbelievable!! i spent an hour just looking at the chocolates!! It's located in Little India, right next to the Farrer Road sub station.

shubhox
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Re: just my humble opinion

Post by shubhox » Fri, 14 Jul 2006 2:15 pm

littlespotz wrote:food

$900 if you are eating in a food court. It will be cheaper if you eat at a hawker centre but there's no aircon. However, the local government seemed to have embarked on a frenzied rebuilding spree. Most hawker centres are now spanky new or in the process of upgrading. They do offer cheap fare and the upgraded surroundings (read lush landscaping, mood lighting and bright tiles) meant that they do not lose out to the air-con brethen.


Accomodations

Lots of condos are going for below 2k now although they are either small or in places a tad inaccessible. Oh well, the public transport here is pretty good and fairly cheap compared to many western countries. Take the subway - its fast and cheap - just avoid the rush hour crowd @ 8am n 6pm!! I would say that condo prices seem to be dipping rather than rising - ..........
Thanks littlespotz for the exhaustive information!!!

bunty
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Re: just my humble opinion

Post by bunty » Fri, 14 Jul 2006 3:02 pm

littlespotz wrote:food

$900 if you are eating in a food court. It will be cheaper if you eat at a hawker centre but there's no aircon. However, the local government seemed to have embarked on a frenzied rebuilding spree. Most hawker centres are now spanky new or in the process of upgrading. They do offer cheap fare and the upgraded surroundings (read lush landscaping, mood lighting and bright tiles) meant that they do not lose out to the air-con brethen.


Accomodations

Lots of condos are going for below 2k now although they are either small or in places a tad inaccessible. Oh well, the public transport here is pretty good and fairly cheap compared to many western countries. Take the subway - its fast and cheap - just avoid the rush hour crowd @ 8am n 6pm!! I would say that condo prices seem to be dipping rather than rising - at the rate the locals build new condos, there is definitely going to be a downward pressure on prices.


Broadband

My Broadband cost about $50 odd. i suggest you go to the retailers' websites for a look - http://www.singnet.com.sg/plans_and_services/ataglance/ or http://www.starhub.com/online/index.jsp.


Local Phone

around $40 if you tend to chat on phone in the evenings. I know i do!


Utilities

I spent about $200 on monthly bills - 2 rooms aircon at night plus arnd 8 hours of computer usage. If you want to find out how to keep costs down, try going to the Singapore Power (SP) Customer service centre at somerset to talk to the officers there. In fact if you are going to apply for a new utilities account, you should go there. The officers are pretty kind and would even give you brochures on conservation and estimation of consumption based on your usage!!


Cellphone

Mine's about $47 and comes with 500 free smses and free incoming calls all day. Check and compare all local telcos to determine which deal is best - and grab a phone too!!


Movies

I'm not sure about the other cinema operators but Cathay cineplexes offer $7 movie tickets on weekdays. Which is very cheap considering other operators are offering them at $8.50!! The only bad point is that they only run 3 complexes and the 3 are all in town. Check out their website http://www.cathay.com.sg/cineplexes.html for more info!!


Transport

Definitely around $100 per person - this is only for the sub n buses. I suggest you take the sub since its faster! Just avoid the rush hour crowd!


okay. hope this helps. Singapore can be costly if you don't know what, where and how to spend money! Just ask locals for advise if you're in need of help or directions! Most locals are very friendly once the ice is broken (i found that smiling apologetically works like magic everytime!!) and some are so chatty you would rather they stop talking. Many times, I've asked for directions only to have the locals bring me right to the doorstep!!


ps: another tip - look for Mustafa, the only 24hr shopping mall here. The layout is kind of messy but the food items they stock is unbelievable!! i spent an hour just looking at the chocolates!! It's located in Little India, right next to the Farrer Road sub station.
hawker centers and food courts are suitable more for non vegetarians and that too people who like the non spicy cuisine.

i relocated from india and did not enjoy the food court cuisine very much....

littlespotz
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opps!

Post by littlespotz » Sat, 15 Jul 2006 1:40 am

most foodcourts do not serve vegetarian food i'm afraid. are you looking for spicy vegetarian food? singaporeans do appear to have this compulsive need to take chilli sauce with everything - even escargos!!

anyway my post isnt meant to be exhaustive - that is why i added references to retailer's websites for more detailed infomation. I got the address off yahoo.com.sg so there wasnt much trouble. If you seek vegetarian food, do try the websites below. again, they were from yahoo.com.sg

http://www.ntu.edu.sg/home/taphin/vegetarian.htm
http://www.sbestfood.com/Food%20Choice/vegetarian.htm
http://www.pureportals.com/Default.aspx?tabid=94962

just hope you found the info helpful. anyway have a safe trip!!

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