Singapore Expats

Dear Friends,

Have you ever wondered where you will be retiring? Personally, I think Singapore is definitely a no no as I'm not a person could imagine myself spending my entire retirement life in a city.

Here are some of the factors I will consider in an idea retirement place:
- Weather! (< 20 celcius degree)
- Friendly people!
- Above average healthcare system
- Political stability
- Affordable property and car
- Safety
- English-speaking or english-speaking friendly place
- Cleanliness

Is there such a place?

solarv wrote: Is there such a place?

Lots of areas of Australia are like that, as well as New Zealand.

Personally, I wouldn't mind retiring in Japan, though it would require me learning a new language.

Splatted wrote:
Personally, I wouldn't mind retiring in Japan, though it would require me learning a new language.

Japan will also cost you a fortune; accommodation and health care hardly come cheap there.

Plavt wrote:

Splatted wrote:
Personally, I wouldn't mind retiring in Japan, though it would require me learning a new language.

Japan will also cost you a fortune; accommodation and health care hardly come cheap there.

Not really, you can find cheaper apartments in Tokyo than what would cost here in Singapore.

I did check out the prices while on holiday there.

Splatted wrote: Not really, you can find cheaper apartments in Tokyo than what would cost here in Singapore.

I did check out the prices while on holiday there.

I personally would have some doubt about the validity of your second statement. As for the apartments I really don't know what you have been looking at. Although I haven't looked for some considerable time if you take a private apartment you have to pay about six months rent in advance plus a renewable deposit; the deposity is know as thank you money. No good griping about it since the landlord will have no difficulty in renting it out to native Japanese. What about medical expenses? The foreigners I know and the accounts I have read tell me it is more expensive for a foreigner with some bills that can be millions without insurance. That said I wonder how much medical insurance will be and I am not sure the Japanese government will allow you to retire there.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2200.html

Plavt wrote:

Splatted wrote: Not really, you can find cheaper apartments in Tokyo than what would cost here in Singapore.

I did check out the prices while on holiday there.

I personally would have some doubt about the validity of your second statement.

LOL, doubt away all you like.

It was a great holiday. I stayed in Minowa. Not posh, but still a quaint part of Tokyo to live in.

And you're right, I would not be allowed to retire there even if I wanted to.

Splatted wrote:LOL, doubt away all you like.

Well then......... do give us some examples; so many people say something to me which I so often find on closer inspection to be entirely fictious.

Plavt wrote:

Splatted wrote:LOL, doubt away all you like.

Well then......... do give us some examples; so many people say something to me which I so often find on closer inspection to be entirely fictious.

Examples of real-estate agents? or prices?

Perhaps if you take a look at that link you posted, you might find a few links further down that mention prices.

One there, Tokyo Cozy House mentions apartments from 57000 yen.

Thats still under $1000 singapore dollars a month for an apartment.

What can one get for that price in Singapore?, ... an airconditioned room in shared accommodation?

The apartments I looked at on street A-boards were around the 70000 yen mark, which I still think is affordable. Definitely cheaper than the accommodation I rented in Melbourne.

Splatted wrote:The apartments I looked at on street A-boards were around the 70000 yen mark, which I still think is affordable. Definitely cheaper than the accommodation I rented in Melbourne.

I have just had a look at xe.com; 70000 yen is only £292; I find that hard to believe. With respect I think you maybe missing some important details as Tokyo is more expensive than London!

Just had a further look; your price seems to be more in line with those of a guest house with an apartment be more to the tune of £648 p/m although that is cheaper than London or Singapore. Although I still think some details may be missing Japanese culture being what it is (somethings are either incomprehensible or unknown to foreigners).

Plavt wrote:

Splatted wrote:The apartments I looked at on street A-boards were around the 70000 yen mark, which I still think is affordable. Definitely cheaper than the accommodation I rented in Melbourne.

I have just had a look at xe.com; 70000 yen is only £292; I find that hard to believe. With respect I think you maybe missing some important details as Tokyo is more expensive than London!

Here's a few accommodation listings for you to look at:

http://www.kimiwillbe.com/aptrec.htm

Keep in mind, average pay for a person in Japan is 350000 yen per month.

For an expat staying there teaching english, it's around 250000 per month.

Also, I found a lot of other expenses cheaper there. Eating out at the local noodle house only cost 300 yen, and it contained real meat.

Supermarket prices were no more expensive to western supermarkets.

Plavt wrote:Just had a further look; your price seems to be more in line with those of a guest house with an apartment be more to the tune of £648 p/m although that is cheaper than London or Singapore. Although I still think some details may be missing Japanese culture being what it is (somethings are either incomprehensible or unknown to foreigners).

What I think distorts the figures are the highrise apartment's closer to central tokyo.

All along the Sumida river for example, you will pass shoebox apartments in highrises, which would cost over a million dollars if you were to purchase one.

Interesting, shows how one can be had; last time I was in Japan I paid on average £50 per night for hotel acommodation (darn travel agent ). Like yourself I found food no more expensive than anywhere else since I don't mind Japanse food.

You might be interested to know I live in local authority accommodation here in London where the rent is £323.23 per month plus £84 council tax (poll tax), the council tax is actually reduced 25% in my case as I am a single occupier. On top of that I pay £31 for gas and £39 for electricity (budget accounts to avoid quarterly bills). This is the lower end of the scale since private rents here for flats (apartments) are £750 upwards before anything else irrespective of the area of the counntry (UK).

Plavt wrote:Interesting, shows how one can be had; last time I was in Japan I paid on average £50 per night for hotel acommodation (darn travel agent ). Like yourself I found food no more expensive than anywhere else since I don't mind Japanse food.

Yeah, I'm almost certain travel agents get a fat commission booking accommodation. My wife and I were quoted $300 Singapore dollars per person for every night we wanted to extend our stay if we wanted to stay longer than the 'set' package. (Though, we actually found out that many hotels are indeed that expensive. The agent never let us know of the cheaper options that are available out there, which is why I believe they have a vested interest)

With a little bit of homework, and talking to other people on forums who had already been to Japan, we did the 'free-and-easy' option instead, which cost us much less, and allowed us to stay 14 days instead of 5 or 7.

Plavt wrote: You might be interested to know I live in local authority accommodation here in London where the rent is £323.23 per month plus £84 council tax (poll tax), the council tax is actually reduced 25% in my case as I am a single occupier. On top of that I pay £31 for gas and £39 for electricity (budget accounts to avoid quarterly bills). This is the lower end of the scale since private rents here for flats (apartments) are £750 upwards before anything else irrespective of the area of the counntry (UK).

You've got it pretty good then, from the sounds of it.

I've heard that housing prices have gone made there. Just to pay off a home can take more than a life-time for a double-income household.

All I can say: No London, Tokyo or Singapore for me, when retiring.

Probably Italy, preferably tomorrow rather then after retirement!