Living in Central Area

[Shadowhawk]

I've recently arrived in Singapore on an EP and I'm staying with a friend temporarily while looking for a place for myself. I'm here locally, so no expat package - saving money will help!

I'm working at NUS and originally I thought I'd be looking for a place in Clementi/BV because of its proximity to NUS. Scrolling through ads, I started looking more and more at living in Central, as the rents for a single room look like they're comparable with those near NUS (less than 1000). I'm working at setting up a few appointments with realtors and I'm going to check out the area today, but I'd like to know if there are any catches that I haven't noticed or things I might have missed? Any experiences you guys have with Central?

I'm a single male and I don't mind the commute (40-60 minutes) to NUS that would result from living in Central. I'd rather be close to hawker stands and action on the street (not crime or hookers ) than close to work, and I'd prefer to be close to Chinese hawker stands as I'm desperately wanting to practice my Mandarin. Is there anywhere else I should be looking?

Cheers!

[zzm9980]

The are hawker stands everywhere on the island. You'll also be able to practice your Mandarin almost anywhere. Many Singaporeans learn Mandarin in school, and allegedly 1 million of the 2 million foreigners in the country are from PRC.

Street crime is rather minimal, and will be the same almost anywhere. The only place with a large amount of 'hookers' on the street will be Geylang, and then only the "Even number Lorongs" under 30. (I say that because the other parts of Geylang may actually suit your requirements well, as it's inexpensive)