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Cost of living in Singapore way higher than expected

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Vaucluse
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Post by Vaucluse » Fri, 21 Oct 2011 9:33 am

I call bullshit on this story.

If the rent is that high then it is a cost taken over by the company, not the individual

(Unless the OP is a terrible negotiator, in which case he/she wouldn't be in that job)
......................................................

'nuff said Image

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Marzuki
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Post by Marzuki » Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:05 am

Was looking at buying some vegetables for a salad at Cold Storage the other day and was shocked by the prices. It's vegetables, how can it cost so much??? It's just insane, totally insane!

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QRM
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Post by QRM » Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:17 am

Marzuki wrote:Was looking at buying some vegetables for a salad at Cold Storage the other day and was shocked by the prices. It's vegetables, how can it cost so much??? It's just insane, totally insane!
Thats the price you pay for living on an Island with no or little agriculture, everything is airflown in and you have to pay for that.

That's why here its cheaper to eat out than buy and cook yourself, we always buy from a hotel wholesaler, but you have buy in bulk. A crate of Jerusalem artichoke just arrived and I share the cost among a few foodie chums, works out a lot cheaper.

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Post by ecureilx » Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:40 am

Marzuki wrote:Was looking at buying some vegetables for a salad at Cold Storage the other day and was shocked by the prices. It's vegetables, how can it cost so much??? It's just insane, totally insane!
You are not local .. so where did you originate from ?? Just for me to have some idea .. on your cost of living :D :D

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:51 pm

ecureilx wrote:
Marzuki wrote:Was looking at buying some vegetables for a salad at Cold Storage the other day and was shocked by the prices. It's vegetables, how can it cost so much??? It's just insane, totally insane!
You are not local .. so where did you originate from ?? Just for me to have some idea .. on your cost of living :D :D
You are turning into a typical local kapoh auntie, aren't you! :lol: :lol:
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

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ecureilx
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Post by ecureilx » Fri, 28 Oct 2011 1:40 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote: You are turning into a typical local kapoh auntie, aren't you! :lol: :lol:
Kaypoh Towkay, Kaypoh :D :D

let's switch back to English anyway .. :D :D

I am still curious to know the previous posters country of origin ..

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Post by Marzuki » Sat, 29 Oct 2011 1:08 pm

QRM wrote: Thats the price you pay for living on an Island with no or little agriculture, everything is airflown in and you have to pay for that.

That's why here its cheaper to eat out than buy and cook yourself, we always buy from a hotel wholesaler, but you have buy in bulk. A crate of Jerusalem artichoke just arrived and I share the cost among a few foodie chums, works out a lot cheaper.
How about vegetables like Romaine lettuce, arugula, butterhead etc.? Do you buy these in bulk too?

logo1234
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Cost of Living in SIngapore

Post by logo1234 » Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:00 pm

Hi

Singapore is quite an expensive place.

I moved from Switzerland which is one of the most expensive places in the world and singapore compares quite well with Switzerland.
Per the Cost of Living data, Singapore is a few % points behind Switzerland.

So am not surprised.

Folks moving from the US will be quite surprised to see the cost of living. For most part, staying in US can be quite economical. When I had people move from US to Switzerland/London, they mentioned the same thing.

Without trying to pry further in your expenses - I would say that the initial few months are quite expensive. It usually becomes better over time. Also once you get a hang of the place, you can find value options. And Singapore does offer quite a range which allows for expense flex.

All the best.

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mummy mantras
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Re: Cost of Living in SIngapore

Post by mummy mantras » Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:05 pm

logo1234 wrote:Hi

Without trying to pry further in your expenses - I would say that the initial few months are quite expensive. It usually becomes better over time. Also once you get a hang of the place, you can find value options. And Singapore does offer quite a range which allows for expense flex.
It also helps if you start living like the locals... eating at the same places, getting your groceries from the same places, sending your kids to the same schools, and buying your clothes from the same places.

My hubby and I live quite well on one income (his!) and it ain't $28K a month, that's for sure! Though I do wish it was... ;)

Of course, I took it one step further and actually married a local guy and moved into a HDB flat... and I've got 2 kids in preschool (just like the OP) and I used to live in a big city (London, not New York). But I've survived just fine! :D

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Post by scarlett2229 » Tue, 03 Jan 2012 8:25 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Frankly, it's hard to commiserate with someone who spends, in one month, what most Singaporean families here earn in 6.5 months.
LOL

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Post by jdanthony77 » Fri, 06 Jan 2012 1:47 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Frankly, it's hard to commiserate with someone who spends, in one month, what most Singaporean families here earn in 6.5 months.
+1
The pistol now as prophet, the bullet some kind of lord and king, but pain is the only promise that this so-called savior's gonna bring

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Post by Segue » Fri, 06 Jan 2012 1:52 pm

What is strange is that while Singapore is so much more expensive than my own country (USA) I can actually save more in Singapore with a similar income.

The reason? Less stuff. The price of cars is so crazy, I do without one. With the excellent transport here, this alone is huge savings for me.

Because we live in a much smaller place, I don't feel the need to accumulate useless stuff, and instead spend my money more on leisure events, going out in the nice weather, shows, etc. Its actually cheaper and I have more fun.

Been here six years now and have managed to save much more than I ever did in the USA. No, I'm not on an expat package either.

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Post by boffenl » Fri, 06 Jan 2012 2:05 pm

Segue wrote:What is strange is that while Singapore is so much more expensive than my own country (USA) I can actually save more in Singapore with a similar income.

The reason? Less stuff. The price of cars is so crazy, I do without one. With the excellent transport here, this alone is huge savings for me.

Because we live in a much smaller place, I don't feel the need to accumulate useless stuff, and instead spend my money more on leisure events, going out in the nice weather, shows, etc. Its actually cheaper and I have more fun.

Been here six years now and have managed to save much more than I ever did in the USA. No, I'm not on an expat package either.
Really? my experience has been the exact opposite. Granted, we had two cars in the US neither were new and one was bought on Ebay but my monthly transport cost was about the same as what I "do" here in SG with a combo of bus, mrt and taxi (on the rare occassion). Transport is not a huge savings for us--just a time sucker and frustration maker here in SG.

Our HDB 3room rental is also about 50% more than my mortgage on a 3,000 sq.ft house in Indiana. Since we weren't big shoppers or hoarders in the US we also don't buy much here.

Food is a HUGE expense if you shop (time and energy and cost) and cook yourself. We exclusively eat out now--so much cheaper, but crappy for your health. I miss cheap beef, local produce and chef boyardi. :)

We haven't saved one red cent since we've been here.

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Post by zzm9980 » Fri, 06 Jan 2012 2:13 pm

Segue wrote:What is strange is that while Singapore is so much more expensive than my own country (USA) I can actually save more in Singapore with a similar income.
I agree with everything you said, but I also find Singapore cheaper (slightly) that where I lived, Bay Area CA.

Segue
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Post by Segue » Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:35 am

boffenl wrote:
Segue wrote:What is strange is that while Singapore is so much more expensive than my own country (USA) I can actually save more in Singapore with a similar income.

The reason? Less stuff. The price of cars is so crazy, I do without one. With the excellent transport here, this alone is huge savings for me.

Because we live in a much smaller place, I don't feel the need to accumulate useless stuff, and instead spend my money more on leisure events, going out in the nice weather, shows, etc. Its actually cheaper and I have more fun.

Been here six years now and have managed to save much more than I ever did in the USA. No, I'm not on an expat package either.
Really? my experience has been the exact opposite. Granted, we had two cars in the US neither were new and one was bought on Ebay but my monthly transport cost was about the same as what I "do" here in SG with a combo of bus, mrt and taxi (on the rare occassion). Transport is not a huge savings for us--just a time sucker and frustration maker here in SG.

Our HDB 3room rental is also about 50% more than my mortgage on a 3,000 sq.ft house in Indiana. Since we weren't big shoppers or hoarders in the US we also don't buy much here.

Food is a HUGE expense if you shop (time and energy and cost) and cook yourself. We exclusively eat out now--so much cheaper, but crappy for your health. I miss cheap beef, local produce and chef boyardi. :)

We haven't saved one red cent since we've been here.

How could transport cost be more? I spend less than $2 per day for round trip to work. I also take a lot of trips on MRT during the weekends. For my wife and I, with occasional taxis (a couple times a month) its hard to spend more than $150 a month on transport.

As for groceries, stick to NTUC Fairprice and wet markets you can save a lot there as well.

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