Compare Singapore to Norway

[IOP]

Hi Guys,

I have interest to move to Norway. What are your thoughts: is it very expensive there? I work in IT field.

Thanks.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Too cold.

[nutnut]

Very expensive and high tax, but the women are beautiful and the weather is cooler (depends if you like the heat or not!) Oslo is lovely.

[nakatago]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... =Singapore

[IOP]

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... =Singapore

hm, beer is cheaper.
are they treating okay immigrants?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Just like Singapore treats it's immigrants....... NOT.

[x9200]

Fortunately Singapore has no its Breivik so far.

[SingLaw]

I'm getting ready to move the other direction and haven't actually been to Singapore yet. However, based on reading this forum and other sources, I would say that Singapore and Oslo couldn't be more different.

Oslo has really long winters, gets quite a bit of snow, and is plagued by the same drizzle that afflicts the British Isles. In short, the weather is awful here. On the bright side, if you're sick of the heat, it almost never gets above 25C here.

As you can see from the link posted above, Oslo is expensive. Housing is quite a bit cheaper than in Singapore, but almost everything else is quite a bit more expensive. In particular, because incomes are so equal here, anything that involves labor is absurdly expensive. Taxis, restaurants, maids, etc. are all much, much more expensive than in Singapore. As a result, it's very hard to feel "well off". On the other hand, almost no one is poor.

Norwegians love the outdoors, no matter what the weather. Staying inside or going shopping on a nice day is akin to heresy. If shopping and eating out are Singapore's pastimes, outdoor activities and DIY home renovations are Norway's.

In short, they are very different. If you have any more questions about Norway or Oslo, though, feel free to ask and I will try to answer them.

[x9200]

Interesting how many people asking this sort of questions forget to ask about this single thing that will or would probably determine their well-being in the new country - cultural differences including the work culture.

[IOP]

Oslo has really long winters, gets quite a bit of snow, and is plagued by the same drizzle that afflicts the British Isles. In short, the weather is awful here. On the bright side, if you're sick of the heat, it almost never gets above 25C here.

Thanks, I like this type of weather.

As you can see from the link posted above, Oslo is expensive. Housing is quite a bit cheaper than in Singapore, but almost everything else is quite a bit more expensive. In particular, because incomes are so equal here, anything that involves labor is absurdly expensive. Taxis, restaurants, maids, etc. are all much, much more expensive than in Singapore. As a result, it's very hard to feel "well off". On the other hand, almost no one is poor.

The true is that 80% of Singaporeans are not rich: making 1500 - 3000SGD per month.
Don't believe newspapers.

Norwegians love the outdoors, no matter what the weather. Staying inside or going shopping on a nice day is akin to heresy. If shopping and eating out are Singapore's pastimes, outdoor activities and DIY home renovations are Norway's.

I like this style. It's hard to walk around Singapore, because it is always very hot. Also I want to live with European style of people. Nothing wrong with locals here, it's just my desire.

In short, they are very different. If you have any more questions about Norway or Oslo, though, feel free to ask and I will try to answer them.

Thanks. Is it easy to travel in Europe from Norway? How many leave days usually you have?

[SingLaw]

The true is that 80% of Singaporeans are not rich: making 1500 - 3000SGD per month.
Don't believe newspapers.

I didn't meant to imply that I thought the average Singaporean is rich. In fact, I meant just the opposite. Because of the income inequality in Singapore and the availability of cheap labor via immigration in some sectors, goods and services that involve in country labor on the part of someone else are much, much cheaper in Singapore than in Norway. In short, it's better to be more wealthy in Singapore than in Norway and better to be more poor in Norway than in Singapore in terms of what you can buy.

Thanks. Is it easy to travel in Europe from Norway? How many leave days usually you have?

Yes, it's really easy. One of Europe's biggest low cost airlines (Norwegian) has its main hub in Oslo. SAS also has a hub in Oslo and Ryanair has a lot of flights from Oslo labelled airports as well. Obviously, because of where Norway is located, it's quicker to get to destinations in northern Europe, but there are direct flights to many destinations in Europe.

A minimum of five weeks of paid vacation is mandated by law. As a result of this, it's almost unheard of for anyone to negotiate any more. The first year you work in Norway, however, your paid vacation is 0 days (but 25 days unpaid). People here take at least 4 out of their 5 weeks and most take all of their vacation every year. Historically, everything has pretty much shut down the last three weeks of July during "common vacation".

[IOP]

The true is that 80% of Singaporeans are not rich: making 1500 - 3000SGD per month.
Don't believe newspapers.

I didn't meant to imply that I thought the average Singaporean is rich. In fact, I meant just the opposite. Because of the income inequality in Singapore and the availability of cheap labor via immigration in some sectors, goods and services that involve in country labor on the part of someone else are much, much cheaper in Singapore than in Norway. In short, it's better to be more wealthy in Singapore than in Norway and better to be more poor in Norway than in Singapore in terms of what you can buy.

Thanks. Is it easy to travel in Europe from Norway? How many leave days usually you have?

Yes, it's really easy. One of Europe's biggest low cost airlines (Norwegian) has its main hub in Oslo. SAS also has a hub in Oslo and Ryanair has a lot of flights from Oslo labelled airports as well. Obviously, because of where Norway is located, it's quicker to get to destinations in northern Europe, but there are direct flights to many destinations in Europe.

A minimum of five weeks of paid vacation is mandated by law. As a result of this, it's almost unheard of for anyone to negotiate any more. The first year you work in Norway, however, your paid vacation is 0 days (but 25 days unpaid). People here take at least 4 out of their 5 weeks and most take all of their vacation every year. Historically, everything has pretty much shut down the last three weeks of July during "common vacation".

Huh, this sounds pretty much cool! Thanks for sharing.
It is good to live in Singapore if you have own stable business and millions dollars on your accounts. If you just employed and lose you job - prepare for the worst. Often young people call my doorbell and sell me ice cream claiming that their mother lost a job recently - just a normal situation, because Singapore is not a social country. In local companies leave is also small: 12-14 days, as I remember.
Work can be very stressful.

[IOP]

SingLaw, and cultural difference may affect you.
You may come to work, but nobody greet you.
You may try to get off of the MRT, but you will face the opposite stream.
Check about kiasu.

Some guys worked closely with me for years and they have never asked me about my country of origin - they simply do not have any interest: for them I'm just a bolt in the system.
Also some people they are extremely happy to tell that Asia is growing and Europe is going down. Most of them doesn't understand the difference between Asia and Europe, but it is okay for them to talk about this quite often - you know, not very pleasant to hear this if you are from Europe.

[SingLaw]

I'm looking forward to the change. Everywhere has its cultural quirks and I'm sure I'll grow to loathe aspects of Singapore.

If you have any more questions about Norway, feel free to PM me or post in this thread.

[IOP]

I'm looking forward to the change. Everywhere has its cultural quirks and I'm sure I'll grow to loathe aspects of Singapore.

If you have any more questions about Norway, feel free to PM me or post in this thread.

Good luck with your change. by the way, what is your opinion - are Norse opened and friendly people?