The most sought after question before coming or before even planning to come to Singapore for many would be, "can we survive there?"(especially to all those newly married couples from India or maybe more for people with kids)
I've been there in that situation and have searched the internet like crazy for real life opinions of expats settling down in Singapore. I sought after people's opinion from all over the world and to my vain couldn't find many answers, so well now that I know what it is, I'm just hoping my post might help atleast a few to make that dreary decision.
So well what's the cost of living in Singapore? Hmm, that question might have varied answers as to the style of living differs from individual to individual. So I'll be listing out the cost of living for a modestly spending couple who are trying to save for their future(but may be not too much).
Rent : SGD 2200 (give or take another 100) (SGD=Singapore Dollar=INR 48 approx)
(you can cut this cost by sharing the house with another couple or bachelors. You would save almost 1000 like that, but I donno, personal preference. Don't worry there are many people, frankly most of the expats doing this stuff of room sharing or house sharing, seriously!!)
(This is the estimate based on living in a 2 or 3 bedroom HDB, which is basically a government provided housing for the citizens which they usually sublet or rent out. If considering a Condominium, with all the facilities like pool, gym and security then be ready to shell out another 500-600SGD more)
Utilities : SGD 200 (it includes electricity, gas, water & waste disposal)
(with moderate use of A/C, heater)
Internet, Landline& TV : SGD 100
(Usually these services are bundled together, and if a mobile line is bundled along more 30-40SGD)
Mobile: SGD 40 per person
(limited internet and outgoing calls. Full usage 20-30 SGD more)
Groceries : SGD 250
(if you cook all 3 meals at home n all, approx 50-60 SGD per week, obvio its flexible depending on veg or non-veg)
Public Transport : SGD 100 per person
(considering your workplace is not very far and you pretty much use public transport)
Cabs/Taxi : SGD 100
(well we deserve this when going out on weekends, atleast twice a month)
(yes you cannot buy a car unless you are getting SGD 20K per month. I'll get back to that later on. Sigh!!this is not India or USA where in every second person has a Car)
Eating Out: SGD 150
(1-2 fine dining and maybe 3-4 times eating in a fast food restaurant for a couple)
Movies & Going Out : SGD 150
(2 movies per month and weekends leisure outdoor activities. If you like Sentosa and frequent such places then maybe SGD 100 more. Going out in Singapore literally means visiting the malls, going to the beach or to the movies. Once in a while visiting Sentosa which is the sole adventure land in Singapore. Save all the other tourist attractions when your family visits cos you'll get pretty bored after visiting them once)
Maid Services/Domestic Cleaning: SGD 250 (optional)
(If you are both working and have a busy lifestyle and hate to do household chores then you can opt for domestic cleaning services. They come around 3-4 times a month and clean for 3-4 hours each visit. Pretty much clean everything including bathrooms, floor mopping, kitchen cleaning, windows & furniture dusting. Worth the money when you do not have the time)
Gym/Swimming/other sports: SGD 100 (optional per person)
(This is only for those fitness freaks. If not then its pretty much avoidable as there are a lot of public gym equipments available in every park and near every HDB. For swimming you can use the community pools located near every train station for a measly $1 for an hour and for kids there are water sport activities in every other mall for around 2-3$ for 2 hours or so. And mind you they are as good as any private stuff. The maintenance is fantastic.)
Medical Insurance/Life Insurance: SGD 200 (optional per person)
(Most of the companies do provide medical Insurance for their employees but they might not cover maternity or other pre-existing conditions)
As per Couple with kids I've no clue but I guess 800SGD per month for play school and maybe 500SGD more per kid per month additional for other stuff or maybe even more.
International travel around SGD 1000-1500 for a couple if within Asia. Most frequented from Singapore are India, Malaysia, Indonesia& Thailand.
So if you are getting SGD 6-7K per month per couple, you can pretty much lead a satisfactory life with moderate savings.
I've been there in that situation and have searched the internet like crazy for real life opinions of expats settling down in Singapore. I sought after people's opinion from all over the world and to my vain couldn't find many answers, so well now that I know what it is, I'm just hoping my post might help atleast a few to make that dreary decision.
So well what's the cost of living in Singapore? Hmm, that question might have varied answers as to the style of living differs from individual to individual. So I'll be listing out the cost of living for a modestly spending couple who are trying to save for their future(but may be not too much).
Rent : SGD 2200 (give or take another 100) (SGD=Singapore Dollar=INR 48 approx)
(you can cut this cost by sharing the house with another couple or bachelors. You would save almost 1000 like that, but I donno, personal preference. Don't worry there are many people, frankly most of the expats doing this stuff of room sharing or house sharing, seriously!!)
(This is the estimate based on living in a 2 or 3 bedroom HDB, which is basically a government provided housing for the citizens which they usually sublet or rent out. If considering a Condominium, with all the facilities like pool, gym and security then be ready to shell out another 500-600SGD more)
Utilities : SGD 200 (it includes electricity, gas, water & waste disposal)
(with moderate use of A/C, heater)
Internet, Landline& TV : SGD 100
(Usually these services are bundled together, and if a mobile line is bundled along more 30-40SGD)
Mobile: SGD 40 per person
(limited internet and outgoing calls. Full usage 20-30 SGD more)
Groceries : SGD 250
(if you cook all 3 meals at home n all, approx 50-60 SGD per week, obvio its flexible depending on veg or non-veg)
Public Transport : SGD 100 per person
(considering your workplace is not very far and you pretty much use public transport)
Cabs/Taxi : SGD 100
(well we deserve this when going out on weekends, atleast twice a month)
(yes you cannot buy a car unless you are getting SGD 20K per month. I'll get back to that later on. Sigh!!this is not India or USA where in every second person has a Car)
Eating Out: SGD 150
(1-2 fine dining and maybe 3-4 times eating in a fast food restaurant for a couple)
Movies & Going Out : SGD 150
(2 movies per month and weekends leisure outdoor activities. If you like Sentosa and frequent such places then maybe SGD 100 more. Going out in Singapore literally means visiting the malls, going to the beach or to the movies. Once in a while visiting Sentosa which is the sole adventure land in Singapore. Save all the other tourist attractions when your family visits cos you'll get pretty bored after visiting them once)
Maid Services/Domestic Cleaning: SGD 250 (optional)
(If you are both working and have a busy lifestyle and hate to do household chores then you can opt for domestic cleaning services. They come around 3-4 times a month and clean for 3-4 hours each visit. Pretty much clean everything including bathrooms, floor mopping, kitchen cleaning, windows & furniture dusting. Worth the money when you do not have the time)
Gym/Swimming/other sports: SGD 100 (optional per person)
(This is only for those fitness freaks. If not then its pretty much avoidable as there are a lot of public gym equipments available in every park and near every HDB. For swimming you can use the community pools located near every train station for a measly $1 for an hour and for kids there are water sport activities in every other mall for around 2-3$ for 2 hours or so. And mind you they are as good as any private stuff. The maintenance is fantastic.)
Medical Insurance/Life Insurance: SGD 200 (optional per person)
(Most of the companies do provide medical Insurance for their employees but they might not cover maternity or other pre-existing conditions)
As per Couple with kids I've no clue but I guess 800SGD per month for play school and maybe 500SGD more per kid per month additional for other stuff or maybe even more.
International travel around SGD 1000-1500 for a couple if within Asia. Most frequented from Singapore are India, Malaysia, Indonesia& Thailand.
So if you are getting SGD 6-7K per month per couple, you can pretty much lead a satisfactory life with moderate savings.
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