Tips from a family of 3 – our per annum doesn’t exceed 50K -
1. live in a comfy 2 bedroom fully furnished apartment for under $2K a month - but this is out of town and definitely out of the Orchard Road, Bukit Timah and East Coast area. there are many many apartments for the taking for under 2 K if you are willing to take a two year lease and don't look like you are likely to wreack the place !
suggest you look into a"heartland" areas like Hougang, Pasir Ris, Serangoon Gardens, Ang Mo Kio, Jurong ,Yishun and Woodlands. Try to stay within a 20 minute walking distance of the mrt station - this isnt too difficult - a lot of the private
condominiums nestled in HDB (public housing) estates are located quite close to the MRT stations.
As a bonus, many of these
condominiums are beautifully landscaped with swimming pools , gyms and tennis courts. i know - a friend just paid $1.9 k per month - it's a compact 2 bedroom apartment but certainly adequate if your hobbies don't run into woodmaking ! and he has card security, basement parking (he doesn't have a car !) a georgeous 50 m pool in landscaped grounds - yeah -it's 40 mins, mrt to town - it's in yishun - but if you are retired or working from home - hey, take advantage of this !!
2. eat and shop as the locals do - if like my boss whose wife spends a fortune at jasons, $50 K isn't enough. but if you shop at the nearby HDB estates - the lo0cal NTUC and GIANT or shop and save supers - yup, your 50K goes a long way.
and shop at the housing estate malls - my favourite is Hougang Street 21 (they call it Kovan Mall now) and Ang Mo Kio town centre. there's always a food centre, some fastfood restaurants, some local restaurants, a wet market, some supermarkets, lots of household shops and a great (and safe) local scene to drink it all in. at local prices for whole families who live frugally but well on half of your 50K !
3. learn to cook local - this is a great place cos there are many places you can learn at most economical prices - besides learning new skills, my family is delighted.
4. don't drive - cab. no matter how you calculate it - the car's got to be the major expense here. but local transport is good - the buses are frequent and empty !! and if you are travelling duriong off peak - the mrt is a breeze.
5. and yup, this is the place to be when you want to buzz about the region. the economy airfares advertise aggressively - haven't tried them but those fares are incredible. my fave chillout activity is the night train - first class to KL for a weekend - two in an a/c cabin ! and then back on sunday night. book in advance. this isn't a well-kept secret - guess it's cos it's cheap and great fun!
so YES!!! come on over and have a great time !