Relocating help. Costs to move from US, to east side of city

[jkrom]

Looking to get some info about the potential cost of moving from the US west coast to east side of singapore. Married, no kids, 2 cats. The pets we pretty much already know what to do with.

Looking for really inexpensive options on the east side. We plan to move as lightly as possible.. probably sell most of what we have here so there is little, if much, to move with. A cheap furnished place would be nice, but we if not thats ok too. Really only need a 1 br apartment.

Any good locations on that side of the city? District 17... or 18/16

How much would it cost you think to get a 1 br setup? Deposit.. fees, tv, utilities setup, change phone service.... anything else it takes to move in.

Rough idea of cost of shipping a small amount of stuff from US? Maybe 5x5 storage room worth of items.

Besides transportation to Singapore... moving a few things, and moving into a small apartment, any other potential costs involved?

Will be going on a work visa, so I have work lined up.

Thanks for any info.

[Girl_Next_Door]

Is there a particular reason why you prefer the "east side of Singapore"?

I think the least expensive option will be some of the HDBs over there, but comparatively, I think their rental are still quite high compared to the other HDBs.

I don't think there are many 1 br apartment options in East Coast area. Most of them are 2 -4 br, since East Coast is considered an "expat family" area. If you can find a 1 br in East Coast, the rent wont be much cheaper than apartments closer to the city areas. I viewed a 1 br last year at Mandarin Gardens, which is a full-facility condo, and they were asking for $2.5K. The unit have a big balcony but the bedroom is kinda weird. The room is triangular shaped, so after putting a queen sized bed, the room feel conjested!

Maybe you can give your budget and we can advise you on areas to consider?

[jkrom]

East side is where id be working. I can consider living where ever its inexpensive.. what do average 1br/small apartments typically go for? We really arent looking for anything fancy or posh. Something small and basic and nice.

Not exactly sure yet what monthly budget will be yet. Maybe 4000-4500.

[Girl_Next_Door]

I would think $4K - $4.5K is pretty generous budget for a 1br in East Coast area. You can probably get something brand new and well-furnished with that budget, or you can get a 2-3 br apartment (not entirely brand new but reasonably good condition) for that budget.

Maybe you can zoom into your personal preference (since you have a more generous budget) and more recommendations can come in? Things like, do you prefer to be near a train station, near the beach, city area, near to office, etc.



Rent deposit wise, generally, its 1 month deposit for every year you are leasing (so 2 months deposit for 2 years lease).

Setting up an apartment: For me, I used "Starhub" for my mobile, internet, cable, phone lines (which is free actually, when you subscribe to internet). To me, its more convenient dealing with 1 company than tracking down the cheapest options.

For most rental places, you would need to apply for your own utilities (ie. electricity & water). The property agent can help you deal with that (or mine did!), and you would need to place a $300 deposit (if I remember correctly) for condominum and private apartments.

[irvine]

Another way of helping to decide where to stay would be looking at the bus route between home and the workplace.

You could find out more about bus routes at http://www.sbstransit.com.sg/journeyplan/step1.aspx or http://www.smrtbuses.com.sg/ebusguide/busguide.asp
(These are the two public bus companies in Singapore) Some companies do provide pickup and dropoff too, this you need to check with your HR.

Of course if you're choosing a place that is further away due to personal preference, you could do the BMW - bus, MRT, walk. I would personally avoid the MRT during rush hours though.

And of course, there's always the taxi.

[dareindie]

The rail network serves most corners of Singapore. East, West or North, it takes roughly 20 - 40 mins into the city area by train. Singapore is expat friendly, generally everyone understands English and is safe. Well, we are an island city, commit a crime, there's not much room to run. Anywhere is safe to stay in Singapore and your friend (a.k.a. 995 or your equivalent 911) is just a call away.

Well, the east side of Singapore is near the airport and taxi/train won't costs you a bomb if you are always traveling in the region. There's no heavy industries in the area and less crowded than in town. And trains reach the city in 20 mins from the East.

http://www.smrt.com.sg/trains/network_map.asp

Yours truly,
From the upper east side of Singapore!

[jkrom]

I meant 4000-4500 as the entire budget, not just for rent. So id say, 1500-2000 maybe for a 1 br. That reasonable? (or less of course)

As for preferance, near a buss station or mrt would be nice. Just something to get to work easy.. but im pretty flexible. Low rent is the biggest concern.

[jshin]

1500-2000 is pretty low for rent. even for a one bdrm. and unless you've lived in developing or highly populated urban cities in non-western countries, you're in for a shock as to what a small one bedroom is like in singapore. it will probably be as small as a modest studio apt in most of the states.

you're living expenses beyond rent won't be much. utilities, telcom, and food won't cost you as much as the states. so, i'd recommend letting the rent take a little more of your budget.

as for moving, shipping is done by either by standard container sizes 10', 20' or a mini 8'x8' crate. sounds like you want an 8x8. if so, go with someone who quotes based on mass, not weight and vacuum pack as much of your clothing and bedding type stuff. get rid of anything for temperatures below 70F. i think that you should be able to find movers who can do the 8x8 for $2-3K. insurance would be separate.

if you look up my prior posts, you'll note that i highly recommend avoiding the use of bolliger as your mover.

best of luck to you.