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The cost of living in Singapore isn’t high. Especially compared to Australia. But to have a family in Singapore? One of the reasons I just left… Health insuran

The cost of living in Singapore isn’t high. Especially compared to Australia. But to have a family in Singapore? One of the reasons I just left… Health insurance is given to all employees if a company has > 50 employees. (Otherwise it’s up to the company if they want to give health insurance)

jb1991 5y ago
I have some friends who pay 3000 Singapore dollars for a rather small one bedroom apartment, I would definitely consider that a high cost of living.
- dehrmann 5y ago
  Still cheaper than SF.
- philliphaydon 5y ago
  I rented a 1350sqf apartment with 4 bedrooms for $2500, 28th floor, next to a mall with 24/hr super market, and 2m walk to the MRT station. Singapore is cheap to live in. It can be expensive if you choose to live a high roller life style. All studies for the cost of living in singapore include things for expats that you don’t need, like owning a car.
  - jb1991 5y ago
    I'm guessing you were pretty far out from the center. That price doesn't align with the experiences of people I'm close to who live there, and who I have visited. But they do live in a more central area. Also, the HDB-style housing is often less expensive, as some are pretty run down and not likely popular with expats, but they are cheaper.
    - philliphaydon 5y ago
      I lived in Singapore for 10 years in both HDB and condo. Close to the cbd and far. HDB can be run down yes, but most are not. They simply do not have things like gym and pool. Majority of the expats will get a condo first and then realise they don’t use any of this stuff and later change to HDB. Condos are often poorly constructed. I lived in a condo that had just been finished about 6 months earlier. In Jurong east called j gateway. It’s one of the worst buildings I’ve ever been in. They put tiles on the floor that are meant for walls, and the floor to the shower is flat so the water pools and don’t run out causing water splotches. Anyway my point is: Singapore is cheap to live in. If you want to live near the cbd (unsure why cos most expats prefer to socialise around Holland village) then you have to pay for it. If you don’t want to eat locally and instead order grab food or eat at restaurants then yeah it’s expensive. But that doesn’t make Singapore expensive to live in, your chosen life style is expensive.
- thehappypm 5y ago
  Singapore is a highly socialized nation. You don’t need a car, at all. You won’t pay for medicine. Hawker meals are $2.
  - esyir 5y ago
    You most certainly pay for medicine. Even for the subsidised polyclinics, where wait times average at 2h, you'll still have to pay the subsidised rate. They're not prohibitive, but to a certain extent, you pay with time rather than money, unless you pick a private clinic. Similarly, that $2 hawker meal is rather outdated now.
    - philliphaydon 5y ago
      2h wait times? No way in 10 years I never once waited more than 15m!
      - esyir 5y ago
        I'll say that I've never waited less than an hour. Usually more than that.

jb1991 5y ago

I have some friends who pay 3000 Singapore dollars for a rather small one bedroom apartment, I would definitely consider that a high cost of living.

dehrmann 5y ago
Still cheaper than SF.
philliphaydon 5y ago
I rented a 1350sqf apartment with 4 bedrooms for $2500, 28th floor, next to a mall with 24/hr super market, and 2m walk to the MRT station. Singapore is cheap to live in. It can be expensive if you choose to live a high roller life style. All studies for the cost of living in singapore include things for expats that you don’t need, like owning a car.
- jb1991 5y ago
  I'm guessing you were pretty far out from the center. That price doesn't align with the experiences of people I'm close to who live there, and who I have visited. But they do live in a more central area. Also, the HDB-style housing is often less expensive, as some are pretty run down and not likely popular with expats, but they are cheaper.
  - philliphaydon 5y ago
    I lived in Singapore for 10 years in both HDB and condo. Close to the cbd and far. HDB can be run down yes, but most are not. They simply do not have things like gym and pool. Majority of the expats will get a condo first and then realise they don’t use any of this stuff and later change to HDB. Condos are often poorly constructed. I lived in a condo that had just been finished about 6 months earlier. In Jurong east called j gateway. It’s one of the worst buildings I’ve ever been in. They put tiles on the floor that are meant for walls, and the floor to the shower is flat so the water pools and don’t run out causing water splotches. Anyway my point is: Singapore is cheap to live in. If you want to live near the cbd (unsure why cos most expats prefer to socialise around Holland village) then you have to pay for it. If you don’t want to eat locally and instead order grab food or eat at restaurants then yeah it’s expensive. But that doesn’t make Singapore expensive to live in, your chosen life style is expensive.
thehappypm 5y ago
Singapore is a highly socialized nation. You don’t need a car, at all. You won’t pay for medicine. Hawker meals are $2.
- esyir 5y ago
  You most certainly pay for medicine. Even for the subsidised polyclinics, where wait times average at 2h, you'll still have to pay the subsidised rate. They're not prohibitive, but to a certain extent, you pay with time rather than money, unless you pick a private clinic. Similarly, that $2 hawker meal is rather outdated now.
  - philliphaydon 5y ago
    2h wait times? No way in 10 years I never once waited more than 15m!
    - esyir 5y ago
      I'll say that I've never waited less than an hour. Usually more than that.