Relocation Questions

[x9200]

The major concern is always the rent but living next to someone's working place is the luxury rarely afforded in any country. Biopolis is sitting almost at the MRT station so commuting from the places like Jurong, CCK or some other along the MRT route is the obvious choice for somebody with such budget. And there is nothing really wrong with living over there.

[nakatago]

The major concern is always the rent but living next to someone's working place is the luxury rarely afforded in any country. Biopolis is sitting almost at the MRT station so commuting from the places like Jurong, CCK or some other along the MRT route is the obvious choice for somebody with such budget. And there is nothing really wrong with living over there.

fyi, jurong will also soon be a prime spot with the jurong lake development going on (re: high priced)

on the other hand, there are places in boon lay that go for for 1800 where they would go for 2500 in holland.

[x9200]

I just briefly checked the rental prices for HDB and 1200 for a whole unit will be challenging but still seems possible. On the other hand it would be more reasonable to allocate a bit higher budget here.
There will be always some more pricey spots.

[fujiwater]

.

No offence but your information is very out of date as things have changed a LOT since 2007. Your post gives the impression to the OP that life will be fine and dandy with clubbing and trips away easily attainable on his $2500 a month.

Being realistic, it won't.

....
If you rent a room in a place and share then you could get by ok, but if you want your own place you've got 2 hopes - Bob and no

Agreed, and that's exactly what I've stated in my post. Rental costs are not what they were, and the OP will have to ensure he can manage it comfortably - spending 1500$ out of your $2500 stipend is not comfortable, its stupid. Which is also why sharing an apartment is likely the most reasonable solution.

Having said that, as far as I know, entry level salary for PhD programs in A-Star (right out of undergrad) are still within the $2600 - $3000 range, even today. And a significant number of people on these programs are foreigners, so again, they do pay for rent.