Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertStranded
Yeah, here in Dubai the rent is outrageously expensive. The revenue generated by Real Estate surpasses even the revenue they make off of oil, even in these days of high gas prices. Likewise, there is the illusion of democracy here as well. The price of goods and groceries is the same as the states. Work hours are long and employers are known for taking advantage of non-Western employees.
I was just wondering if the salaries in Singapore would be enough to cover rent. Here, about 75% of my husband's salary goes towards rent, then a large chunk goes towards transportation. Since there is no effective public transport here yet we have to use taxis or rental cars. I'd like to find a place where we could live for 2 yrs. and afford rent & transport and actually be able to save some money while we wait for his greencard.
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Hi ...
I know you posted this in November ... so not sure if you're still wondering ... and unfortunately you've probably missed the boat re: hiring freezes ... due to the economic crisis ...
Still ...
Living in Singapore is awesome ... I love it. Mind you I have a background of living in Asia so I'm used to the Asian way of life ... but Sing has the best of all worlds.
Rent can be expensive -- if you want to spend stupid amounts of money you can ie. US$15,000 per month on a penthouse / mansion ... but you can also spend under S$2,000 for a 2 bed / 2 bath HDB (govt. housing) apartment located centrally, with air-con in bedrooms ... like me. Transport is minimal ... if you want to be 'atas' (posh) you can waste your money on a car ... otherwise the MRT / bus system is cheap, clean and goes everywhere. Otherwise you can get a cab ... also cheap / clean and goes to the rare places that the mrt / bus doesn't.
Food is super cheap ... esp. veges etc if you buy at wet markets ...
What you will be paying heaps for is alcohol - v expensive compared to US, UK, Aust; but might be cheaper than Dubai ... no idea.
And of course, like anywhere, if you want to buy branded goods you'll be spending big.
Re: schools -- these are expensive if you've got kids and want to send them to expat schools.
Re: jobs -- this is a problem at the moment. Singapore is not untouched by the current crisis. Lots of tech / IT jobs here are already with 'cheaper' employees ie. from India / China (which helps as the four official languages here are Eng / Mandarin / Malay / Tamil) ... so unless your partner has a super specialised skill that only he can perform, it's highly unlikely that you'll find work easily at the moment.
But that doesn't mean dont try ...
Singapore is the perfect blend of East and West for me ... it's got all the benefits of Asia - culture, food, colour, languages, communal attitude - and all the best of Europe/Aust - safe, clean, ease of lifestyle, health, fashion, freedom for women etc ...
The weather is hot and humid -- but everything is airconditioned -- the shopping is awesome and the people are lovely ...
And on top of this the govt actively wants expats to come here ... but yeah, there are problems re: getting visas ... if you don't have a job (or certain huge ammount of cash) you can't get a visa ... and also visa versa kind of ...
I know, I know ... I sound like I should work for the tourism association
but really ... Singapore is great