Singapore living expenses

[ani_india]

I have two job offers 1 > in Singapore, Salary 84,000 PA
2> Bangalore, 17L PA
I have 9+ years of IT experience & currently working in Kolkata, India.

There is not much difference in terms of Organization & content of work. What I am looking for is a decent living & good saving. I know it would be easy for my wife to get a job in Bangalore but not sure about Singapore.
Can I maintain a good living & have some savings in Singapore with this salary?

[ecureilx]

if you are being offering 84,000 PA, in SGD, well, that's a fair salary .. and decent enough

If you are not a pretty frugal person, but not a lavish type - you can secure a 2 bedroom apartment for 2,000 and eat and live for another 2,000 per month ..

Do the maths

If the offer is in USD, well, it is great

Note that despite Singapore being tagged as a rich country, the average annual home income is less than 40,000 or so ..

[ani_india]

Thanks Ecureilx
It’s in Singapore Dollar

I am planning to go alone & stay there for 3-6 mnths. I hope my wife ‘ll get a job within this time as she has 9+ years of exp & quite good in her field.
After going through this forum & a lot of google, I came up with below budget for the initial 3-6 months period
Accommodation (1 Room ) : 1200-1500
Food : 600
Transport : 150
Misc Exp : 350
So Total expense should be around 2300 – 2600

Please let me know if this looks good or should I add something more.

[ecureilx]

Originally Posted by ani_india

Accommodation (1 Room ) : 1200-1500
Food : 600
Transport : 150
Misc Exp : 350
So Total expense should be around 2300 – 2600

Please let me know if this looks good or should I add something more.

So, this is where you start to hate me ..

in other words, you plan to save up 4,400 per month and live on 1/3 the pay ? hmmm

while it is not wrong to plan to save the maximum, or plan to save as much as possible, it is pretty scary when you have not put aside money or accommodate stuff like - an occasional taxi - about 20 $ or so per trip, depending on where you work vs where you stay, or a medical emergency - say, removal of wisdom tooth at 350 $, or .. say, a craving for good indian food, at 30 $ a meal, once a week .. and .. oh, well, don't forget, income tax at 15% approx .. and an occasional dress for yourself, and a local colleagues dinner invite, a movie .. oh, wait, you haven't calculated the calls you will make to home, plus local phone usage .. and the list is NOT exhaustive ..

The saving grace is, if you are going to live alone, you can find a common room - i.e. room with a shared toilet, for less than 800, if you don't mind spending 30 minutes a day for travel.

And then again, with the tightening of the rental rules, the cheaper rental places may just evaporate ..

If you ask me, I would play safe, expect to spend 3,500 a month, including the stuff that 'you get to know .. ' like buying thing and then finding you can buy the same stuff, cheaper elsewhere .. ' .. it includes 'Indian' Indian food, which can set you back by 30$ or much more .. then you find out a food court which serves the same dish, at street food price of 5 $ - never mind the ambiance ..

[lorgnette]

Accommodation (1 Room ) : one room rental has no kitchen facilities. Most LL prefer 1-2 year rental terms common rooms are 600-900 and master bedroom ($1k-1.7k depends ensuite or common bathroom and location)
Food : 600- doable for hawker centers B @$2-5 L/D @$5-10
Transport : 150 depends on commute distance -MRT trains is currently offering a considerable discount before peak. If you are morning early riser, it will be beneficial for your rides (see website for details)
Misc Exp : 350 doable dep on budget 3K first month. Costs of living is high but if you cook at home or have local cuisine the costs could be lower.

Welcome to Singapore!

[ani_india]

Thanks again.
Just to clarify I don’t plan to save 4400..I would be more than happy if I can save 2000 after paying tax and other expenses.. but now I think thats a pipe dream

If I consider an expense of 3500 + 1000 tax then total expense 4500..

Wow!!! thats huge amount...

Now I know why people say singapore is an expensive city...
I have to think about other Pros & Cons before accepting this offer..

I wanted to know what are the real expenses…having gone through many post I came to the conclusion that it’s not really possible to know your expenses unless you spent some time in Singapore..

NB:
Anyway my wife always says you can afford doesn’t men you need to afford...

[ecureilx]

Originally Posted by ani_india

Thanks again.
Just to clarify I don’t plan to save 4400..I would be more than happy if I can save 2000 after paying tax and other expenses.. but now I think thats a pipe dream

Not a pipe dream, a lot of people are living super-frugal, and do save up that much or more .. then again, a lot don't - and still have a good life here.

Like some ASEAN expats I know, who earn less than 3,000 S$ a month, and every 3 months or so they are able to take an overseas holiday, or a flight back home -

I wanted to know what are the real expenses…having gone through many post I came to the conclusion that it’s not really possible to know your expenses unless you spent some time in Singapore..

Exactly that is what I try to tell people, and not many will like my answer: unless you are here, you don't know how much you will end up spending

An example: a friend was living in Sengkang, and travelling to Raffles place daily - a commute of about 45 minutes. And an occasional late night work cost him something like 20$ for taxi per trip ..

To save cost, especially since his employer doesn't pay for late night taxi after work, he found a place closer to Little India, a bit expensive than the previous place, and is like 10 minutes to work, and an occasional late night work - taxi home cost less than 10 $,

But now, he gets 'good' indian food and he is now whining that his meals, on an average day, costs about 10 dollar, just for dinner, and more than 20 $ on weekends. You know, North Indian meals can cost that much or more. Chicken curry + Lamb curry + naan can set you back by 24 $ or more .. heck, even 'authentic' Indian Bryani can cost upwards of 12 $. And it is a tough thing to resist, when you see the nice food, vs localised versions of the same food.

now, localised Indian food, like local briyani/prata etc, which can set up back by less than 4 $ or 5 $ at the most. Or Chicken rice could be had at $ 2.50 or mixed rice at $ 2.

And I did hear once an expat complaining that it is expensive in Singapore, compared to Tokyo or Dubai, and he is struggling on his 120,000 S$ PA salary, well, which is a lot when you consider him being on expat terms ..

So the answer is the same: you can make do for less than 2,000 $ PM, like a lot of entry level people do, or struggle with more than 10,000 $ PM

NB:
Anyway my wife always says you can afford doesn’t men you need to afford...

Well, she is smart I guess ...

[ani_india]

Thanks ecureilx for all your words!!!
I really appreciate your time & effort.

I have decided to go ahead with my plan & ‘ll travel to singapore on Mid of Sep.

Not thinking much about income, expense & savings…Just want to enjoy the place & the culture..

[lorgnette]

Ani-i,

yes, thinking adventurous is the right way to go. Enjoy yourself the first two months to know your spending budget and provide a fair estimate for the year. Life is not about spending and saving but it is also about living--wisely.

Hence, the more prep you have, the cheaper to live in Singapore. It is an expensive city -- there are limited difference in prices on commodities. eg., Tokyo, supposed to be more expensive, has supermarkets and restaurants and departmental stores in suburbs where prices are reasonable compared to main drag. On our island city, there is little comparison except expensive and more expensive outlets in everything from electronics to groceries to restaurants.

As you will witness in crowded restaurants and food courts even weekends, majority of residents eat out, and this habit drives prices up too. To reverse high cost of living, eating in abates costs with groceries affordable for a healthier lifestyle.

Further, the Indian community is established, enclaves with grocery, restaurants, textile, hair salons and massage and departmental stores with relatively economical prices. Two popular places frequent by expats, other Asian visitors and locals: Tekka market and Mustapha Departmental store surrounded by a huge array of Indian N/S authentic dishes happily communicating in their regional dialects and English--welcoming you warmly to your second home during your stay.

Have a glorious adventure in Singaporean experiences.

[wesmant]

One way to save on transport: ride motorbike (small ones! Like vespa, honda CBF)

I've just got my bike license for a month plus, and i am so very amazed how cheap transport on a vespa. I spend less than 50bucks a month in operational cost (less than 100 bucks a month in total)! So much cheaper than 2 months back when I spent at least 1200 a month on my car! Haha.
Even when I started counting transport budget with public transport, it's still more expensive than my vespa

So, settle ur bike license, convert when u first reached singapore, and ride bike! This won't restrict u from choosing a place to stay, even to the ceapest area (probably Marsiling or Chua Chu Kang or Bt Panjang-off BPP), u simply ride your bike!

Do note if you are to take ur license in Singapore (not converting), it'll take u at least 5 months. I can do it since i know how to ride bike for almost 20 years and am familiar with singapore traffic rules since i normally drive. If you are not that familiar, one expat guy from sydney who happen to had a bike lesson with me said it took him almost a year to the last lesson. Plus have to wait for another 2 months for Traffic police test, if you can pass at the first attempt! Otherwise, another 2 months

Good luck and enjoy Singapore!