Is Singapore really as expensive as we think it to be?
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I would say it's like a double-edged sword. We lose some and we gain some.
But you know its expensive living here when you find everything cheap in malaysia.. For example a packet of fisherman's friend costs $2 here in Singapore but around 60 cents in Malaysia and buying a car here can land you 5 condos in malaysia.. Property wise its really expensive here.. In Singapore as long you are hardworking you are still able to put 3 proper meals on your table.
Price of everything including coffee at the coffeeshops and our transport fares are increasing regularly but our salaries are fixed. We are losing against inflation. When you compare taking a taxi here and in Japan.. i would say we are lucky enough that the taxis here are not as expensive in Japan.. It will cost you around $50SGD in Japan just to travel for 5-7km.. in Singapore it costs you only $10SGD and $20 SGD (peak hour surcharge/midnight surcharge?) Of course lah.. everything that is done has their reasons.. For example, getting a car here is so expensive the SG gahment must give us alternatives to move around.. For eg more convenient and reliable public transport tools.
But for food wise.. its considered cheap compared to in Canada and in the US.. For instance, the food courts in Canada are all tax chargable and its a shocking 17%..
it is expensive living here but its all worth it as the security and peace here is top notch.
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i don't thinK Sg is as ex as ppl claim it to b. a lot of free/cheap events for sgreans to enjoy themselves..
now events also go to neighbourhoods liao not only cbd/ bras basah area.
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Originally posted by Jasonceen9181:
Houses and car lah,,, rest its cheap
Sadly these are the last two things and only two things where we can have a space in Singapore. And if these two spaces are even harder to reach, don't even see the need of continue living here. The world is so big and everyone is stuck here, struggling to fight for a proper living space and gets enslaved monetary for life.
Pathetic, isn't it? -
Sg is pathetic. Still have my nice beach view with bikini babes here.
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I just like to go to Thailand for shopping
it's just soooo cheap.. compare to Singapore -
This is a theory, not an argument.
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I think that the costs of doing business is very high! Imagine that if youuse ONE staple on 2 sheets of paper and try to post in a standard size envelope will cost S$0.60.. If no staple than S$0.30. So the staple costs $0.30 to use. When I questioned this - I was told that the staple is made of metal and may spoil Singpost's highly automated machines so enevelopes which contain staples have to be manually handled. I wonder who chose these machines which cannot manage staples?
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When prices rise and salaries don't, the cost of living is treated as high. That's the core of the problem.
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Singapore is quite expensive in comparison to European countriues and VERY expensive in comperison with countries like Thailand, Indonesia or Cambodjia :)
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It depends actually on what we are looking at. Of course housing, cars and the likes are super expensive. But areas such as education, its the same fees as countries like Australia if you convert the currency (I am talking about local and international fees). Food on the other hand is diverse, you can find all kinds of food, at different prices depending on the places you go to have your meal. Other stuff like electronics, groceries is almost the same price (I compared them to some countries like Australia, UAE- Dubai) - its almost same price.
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Fresh air is expensive in Sg.
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I stayed in Japan for 2 years+~ This is what I think (compared to Tokyo)
If we talking about basic stuff like food and transport actually SG cheaper.
Our hawkers and public transport much cheaper.
But if we talk about the luxuries of life~ Drinks...Nice Restaurants...Attractions... Singapore would be more expensive~
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If we compare it to the euro or american dollar, Singapore's exchange rate is lower. However, Singapore is a small country unlike Europe or America. Yes, Singapore is very expensive. Isn't it better that our economy is so good tho.
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Not really in my opinion the food in singapore is actually really cheap
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How does the US dollar fare in Singapore?
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Singapore is definitely very expensive. A can of Illy Coffee cost 6-8 Euro in Europe but 24SGD in Singapore.
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Originally posted by Mememiao:
Singapore is definitely very expensive. A can of Illy Coffee cost 6-8 Euro in Europe but 24SGD in Singapore.
oh yes. coffee is certainly a good gauge
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I drink home brewed coffee, not expensive.
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yes higher than other countries
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I dont think it is too bad.... i personally think london is more expensive - transport alone is more than triple the amount at least.
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Europe can be more expensive than Singapore, as can many cities in East Asia.
But you need to think about lifestyle. Chinese food is more expensive in London than it is in Beijing.
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nowadays, living cost very high. not only in SG, but also in MY
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Having lived in India, Malaysia and now SG, i can tell that SG are a very fortunate bunch. But i somehow feel alot of people are unhappy and always complaining. But I really can't tell why (yet). Maybe it's just a matter of expectation.
I don't know if living costs are really rising drastically as i've not been here long enough to a do a comparison with the past. But when i compared what I earn VS what I can afford to buy - India, Malaysia, Singapore... there is no comparison. Singapore wins hands down.
For example, I can move around anywhere in SG for work with less than 20 dollars in my NETS card and still cover 3 meals a day. But in Malaysia, you can't even do that with RM30 (and the salaries are even marginally higher dollar for dollar). In Bangalore (harder comparison since we use Rupees)... good luck!
And have you considered that most people i know for my 3 years in Malaysia carry some level of credit card debt? Some are suffocating. This is something I haven't seen here in Singapore. Read this yourself - http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/04/02/household-debt-on-the-rise/
So is living costs rising? Likely. But don't ever get to thinking Singaporeans have it any harder than us in India or other parts of the world.