IS THIS A FAIR ESTIMATE FOR FAMILY COST OF LIVING

[lgurner]

hi everyone
i have been doing a lot of googling and forum reading and have come up with this as an estimate for cost of living.
we have begun applying for work in singapore and are excited about the possible lifestyle change.
we have two children who i would like to send to preschool probably the Australian International School.
any advise or comments would be great

MONTHLY SING DOLLARS
rent - $2000 (hopefully work will also help)
food - $1000 (family of four)
Internet - $70
cable - $50
utilities - $200
Phones - $200
Transport - $100 (will try to live where kids and i can walk so only hubby doing the train thing)
medical - $200 (assuming work will contribute)
School fees - $3500 (two children ouch!!!)
Maid $500 (not sure if should go for the live in or hourly maid yet)
fun clothes toys- $1000
save for trips home -$1000 (hoping work will also help)

So what do you think? am i way off?

[viajera]

your rent budget is way off, unless you're thinking of perhaps a 2-bed HDB unit. take a look at the property listings on this website to have an idea of rents in the different areas.

food/groceries would also call for perhaps double that amount. the rest are reasonable estimates, though i think our phone bills never reached $100...

[cbavasi]

If you go for the live-in maid remember to add in the government levy ($295) per month in addition to the salary. Would also need to factor in cost of feeding another person as well as their insurance & bond (minimal - but still a cost).

Also note that you'll need to put down deposits for electricity, cable, phones, school, rent...etc. This is pretty standard across the board - just seems like you write out a million checks once you move countries.

There is an interesting thread re: electricity on this site - check it out. Our bill is ridiculous - over 3x what you'd estimate. Oddly, we use less electricity in the apt we're in now than the place that was 2x the size - but one of my friends thinks it could be due to our air con compressors as well as the dryer. Anyhow... you'll be surprised at the utility bill from apt to apt - some people who live in places our size and use no air con have the same bill - others who live in big houses and use the air con and tumble dryer have smaller bills. You might just want to cushion your estimate a bit. Also agree on the rent being adjusted.

[durain]

btw, you notice your caps lock was ON when you typing on the subject?

[Bafana]

Probably more like this:

MONTHLY SING DOLLARS
rent - $3000 (hopefully work will also help)
food - $1000 (family of four)
Internet - $75
cable - $75
utilities - $300
Phones - $300
Transport - $200 (everywhere you go you will need to pay)
Medical - $200 (assuming work will contribute)
School fees - $3500 (two children ouch!!!)
Maid $600 (not sure if should go for the live in or hourly maid yet)
fun clothes toys- $1000
save for trips home -$1000 (hoping work will also help)

Maybe a bit more to be safe on some items depending on where you want to live, etc

[lgurner]

thanks for you help everyone.

[Hithnar]

Food cost seem awfully low But that's good I guess

[Levikane]

FYI - My current internet/cable bill with Starhub.
TV
Basic Group - World News/Education/Entertainment/Lifestyle
Basic Upsize - World News/Education/Entertainment/Lifestyle
Star Movies (1 channel)

INTERNET
MaxOnline Empress (8MB internet conenction)
(inclues home phone servce with free local/mobiel calls)

Total Cost - $76.08 including tax.

That figure includes discounts that we get for 6 months (had to sign up for 1yr contract). After 6 months will probably go up to $100.

Best of luck with your budgeting. FYI - our monthly utilities bill for 2x people is $160. Our condo is facing afternoon sun, but we only use 1 of our bathrooms and dont sleep with the aircon on so this is apparently a low figure.

[HunBunny80]

I think this is still a tight budget. It is not cheap if you want to live near the Australia International School. I live on Upper East Coast (not a big apartment) and my rent is already about that.