Moving to Singapore? Ask our regular expats in Singapore questions on relocation and their experience here. Ask about banking, employment pass, insurance, visa, work permit, citizenship or immigration issues.
-
Rinaldhounited
- Member
![Member Member]()
- Posts: 28
- Joined: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 9:36 am
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by Rinaldhounited » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 7:05 am
Hey guys,
Just from the off, I am not asking how hard it is to get a job in Singapore, I am purely asking this question out of curiousity.
I just want to know, what is the average annual living cost for a foreigner living in Singapore? This includes everything, like rent, food, entertainment, etc.
Also, what is the expense which would cost you the most annually?
Cheers
-
taxico
- Director
![Director Director]()
- Posts: 3333
- Joined: Sat, 10 May 2008 6:05 pm
- Location: Existential dilemma!
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by taxico » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 7:47 am
this is akin to asking "how many trees are there in the forest?"
expats can exist on as little as a few hundred bucks a month to tens of thousands of dollars a month (or even hundreds of thousands).
different people will give you different answers. it really depends on the lifestyle, how much you wanna save (if at all) and how much you're earning.
american club membership goes for about SG$100k, which is the price of an entry-level pre-owned continental car.
your monthly rent can be cheap ($500?) or expensive ($15,000?). gas prices are dictated by how regularly and how far you drive, and what sort of vehicle...
trains/buses won't cost you more than $500 a month. you'd probably have enough left over for cab rides every now and then.
one meal can cost $3 or $300. beer can cost $5 or $25. movies are about $10 (more for those plush seats) but DVD rentals go for $3-$7... how do you want to live?
while i think a monthly salary of SG$6-7k is kinda comfortable for a single, i've known of perfectly happy expats who subsist on SG$2-3k.
and i've also known expats (with familes) who earn over $100k a month and still find it a struggle to pay off their loans back home.
you might have better replies if you gave more details on what type of lifestyle you want during your stay in singapore...
either that, or you can plow through the older posts for similar queries, which i strongly recommend.
Aut viam ad caelum inveniam aut faciam
-
sundaymorningstaple
- Moderator
![Moderator Moderator]()
- Posts: 40557
- Joined: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 1:26 pm
-
Answers: 21
- Location: Retired on the Little Red Dot
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by sundaymorningstaple » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 8:56 am
Hey taxico, feeling generous this morning are you? I would have started and ended with your last two lines.

SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
-
taxico
- Director
![Director Director]()
- Posts: 3333
- Joined: Sat, 10 May 2008 6:05 pm
- Location: Existential dilemma!
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by taxico » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 9:00 am
sundaymorningstaple wrote:Hey taxico, feeling generous this morning are you? I would have started and ended with your last two lines.

i was a little bored. : ) not much happens around this part of the world...!
Aut viam ad caelum inveniam aut faciam
-
econoMIC
- Chatter
![Chatter Chatter]()
- Posts: 298
- Joined: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 3:03 pm
- Location: London/Singapore (back for good 29 Jul 2010)
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by econoMIC » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 3:05 pm
$100k for joining the American Club? You would have to pay me to join!
Guess I will have to open a Canadian club next year. Mission statement: building a shack on Sungei Serangoon for "ice fisihing" so the young members have a place to shag. BBQ in the rain, while imagining it snows, built a hockey ring near city hall, let Singaporeans know that it is not really cold to the extend that you need a jacket in Eski Bar and most important, promote the use of eh? at the end of the sentence among Singaporeans (that one should be easy). I think I should be able to charge at least CAD 50 for the membership each year.
a.k.a. littlegreenman
-
sundaymorningstaple
- Moderator
![Moderator Moderator]()
- Posts: 40557
- Joined: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 1:26 pm
-
Answers: 21
- Location: Retired on the Little Red Dot
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by sundaymorningstaple » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 5:56 pm
LGM, I've opened a Canadian Club or two in my time!

SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers
-
Strong Eagle
- Moderator
![Moderator Moderator]()
- Posts: 11772
- Joined: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 12:13 am
-
Answers: 11
- Location: Off The Red Dot
-
Contact:
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by Strong Eagle » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 6:55 pm
taxico wrote:american club membership goes for about SG$100k,
Maybe for a corporate membership with multiple members. Individual membership closer to 20K.
-
econoMIC
- Chatter
![Chatter Chatter]()
- Posts: 298
- Joined: Fri, 25 Sep 2009 3:03 pm
- Location: London/Singapore (back for good 29 Jul 2010)
-
Quote
-
0
login to like this post
Post
by econoMIC » Mon, 05 Oct 2009 7:41 pm
sundaymorningstaple wrote:LGM, I've opened a Canadian Club or two in my time!


Good one but I think you meant to say: LGM, I've opened a Canadian Club or two in my time
,eh!

a.k.a. littlegreenman
-
-
costs of living
Replies: 36
First post
Hi,
I am trying to estimate budget for comfortable living for family of 3 (2 adults + 1 3yo). I assume: kindergarten: ~1500SGD/mo - English classes...
Last post
Lisa, that's my positive outlook on life. I reckon there are 3 decades between us or pretty close to it. I'm bettin' on a century myself.
- 36 Replies
- 12223 Views
-
Last post by sundaymorningstaple
Tue, 31 May 2022 3:42 pm
-
-
- 0 Replies
- 2580 Views
-
Last post by sgpatriot12
Tue, 24 Nov 2020 4:26 pm
-
-
Foreigners staying away from Singapore properties
Replies: 19
First post
ok, finally an article on it..I am not surprised at 60% ABSD, which foreigner would buy other than those exempted countries..mainly US? I think the...
Last post
Yes, being in the MC is thankless job but need to be there to prevent them from making stupid decisions!
I have a car gate solution on the way. We...
- 19 Replies
- 17126 Views
-
Last post by Pal
Fri, 29 Dec 2023 3:41 pm
-
-
Health Insurance for Foreigners with pre existing
Replies: 2
First post
Hi hi. As foreigners here we don’t have any govt subsidy for medical. Any recommendations for a good and affordable health insurance. I applied for...
Last post
You can apply for a removal of exclusion after 2 years of no attack from asthma, if not you can also apply with other insurance companies to get a...
- 2 Replies
- 12936 Views
-
Last post by Poh475
Tue, 03 Jan 2023 3:18 pm
-
-
Job losses among foreigners
Replies: 17
First post
Simple explanation but not all inclusive. No it will not. I believe that if one delves into the 9 in 10 figure it may well be found that a high...
Last post
In your case it would probably GIVE you some class.
- 17 Replies
- 10262 Views
-
Last post by sundaymorningstaple
Sat, 26 Dec 2020 11:14 pm
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests