Hi Everyone!
I have a few major questions that I need some advice on regarding a potential move to Singapore, and am so glad to have found this forum. A little background on our situation - I am a Singaporean living in the US, holding a Green Card. My fiance is an American citizen, who has just been asked by his company to take on a position in Singapore.
He has been asked to draft up a proposal by end of week to budget how much it would take for us to live a comparable lifestyle ('slightly higher level' was also thrown about) in Singapore.
1) His office is in the International Building (next to Shaw Centre) - ideally we would love to live in a 2BR condo in the District 9, 10 (or similar) type areas. Is it reasonable to budget SGD 6-7K for monthly rent?
2) Since I am originally from Singapore (left 11 years ago), we do make a quick visit every year and are comfortable with the public transportation system. We do not foresee needing a car, but what is a reasonable budget for monthly transportation, including MRT and taxi fares? Last time I was home, it seemed like cab rides cost a lot more than they used to. If we were to lease a car, how much should we expect to run up every month?
3) Besides housing & transportation allowances, what other major items do we need to consider in this proposal? We intend to request double taxation relief as well, although we have not done enough research to understand all the ramifications of the double tax (just found out abt all this yesterday).
4) We will be requesting that the company sort out all of the immigration type issues before we agree to anything, but I'm curious if anyone out there has a similar issue as myself? I am concerned about preserving my green card status. I was considering relinquishing my Singapore passport but now that we are potentially moving there, I'm not sure that's the best idea (I have heard horror stories about it being difficult to return to Singapore after giving up status). Any advice?
Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
twocupsofjoe