Moving to Singapore in April 2008 and need help!!

[LondonLad]

Hi,

I'm moving to Singapore to become a team leader in a start up division in April 2008. This will be my first experience as a full manager and I have been offered a salary of S$84,000 plus bonus.

First off - is this a good range salary? I'm 26 and have 3 years experience in the events management sector.

Secondly - I have spoken to a few family friends that have lived and worked in Singapore, and I have been told my biggest cost will be rent. My company will pay for the first month's rent, but as we are a small company (certainly not an investment bank), I will be picking up the rent for the remainder of my time in Singapore.

With a monthly salary of S$7000, i'm aware that the best condo's are well out of my price range. Districts 1-8 look almost impenetrable.

I am hoping someone can shed some light on the housing conditions and wether or not it is possible to get a one bed condo (with full facilities) for between S$2000 - S$3000?? Ideally in D1-8, but also happy with either west or east coast.

The values on some expat sites seem to be do-able , being between S$2500 and 3500 pm, but when you speak to an estate agent they always say upwards of S$5000! So my third question is what are the real price ranges??

I really hope some one can help!

Thanks very much!

[Asian_Geekette]

First off, a good salary range is quite subjective. Use the search function here and you'd see how the topic of salary vis-a-vis expenses have been discussed before.

Yes, rental is quite high here. You better come here and get a Saturday copy of The Strait Times to find out how much the condo rentals are. I don't know what requirements you told the real estate agent who quoted you that price range. If you're interested in living near Orchard, definitely the rent would be quite high.

Good luck with your move! Just go through some of the previous postings here in this forum. You'd find a lot of valuable tips.

[ProvenPracticalFlexible]

Hi,

I'm moving to Singapore to become a team leader in a start up division in April 2008. This will be my first experience as a full manager and I have been offered a salary of S$84,000 plus bonus.

First off - is this a good range salary? I'm 26 and have 3 years experience in the events management sector.

YES. about double to a local.

With a monthly salary of S$7000, i'm aware that the best condo's are well out of my price range. Districts 1-8 look almost impenetrable.

That's pretty normal, you're a young lad fresh from school and the best condos are for CEOs and other big bosses. I've got 10 years more than you and couldn't afford to live central district condos either, well most likely wouldn't live there even if I could afford it.

I am hoping someone can shed some light on the housing conditions and wether or not it is possible to get a one bed condo (with full facilities) for between S$2000 - S$3000?? Ideally in D1-8, but also happy with either west or east coast.

It is very well possible, not in the city center but a outside 2500-2800 can get you a nice place. Have you been looking around in Singapore, or just looking on map?

The values on some expat sites seem to be do-able , being between S$2500 and 3500 pm, but when you speak to an estate agent they always say upwards of S$5000! So my third question is what are the real price ranges??

Get a better agent, who provides what you want and not what he wants to sell. Or ask him/her to show where he lives himself and how much he pays for it if they claim there's nothing under 5000.

PS. Don't open the discussion on the phone with words: expat coming from London.

[LondonLad]

Thanks very much guys! All very useful information.

AsianGeekette - I will definately be picking up a copy of the Strait Times when I finally get in country!

ProvenPractical Flexible - Thanks for the detailed feedback. All very useful. Nice to know that the salary is a decent one out in singapore. I was recommended to live in the CBD as this is where the company is based, and apparently the majority of managers live within walking distance. But then I am a Junior Manager and probably on a lower wage

If the Singapore CBD is anything like the ones in London and NYC, then I think I will be following your example and heading out of town! Very much into my sport and seafood, so thinking East Coast, D15 (??)

Haven't had a chance to explore Singapore, and been doing all the hunting via maps and internet sites, so my view is only second hand and probably inaccurate. I'd love to get an idea as to travel time from D15 etc to the CBD on a dily basis.

rickmartinez - Any help would be greatly appreciated! As I said above I am working in the CBD and my office would like me to be close by (but not willing to pick up the pay check, go figure!). I am happy to live on the West and East Coasts as I like the attraction of suburban living. As previously stated my budget is ok, between S$2K and S$3K (lower end ideally). Two must for me are a gym and swimming pool, but been told these are pretty standard out in Singapore! Happy to email you anymore info that you need!

Thanks again guys, I'm sure i'll be needing more help soon! If you think of anything else I need to know that v imprtant please do let me know.

Once again, thanks very much!

LL

[gerrytubby]

London Lad,
I just arrived in Singapore from Beijing and had exactly the same problems as you are facing (I got here 2 weeks ago!). Just to emphasis what the others have said, you CAN indeed get a condo with facilities for less than SGD$3000, but not within walking distance of the CBD and you may have to forego some facilities.
I am moving into Aston Mansions (Paya Lebar MRT) on Saturday. I got a 1000sq.ft. 2-double bed apartment in a nice condo with minimum facilities (pool, tennis court, small gym and BBQ pits) for SGD2,500/month on a one-year renewable lease.
I started off using agents but they are all a bit of a swizz! You are better off picking up the Straits Times on Saturday or Wednesdays and calling places yourself. I was lucky and managed to get the owner direct so no agents fees to pay! You might have to be a 10-15min MRT journey away from the CBD if you want a condo, but there are plenty available at that price. If you want to be walking distance away from the CBD you'd have to settle for a Government HDB instead on your budget.
I used to work in Event Management too so PM me if you fancy meeting up in April. Good luck with the move.

[Addadude]

London Lad

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that $7k per month is an excellent salary for somebody of your age and experience in the Events industry in Singapore.

The bad news is that you undoubtedly earn every single cent of it. Your working hours will be VERY long (if your new company is anything like other event companies I have had dealings with over the years.) and the job will be stressful. This is probably why your company wants you to live within walking distance of their offices. (Otherwise it simply makes no sense that they partcularly care where you live...)

If I were you, I would have a very serious telephone chat/email conversation with your new company and find out exactly what they expect of you in this role as a 'junior manager'.

13 years ago, when I first arrived in Singapore, I was pretty much in the same boat as you and around the same age. I didn't really know what was expected of me and I soon discovered that I was WAY underpaid for the working hours and stress I faced every single day. I suffered big time because of my naivety...

Other than that, you should be able to manage very well on $7k per month. Try not to spend more than $2k per month on rent - even if you have to forego condo facilities. The extra money will look better in your bank account than in your landlord's...

You can always join a good gym. Various branches of Fitness First (dotted around the CBD) have both good gym facilities (better than any condo) and a swimming pool. Planet Fitness' branch at Suntec City also has a swimming pool.

Please note what I have mentioned above about checking out your new job and company carefully before you come here.

[Asian_Geekette]

londonlad,

If you really must live within walking distance of the CBD and you want to spend just around 2K for your rent, consider HDBs. There are HDBs in the Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar areas.

And just like what Addadude wrote, if you really want the gym and the pool, it makes sense to just join the Fitness First Plus gyms here (and they're really nice not like in other countries). There are 4 branches of Fitness First Plus gyms in the CBD area.

Good luck with your search!

[r0llerc0aster]

hello! an advanced welcome to singapore!

personally i think getting a condo with 7k a month isnt too worth it.
my suggestion is to get a rented flat/apartment [at least for the first few months].
no worries about swimming and gym facilities, they are readily available all over the CBD area, and also cheaply available around the neighbourhood estates.

after you have spend some time in singapore and with your job, you will probably then be able to decide if you really want to move into a condo. it would also give you some chance to look around and choose a condo that u really like which caters to your needs.

just my few cents worth

[skye]

If you don't feel you're past flat-sharing at this stage in your life, you could consider starting by renting a room in a condo apartment. Your money would go further for a nice double room with en-suite in a central location, which would be outside your rental budget otherwise. You could enjoy a bit of interesting regional travel with any money you save.

[keepitreal]

The market is definitely slowing down here so don't be fooled by all cr*p agents feed you as prices are starting to come off. The trouble here though is that owners of units are prepared to leave the place empty for 6 months to get the price they want, doesn't figure right? But the fact that their mortgages are generally very low, interests rates as well, they can afford to be.

However, this won't last forever as I am seeing an increase in people recently who just cannot afford to renew their leases and have either gone home or moved into a HDB.

The time will probably come in the next 6 or so months where there will be a large surplus of property and that should drive it down to morem acceptable levels. However, my advice would be to look for a 1yr lease to hedge yourself....

[sundaymorningstaple]

And rickmartinez, who registered only to give you his email address is probably a cut-throat real estate agent. Otherwise he would have been registered here a long time ago. These types are not trying to help YOU. They are only trying to help themselves.

[rasserie]

might be hard but u gotta put aside less than 3k for housing. perhaps even 2k.

anything more than 3k and u can be in for a ride.

Hi,

I'm moving to Singapore to become a team leader in a start up division in April 2008. This will be my first experience as a full manager and I have been offered a salary of S$84,000 plus bonus.

First off - is this a good range salary? I'm 26 and have 3 years experience in the events management sector.

Secondly - I have spoken to a few family friends that have lived and worked in Singapore, and I have been told my biggest cost will be rent. My company will pay for the first month's rent, but as we are a small company (certainly not an investment bank), I will be picking up the rent for the remainder of my time in Singapore.

With a monthly salary of S$7000, i'm aware that the best condo's are well out of my price range. Districts 1-8 look almost impenetrable.

I am hoping someone can shed some light on the housing conditions and wether or not it is possible to get a one bed condo (with full facilities) for between S$2000 - S$3000?? Ideally in D1-8, but also happy with either west or east coast.

The values on some expat sites seem to be do-able , being between S$2500 and 3500 pm, but when you speak to an estate agent they always say upwards of S$5000! So my third question is what are the real price ranges??

I really hope some one can help!

Thanks very much!

[HunBunny80]

Hi London Lad,

I moved here from London last year and am living on East Coast (The Bayshore).

It is quite nice here, near the beach and hawker centre. 15 mins drive to CBD.

Prices here are definitely alot more affordable than CBD

[dreamyrian]

Which of the four words did you not understand?

ADVERTISEMENTS? WILL? BE? DELETED!!?

moderator

[taxico]

Which of the four words did you not understand?

ADVERTISEMENTS? WILL? BE? DELETED!!?

moderator

if it's so good, you should keep it for yourself!