Singapore & US life cost comparison

[JR8]

http://www.davemanuel.com/2009/09/08/th ... ax-system/
'How High Are Taxes in Norway?'

I found the above a generally well informed article. Based upon it you could pretty much make you own comparison between Norway, and where you are from, vs Singapore.

What the article seems to miss is the high cost of everything, above and beyond the taxes you pay. US$75 would be the baseline for any meal in a restaurant (not fast food). Any drinkable bottle of wine... US$25+, spirits US50+ from the state alcohol monopoly shop. A taxi ride anywhere US$30+. A drinkable bottle of wine in a restaurant from c.US$75+. This is not high-end, this is firmly middle of the road. Heavens forbid you smoke!

And yet you look at the wealth of their natural resources, Alu, oil, fishing, timber, hydro, and you wonder why they have to save so hard for the future, whilst being one of the highest tax countries in the present.

p.s. I have friends in Norway and Sweden, and despite their high headline income, their quality of life (net income and purchasing power) in no way reflects it as it would somewhere like say the US.

[Wd40]

http://www.davemanuel.com/2009/09/08/th ... ax-system/
'How High Are Taxes in Norway?'

I found the above a generally well informed article. Based upon it you could pretty much make you own comparison between Norway, and where you are from, vs Singapore.

What the article seems to miss is the high cost of everything, above and beyond the taxes you pay. US$75 would be the baseline for any meal in a restaurant (not fast food). Any drinkable bottle of wine... US$25+, spirits US50+ from the state alcohol monopoly shop. A taxi ride anywhere US$30+. A drinkable bottle of wine in a restaurant from c.US$75+. This is not high-end, this is firmly middle of the road. Heavens forbid you smoke!

And yet you look at the wealth of their natural resources, Alu, oil, fishing, timber, hydro, and you wonder why they have to save so hard for the future, whilst being one of the highest tax countries in the present.

p.s. I have friends in Norway and Sweden, and despite their high headline income, their quality of life (net income and purchasing power) in no way reflects it as it would somewhere like say the US.

I am not trying dispute what you have written but I just had a look at this comparison
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... city2=Oslo

Although costs are high as you say, have a look at the purchasing power, rent and monthly disposable income. Based on those figures alone i would choose Oslo with eyes closed, if I have a job offer there, that is. The higher taxes will only mean that schooling and lots of other stuff big bang expenses will be cheaper there like school education, medical expenses etc If you can own a car there, taxi fares don't matter. Restaurant food is always going to be expensive in a place where labour costs are high.

Now have a look at this comparison between Bangalore and Singapore
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... =Bangalore

Although costs in Bangalore are a fraction of singapore and so are the median salaries, looking at the purchasing power. Shocking isn't it? Now Bangalore has extremely high percentage of people in the low income bracket and chances are very high that an educated college grad with some experience will be in the high salary bracket in Bangalore vs Singapore.

So whichever way you look at it singapore is overpriced for what it offers, for its locals. For foreigners the problem gets much more magnified.

[vink2]

http://www.davemanuel.com/2009/09/08/th ... ax-system/
'How High Are Taxes in Norway?'

I found the above a generally well informed article. Based upon it you could pretty much make you own comparison between Norway, and where you are from, vs Singapore.

What the article seems to miss is the high cost of everything, above and beyond the taxes you pay. US$75 would be the baseline for any meal in a restaurant (not fast food). Any drinkable bottle of wine... US$25+, spirits US50+ from the state alcohol monopoly shop. A taxi ride anywhere US$30+. A drinkable bottle of wine in a restaurant from c.US$75+. This is not high-end, this is firmly middle of the road. Heavens forbid you smoke!

And yet you look at the wealth of their natural resources, Alu, oil, fishing, timber, hydro, and you wonder why they have to save so hard for the future, whilst being one of the highest tax countries in the present.

p.s. I have friends in Norway and Sweden, and despite their high headline income, their quality of life (net income and purchasing power) in no way reflects it as it would somewhere like say the US.

I just searched for your messages. Are you trolling me?

I love Norway!

Quality lash.
Good fishing.
Unembarrassed boozing (though $)
The best x-country skiing in the world.
Probably one of the few genuine (and trust-worthy) allies Britain has.


http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/sutra608472.html
(last message)

just to add to your nice comments. my friend, who work in Norway in the same field as I, saves a lot - he told me how much he is paid and how much he takes home after taxes and kindergartens etc. and he is not Norwegian, by they way.

[vink2]

I've just read three pages of pure unadulterated BS, vink2, I figure you are probably an immigrant born in Europe to Immigrant parents. But from your attitude and inability to see the woods for the trees, I'd almost guess your parents are originally from somewhere in S.E. Asia.

White, one parent from one European country (my home country), second parent from other European county. Both are whites. Country in South Eastern Europe.

Enough! You know what is your problem and problem of guys like you?
Because you read CNN and western newspapers, but they write only about most advanced economies problems. As I said before, lots of people from Brit and colonies have west-shifted mind. They are non-educated about central, eastern, southern Europe. What do you know, say, about Croatia? Nothing. Just check street view (especially near with beaches) and see how beautiful and developed it is.

Please note, in Europe UK is just a country without special respect among others. We are not interested in Harry and queens: we don't read about them in our local newspapers in the same way as you may read about them from CNN here.

[vink2]

To make more joy for singaporephiles, average salary (in Sing Dollars) for cleaners and waiters in Norway may go beyond 7'000SGD compare to 1'000 - 2'000 SGD here.

[vink2]

Although costs in Bangalore are a fraction of singapore and so are the median salaries, looking at the purchasing power. Shocking isn't it? Now Bangalore has extremely high percentage of people in the low income bracket and chances are very high that an educated college grad with some experience will be in the high salary bracket in Bangalore vs Singapore.

So whichever way you look at it singapore is overpriced for what it offers, for its locals. For foreigners the problem gets much more magnified.

My money on Bangalore over local activists, anyway.

[JR8]

I am not trying dispute what you have written but I just had a look at this comparison
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... city2=Oslo

Although costs are high as you say, have a look at the purchasing power, rent and monthly disposable income. Based on those figures alone i would choose Oslo with eyes closed, if I have a job offer there, that is.

Thank you that link which I found very interesting. It is a long time since I've studied the pros and cons of various statistical methods, but I would have thought there is some lee-way in the figures to misrepresent the reality. For example in SG you have wealth/income ranging from migrant labour (cleaning/construction) who live cheaply, to billionaires who don't. But IIRC the average salary is something like S$70k per working capita. In Scandinavia the wealth is far more evenly distributed, you could use the expression 'We're all middle class' of them. The opportunities to live far more cheaply that the average statistics suggest are far less.

Also consider that say both Greater Oslo and Gr. Stockholm (I know Copenhagen less well) are geographically very large. The suburbs of those two would be considered open countryside to a lot of SGns There is more available land, hence property is cheaper.

The higher taxes will only mean that schooling and lots of other stuff big bang expenses will be cheaper there like school education, medical expenses etc

I don't know. but I would have thought it takes the choice away from you. If you're paying for nationalised health and education, there is no way you're going to be able to send your children to your choice of fee-paying school.

If you can own a car there, taxi fares don't matter. Restaurant food is always going to be expensive in a place where labour costs are high.

Now have a look at this comparison between Bangalore and Singapore
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... =Bangalore

Although costs in Bangalore are a fraction of singapore and so are the median salaries, looking at the purchasing power. Shocking isn't it? Now Bangalore has extremely high percentage of people in the low income bracket and chances are very high that an educated college grad with some experience will be in the high salary bracket in Bangalore vs Singapore.

So whichever way you look at it singapore is overpriced for what it offers, for its locals. For foreigners the problem gets much more magnified.

Thanks, it is interesting these comparisons!

[vink2]

JR8, I see what you mean about stat.
You are right when you say that you love Norway.
Norway is a big country, Finland is big, Sweden is big, Denmark bigger than Singapore. All these countries have amazing nature, European countries not far away, closer to US. So, they are not only rich with money (salaries, etc.), but come along with other benefits - is it right, my dear brit comrade?

[Sergei82]

Guys, do you really enjoy converting emptiness to nothing and backwards multiple times for this long?

[ProvenPracticalFlexible]

p.s. I have friends in Norway and Sweden, and despite their high headline income, their quality of life (net income and purchasing power) in no way reflects it as it would somewhere like say the US.

Or to that matter in Singapore.

In the end the quality of life would of course come to difficult comparisons between lifestyle choices.

Some people for example think that owning a car is part of human rights, number one complaint among Singaporeans vs. taking public transport or taxi with reasonable price.

Some would prefer living in a middle of nowhere and maintain their house and garden themselves vs. living in an apartment where things are managed for you.

[Mi Amigo]

I've just read three pages of pure unadulterated BS, vink2 ...

Guys, do you really enjoy converting emptiness to nothing and backwards multiple times for this long?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

vink2, are you just trying to pick an argument with everyone who posts in this thread, or do you actually have a point (or some points) to make? If the latter, please can you set out your hypotheses in a brief, straight-forward manner; then we can all get on with something else.

[ProvenPracticalFlexible]

To make more joy for singaporephiles, average salary (in Sing Dollars) for cleaners and waiters in Norway may go beyond 7'000SGD compare to 1'000 - 2'000 SGD here.

and this is news to you? weren't you the one that suggested the absurd idea that I am a blue collar worker from Scandinavia and moved to Singapore.

[ProvenPracticalFlexible]

Vink2....

Considering JR8 is living in Germany at the moment, I'd say you have a massive case of......



Or if you had done your homework here before spouting off and you still wrote that, then I'd say...

Well SMS you are obviously much better in judging the trolls here. Your second pic pretty much describes him the best.

A newbie, maybe a local clown, writes all expert opinions about Europe with knowledge as limited as if I started rating the differences of the US states within the flyover zone.

[Brah]

'yo vink, re-read my last post, it's still ringing true a few days later, SSDD.

Time to listen to your own words "So... go to bed" and cut your losses before you dig yourself deeper.

[Mi Amigo]

He's obviously read this book...



... NOT!