Where in SG prices can be pushed up beyond limits?

[crazy_beans]

I mean things that can go REALLY high in prices, and you can't do anything to avoid buying them (other than leaving Singapore).

Health insurance. You can't even get cover past the age of 65 if you are a foreigner.

For real? How can that be legal? Ahhhhh.

Singapore doesn't care about people that cannot contribute to GDP. And over 65ers tend not to work.

They are kicking their own senior citizens out, what makes you think they want foreign citizens here unless they are filthy rich and don't need insurance?

[vink2]

Just thinking about life in Singapore again... Since Singapore is a small country, number of choices in certain things may be restricted, as everybody knows. If something gets expensive, you still have no choice but to buy it, otherwise you have to leave Singapore.
Just want to list down all those "things" in Singapore for which prices can be pushed up until all disposable income and savings of common people are eliminated (assuming they stay in Singapore).

1) accommodation (no choice, or leave)
2) education (you want to stay - you can send your chiild abroad, but for yourself - no choice)
3) transportation (still 20x40 kilometers, can't just walk)
4) alcohol/tobacco (taxes)
5) utilities

...please, somebody help me continue the list or prove me being wrong

I did not put food and clothing in that list since those can be easily imported.

Not just education, but kindergarten extremely expensive (at least 15-25000 SGD) per year.

Also Childbirth: 40000SGD - 15000SGD

Healthcare overall extremely expensive. When you have family or plan kids, believe me, corporate insurance is not enough.

Travelling: Singapore is small, to have a rest you need to fly, go through immigration, change money.

Travelling to home (Europe) is also very expensive.

[beppi]

Not just education, but kindergarten extremely expensive (at least 15-25000 SGD) per year.
Also Childbirth: 40000SGD - 15000SGD
Healthcare overall extremely expensive. When you have family or plan kids, believe me, corporate insurance is not enough.
Travelling to home (Europe) is also very expensive.

You must be living in a different Singapore than me:
Our kindergarten (NTUC) costs below S$700 a month full fare (and as SC/PR, we get half of that as subsidy from the state).
Birth was slightly above S$10000 incl. emergency Cesaerean (no further complications).
Healthcare is so cheap that we never bothered to have any insurance (we are generally healthy). My biggest outlay over the years were dental (S$120 for a wisdom tooth extraction, S$500 for a ceramic inlay), which is not covered anyway by most insurances.
Flights have historically never been as cheap as now (worldwide).

[Sergei82]

1) accommodation (no choice, or leave)
2) education (you want to stay - you can send your chiild abroad, but for yourself - no choice)
3) transportation (still 20x40 kilometers, can't just walk)
4) alcohol/tobacco (taxes)
5) utilities

Not just education, but kindergarten extremely expensive (at least 15-25000 SGD) per year.

I'd classify this as education.

Also Childbirth: 40000SGD - 15000SGD

It may be expensive, but it cannot go up unlimited. You can always give birth in neighboring country - competition is there, so it doesn't count.

Healthcare overall extremely expensive. When you have family or plan kids, believe me, corporate insurance is not enough.

Yes.

Travelling: Singapore is small, to have a rest you need to fly, go through immigration, change money.

Dubious. Travel to the country nearby, then take tour from there elsewhere. So the price can't go up indefinitely, can just be expensive.

Updated list:
1) accommodation
2) education
3) transportation
4) alcohol/tobacco
5) utilities
6) healthcare

[BedokAmerican]

The price of vehicles is extreme, even leasing one.

Another thing is the price of clothes and shoes, especially for children. It's one thing to buy costly clothes for an adult because at least an adult can get a few years use out of them. But kids outgrow things so fast and clothes get torn or get stains on them. I was at Babies R Us last week and the cheapest pair of kids shoes I saw was $65. Seriously? For a pair of shoes a toddler will outgrow in three months or less (and possibly refuse to wear)? I don't think so.

[Hannieroo]

Cars, rent, alcohol. Education and healthcare because I would not need to pay for them at all at home. My children were free.

But with gst at 7% compared to 20% at home a lot of things are cheaper or not much more. Tobacco, petrol, services. A standard pair of Clarks shoes for children is $70 but they do last and they build in the growing room.


Dog food, actually. That's quite pricy for decent stuff.

[JR8]

Education and healthcare because I would not need to pay for them at all at home.

But you do, via taxes.

Even if you choose not to use them and go private, you still pay for them for others to use.


p.s. The term 'free at the point of use' applies...

[Hannieroo]

True, but you do get exactly the same service regardless of how much, if any, tax you pay. Not all insurances are created equal.

[zzm9980]

. But kids outgrow things so fast and clothes get torn or get stains on them. I was at Babies R Us last week and the cheapest pair of kids shoes I saw was $65. Seriously? For a pair of shoes a toddler will outgrow in three months or less (and possibly refuse to wear)? I don't think so.

Go to your local HDB market (TP Central, Bedok Central, MP Central, etc) and buy kids clothes there. You can get outfits for $5-10 that are just fine for play clothes. We get a lot of my daughter's everyday clothes there, and then the 'nicer' stuff when we travel back home. (Or, order and have it shipped off the internet. My mom was able to fit about 10 toddler's dresses from Baby Gap ina single padded envelope that was US$10 to ship by air)

I don't want my daughter running around in $5 shoes and hurting her feet, so most of the shoes we buy are at least ~$50. But, the same exact brands we buy (See Kai Run, Saucony) cost about the same here as they do back in the states or even from Zappos.

Dog food, actually. That's quite pricy for decent stuff.

I've never owned a dog, but how does an owner tell the decent stuff from the not so decent? Have you tried it?

[sundaymorningstaple]

You haven't?

I though everybody tried it at least once when they were a kid, if for no other reason than curiosity. The canned dogfood tastes surprising like Libby's or Armour Potted Meat that you use for spreads on crackers at cocktail parties.

I understand that the elderly poor in the US also have been known to survive on dogfood as it's cheaper and possibly (unconfirmed) more nutritious than most other processed foods. The following a USDA Research paper. See page 9 & 10 (pdf file)

http://webarchives.cdlib.org/sw1s17tt5t ... anrr20.pdf

[the lynx]

Dog food, actually. That's quite pricy for decent stuff.

Tried preparing own dog food?

[Hannieroo]

That is sad. As much as I like the states that is something to be ashamed of. Even though most brands are tested by humans and small boys it shouldn't be a source of food for humans.


A decent dog food will have protein as the first ingredient and will avoid corn. The cheaper dog foods are tasty to dogs in a Big Mac way but not long term. When he first arrived we couldn't find a brand that suited and I did do chicken and rice for him but long term that isn't a balanced diet. There are ways around it, different recipes and supplements but I think now we've found a brand that is suitable and he will eat probably not worth pursuing for now.

Until fairly recently I was feeding 4 dogs weighing a total of 125kg, 40kg of food a month. That cost $200. Here I am buying a comparable (good but not fancy fancy) brand and a bag weighing 2.3kg is $25.

[zzm9980]

Until fairly recently I was feeding 4 dogs weighing a total of 125kg, 40kg of food a month. That cost $200. Here I am buying a comparable (good but not fancy fancy) brand and a bag weighing 2.3kg is $25.

I'm more interested in hearing where you found a place willing to rent to you with four dogs weighing a combined 125kg.

[Hannieroo]

Texas we arrived with two, 20kg each. I started fostering and would normally have up to four more fosters, usually puppies. We paid a decent, un returnable pet deposit and the Chinese American LL had no issue with it. Never raised the rent, never did a check apart from what I presume her maintenance guys who were also Chinese reported back to her. The normal deposit was returned in it's entirety but we did replace the living room carpet before we gave notice because I think I washed it too much.

Left Texas with the four, went to Baku. Muslim LL but didn't give a shit, it was solely an expat rental.

Left Baku went to Yorkshire, rented a cottage on a Crown Farm so technically a sub let. Large, big garden, poor condition so they didn't care either. Then we bought, then our dogs started dying of old age, then we came here with one.

It is doable.

[zzm9980]

Texas we arrived with two, 20kg each. I started fostering and would normally have up to four more fosters, usually puppies. We paid a decent, un returnable pet deposit and the Chinese American LL had no issue with it. Never raised the rent, never did a check apart from what I presume her maintenance guys who were also Chinese reported back to her. The normal deposit was returned in it's entirety but we did replace the living room carpet before we gave notice because I think I washed it too much.

Left Texas with the four, went to Baku. Muslim LL but didn't give a shit, it was solely an expat rental.

Left Baku went to Yorkshire, rented a cottage on a Crown Farm so technically a sub let. Large, big garden, poor condition so they didn't care either. Then we bought, then our dogs started dying of old age, then we came here with one.

It is doable.

Oh I was under the impression you had all of these dogs in Singapore and were paying that much to feed them all here. I know in the states and most of the west it isn't a big deal.