Being an expat: Cost of living really that high? Tips to save money on daily expenses in Singapore
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มิ.ย. 2024
- A lot of people tend to believe that Singapore is a really expensive place to live. While it certainly isn't the cheapest country to live in, I still think it's worth giving you a glimpse into some general everyday spending and what factors to consider around budget if you're looking to move here.
Along the way, I provide some tips on saving money here and there, which can go a long way if you make a habit out of it! These tips are probably a big reason as to why we're able to survive and live here in Singapore as an expat!
Timeline:
0:00 Intro
0:55 Rent
3:09 Types of accommodations
4:49 Food
8:37 Transportation
11:40 Utilities
14:57 Weekend activities
16:22 Bonus tip!
Feel free to follow Harry (@golferboyhc) on Instagram: golferboyhc
Filmed on: Sony ZV-1 and Google Pixel 4a
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Hope to hear and warch more like this bro..tnx
Vero good video and your English is great bro, cheers.
Thank you for sharing those tips 🙂🙏
Of course!! :)
Like in a lot of Asia, there actually are quite a decent amount of affordable housing options, but whether or not they'll be real options depends on your own expectation management. If you want to replicate a North American lifestyle of a single family detached home or townhouse, eating at full service restaurants every week, having a car(s), etc. you are going to pay through the nose.
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Nice information
Drink at e coffeeshop or hawker! $6.80 for a big bottle of tiger, serves 2 mugs or go to value spots like stickies bar
Good suggestions!
Great 😊
Hey man, just discovered this channel whilst scouring YT for any expat tips on Singapore. Thanks so much for this! My own (planned) move is years off, but because I never moved abroad before, I'm nervous and already trying to research very well in advance, haha.
Btw, have two questions that I hope you'll answer.
I may have misunderstood with regard to housing, but is it at all possible to rent on the cheaper side and live completely alone, not sharing a bathroom or kitchen with anyone? I myself don't really care much for all that much amenities anyway and want to live outside the CBD. Edit: Okay, just found a site, and I see that shophouses do indeed fit the bill. A few are going for S$1500.
The other is relocation and setups costs, especially for a single person who'd only bring over so much as a few suitcases in total.
Is there an estimate of what that is, or where I can find more info on that? Struggling with this one. When one looks at moving to Canada, as an example, they neatly lay out everything very directly on a site (moving costs for 1-4 people, visa process fees, etc.) and whoo boy, does that get expensive, from $15k-$20k for one person. I rather hope it won't be that expensive for Singapore.
Hey! Glad you found this helpful. To help answer your questions:
- You certainly can find a living accommodation outside the CBD at reasonable prices even solo in a one bedroom or studio. But it's hard to know without knowing your actual budget for this. So what I'd suggest use propertyguru.com.sg to look at some areas and pricing.
- We did something similar where we just had a bunch of suitcases and ended up getting all furniture and stuff after finding a place. $15-20k sounds like you're moving a lot of stuff, but if you're just bringing over suitcases, you'll just need to consider airfare and baggage costs. If you plan to ship anything over, it could get costly assuming you can't fly with everything you plan to bring over. You'll also need to find a temp home perhaps while you look for a more long term place to stay (I'd recommend that so you can get a feel for the areas instead of relying on just pics online).
Hope this stuff helps!
Thank you so much for the response!
Bookmarked that site, thanks! Shophouses indeed seem to be the best option for cheap rent and basic amenities. One even popped up that's S$1200 and is close to active bus routes too.
Eeeyyy, awesome! The single biggest stress of all is of course the funds, because my country of South Africa's exchange rate is in a bad spot, so not having to save up tens of thousands of dollars is a mountain off my shoulders.
Thank you again, I shall keep an eye on more of your vids over the years. ^^ All the best!
Hi bro thanks for this...This is very helpful bro..God willing to move there in NUH within 3 months
Glad it was helpful and good luck with the move!!!
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sg is crazy expensive ! you are right , unless you live like 80% singaporeans lifestyles : live in public housing HDB (crowded flats) ; take bus and mrt (cramped, squeezed) ; eat at hawker centres (noisy, crowded, hot sweaty)
SG is definitely a dense city so indeed you’ll feel a bit cramped. But depending on your personality some folks may actually appreciate it (like us 😅)
It’s funny comparing cost of living in Singapore to New Zealand since we have slightly cheaper rent and everything else (food, bus, bills) the same or more expensive… then we have way more tax. On S$60k per year (NZ$70.25k) we will pay 20.1% average tax but a tax resident in Singapore pays 3.25% average :( if only I could get a job there the money I’d save on tax would pay most of my living expenses
Yeah!! Taxes suck elsewhere!! It was the same scenario for being in the US. Almost half a paycheck goes straight to taxes
in the news : a usa expat family rent a bungalow in sg, the monthly rent is sgd300,000 ! yes, your eyes did not read wrongly of extra zeroes... (his wife complained about how expensive is sg ! even more ex than hongkong $$$$$ !
😱. I’d say that probably applies to a very minority group of expats 😅
Are the prices shown the American dollar equivalent, or are they in Singapore currency?
Just in Singapore dollars!
do you have video on salary range to link up the cost to salary
I don't... Sorry! But I'd recommend using a website like Glassdoor to review salary ranges depending on the type of work you do. It's very helpful.
fresh degree grad is from sgd1400, 1600, 1800, 2000 to 3500, depends on which faculty and your results grades ... (some law pupils interns only sgd800) , while the sg gov pays higher than private companies
is it 1500$ enough for living in Singapore per month who shares their room with friends? please reply
It would be a bit of a challenge to live with that amount BUT I think it's possible. If you are willing to room with others further outside of the city and eat more frequently at home or at hawker centres then you can do it.
Please I want to relocate to Singapore 🇸🇬 ,am from Ghana ,can you help me.
you must have at least a diploma and 2,3 years working experience, else fresh inexperienced general certificates is almost impossible
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Oh, your water and electricity bill is pretty low...my friends are paying 160 per month for two persons in a small studio apartment!
😂 I think because we're pretty eco conscious
May i know the basis of income tax deduction?
Hi! So Singapore uses a tiered income tax approach so it varies based on your salary and which bracket you’re in. I would say as a whole though it’s a very reasonable tax rate and much better than the US :)
more info here: www.iras.gov.sg/taxes/individual-income-tax/basics-of-individual-income-tax/tax-residency-and-tax-rates/individual-income-tax-rates