How much can an actuary make?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

150k pa for an expat is considered way too low. Remember that the spouse usually doesn't work and that the kids' education is relatively more expensive even if they attend local schools. Rental will be another major burden. I would say overall quality of life will be worse than that of a typical Singaporean family living in a 5-room HDB flat.

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure not to sell myself short when the time comes. What level of salary would an expat family of 2+2 need for a very comfortable life in Singapore ?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

What's wrong with his post?

For you to ask this question clearly implies that you are not working in engineering.... There is no way a junior engineer can start by earning 5k... The average junior engineer earns only about 2.5k - 3.5k... Engineers can earn so much... Nobody will be jumping into finance from engineering......

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure not to sell myself short when the time comes. What level of salary would an expat family of 2+2 need for a very comfortable life in Singapore ?

Depends on how comfortable, and how much savings u need, and whether housing and schooling is covered by your expat package.

The key costs are:
- housing : approx $70k pa. $5.5k (for mid tier expat) to $25k (for orchard living) per month
- international schools : $30k per kid per annum
- maid : $12k to 15k per annum (including food for maid, and misc)
- car : $25k per annum (for mid tier car, including petrol. Insurance, rd tax, parking etc)
- taxes : can assume 10 to 15% in aggregate
- living expenses : $25k pa. 2k per month for the family if you aren't extravagant

So as u can see, just basic expenses for a mid tier expat putting kids thru international school are approx $190k pa, excluding taxes. If u dun mind living in hdb, no car, no maid, cheaper schools, u can get by on more local terms.