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-   -   Relocating to Singapore with 7XXX/month ? (https://forums.salary.sg/income-jobs/10270-relocating-singapore-7xxx-month.html)

alexshr 15-03-2018 12:39 AM

Relocating to Singapore with 7XXX/month ?
 
Hi guys,

I have got offer from the company in Singapore. The company is offereing me S$ 7XXX monthly without any accomodation.

Currently, I am the only one working so I will have to take care for both of us.

Do you guys think this amount is enough for the family of two people?

Here are my initial findings:

1) Rent : HBD 2500 - 3000
2) Electricity - 220
3) Meal : 20 * 30 days = 600
4) internet : 75
6) telephone, phone bills : 12

So far looks like rent is the highest expense:

I also want to save some savings, but looking at the current expense it looks like I won't be able to save any :(

Can you guys please share your experiences and suggest me whether I should consider relocating or not?

Thanks in Advance,
Alex

Unregistered 15-03-2018 08:49 AM

if you are not Singaporean, please don't come to our country and compete with the unemployed here. You are not welcome!

Unregistered 15-03-2018 08:53 AM

now I understand why Australians accused us of stealing their jobs when I was studying there..

Paxie 15-03-2018 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexshr (Post 105691)
Hi guys,

I have got offer from the company in Singapore. The company is offereing me S$ 7XXX monthly without any accomodation.

Currently, I am the only one working so I will have to take care for both of us.

Do you guys think this amount is enough for the family of two people?

Here are my initial findings:

1) Rent : HBD 2500 - 3000
2) Electricity - 220
3) Meal : 20 * 30 days = 600
4) internet : 75
6) telephone, phone bills : 12

So far looks like rent is the highest expense:

I also want to save some savings, but looking at the current expense it looks like I won't be able to save any :(

Can you guys please share your experiences and suggest me whether I should consider relocating or not?

Thanks in Advance,
Alex

Alex

Some of your numbers are quite off and you are also missing out some important items.

Your meal cost at $10 for 3 meals per head per day can only work if you & your wife live like low income families and only eat the cheapest food item in the hawker centre or coffee shop every single day.

For normal middle class lifestyle combination of coffee shop, food court, cafe and the occasional restaurant, you will need to at least double that. FYI a simple meal & drink in food court for 2 costs ~$12-$15 whereas a low to mid end cafe burns $40-$50 for 2 pax.

Meal : 40 * 30 days = $1200

Your telephone bill also not very realistic. Assuming you and your wife both get lower end mobile plans with data, that's going to be ~$40 per subscription.

telephone, phone bills : 40 x 2 lines = $80

Also you are missing out transport, which can cost quite a bit depending on your options. If both of you choose the cheapest public transport, you will need ~$150 and maybe your wife travel less ~$100. If you are targeting taxis everywhere, then generally you need $1-1.2k. For the more expensive option of leasing cars, the cheapest car lease is $1500 per month plus expense so maybe $2000 a month.

Transport: $250 (public), $1000-$1200 (taxi), $2000 (car). For normal middle class lifestyle combination of mainly public plus occasional taxi I would say $400 is realistic.

Also you need to budget for all the daily nity gritty household expenses besides just utilities, conservatively I would say you should put aside at least $200 monthly.

Household miscellaneous: $200

Then on a more personal note, I hope you are not expecting your wife to simply stay at home for 365 days a year. Looking at your income, I don't think she will be able to mix around with the expat spousal community, so I would just assume some normal middle class local recreation.

Wife Outing/Recreation: $300-$500 (this is more personal choice).

Don't forget tax either. As a foreigner, most likely the only income tax deductible you are going to qualify is a general $1k line. On the basis of $90k income, that will will incur an approximate tax bill of $4400.

Tax: $365 monthly

I am assuming in terms of medical & insurance your company covers everything for both you and your spouse. Otherwise you need to set aside some money as well since medical services ain't cheap in Singapore either. Especially if your company never cover major medical for spouse, must buy something for wife. Otherwise one emergency stay in a Singapore hospital without local subsidy can costs 5 or even 6 figure amounts.

In summary, on a household income basis, $7k+ is considered below median (low-middle income) by Singapore standards. However because you incur additional expenses as a foreigner, chances are your income after deducting for necessities will likely be at the end of low income family.

I just lay down the numbers, it's up to you to decide whether this lifestyle is suitable for you and your wife.

alexshr 15-03-2018 02:13 PM

Thank you for detailed reply
 
Hi Paxie,

Thank you for the very detailed breakdown. Also, thank you for pointing out the bits that I missed in my initial research:

Here are the list of things that are likely to remain same throughout every month. Other than that some household expense, utilities might fluctuate.

1) Rent : HBD 2500 - 3000
2) Electricity : 220
3) Meal : 40 * 30 = 1200
4) internet : 75
6) telephone, phone bills : 40 * 2 = 80
7) Transportation : 150 (public)
8) Household : 200
9) Wife outfit : 500 (optional)

= (7XXX - tax)-(3000 + 220 + 1200 + 75 + 80 + 150 + 200 + 500)

Given that I also have to send money back home to support my family, it looks like I won't be able to save enough for myself.

Is there any other things that I need to worry about other than the things listed above ?

@unregistered

Quote:

if you are not Singaporean, please don't come to our country and compete with the unemployed here. You are not welcome!
No hard feelings, I completely understand you. I pity myself that I have to leave my own country for newer opportunities. It's a very hard choice to make but at the end of the day, we all have to meet our daily needs. You can imagine living as expat where you won't be able to enjoy the privileges that we all enjoy back home.

Thank you,
Alex

alexshr 15-03-2018 02:21 PM

Hi Paxie,

Thank you for the very detailed breakdown. Also, thank you for pointing out the bits that I missed in my initial research:

Here are the list of things that are likely to remain same throughout every month. Other than that some household expense, utilities might fluctuate.

1) Rent : HBD 2500 - 3000
2) Electricity : 220
3) Meal : 40 * 30 = 1200
4) internet : 75
6) telephone, phone bills : 40 * 2 = 80
7) Transportation : 150 (public)
8) Household : 200
9) Wife outfit : 500 (optional)

= (7XXX - tax)-(3000 + 220 + 1200 + 75 + 80 + 150 + 200 + 500)

Given that I also have to send money back home to support my family, it looks like I won't be able to keep enough for myself. I will be struggling on it.

Is there any other things that I need to take care about other than the ones listed above?

@unregistered
Quote:

if you are not Singaporean, please don't come to our country and compete with the unemployed here. You are not welcome!
No hard feelings, I completely understand you. I pity myself that I have to leave my own country for newer opportunities. It's a very hard choice to make but at the end of the day, we all have to meet our daily needs.

Thank you,
Alex

Unregistered 16-03-2018 09:24 PM

$7000 pm for two persons is more than sufficient.

Why stay in a HDB flat?
You can rent a small condo in Woodlands for less than $2k pm.
You can enjoy the many facilities in the condo.
If you take public transport and eat at hawker centres or food court,
you can live well.

Wish you the best in your new job.


Quote:

Originally Posted by alexshr (Post 105691)
Hi guys,

I have got offer from the company in Singapore. The company is offereing me S$ 7XXX monthly without any accomodation.

Currently, I am the only one working so I will have to take care for both of us.

Do you guys think this amount is enough for the family of two people?

Here are my initial findings:

1) Rent : HBD 2500 - 3000
2) Electricity - 220
3) Meal : 20 * 30 days = 600
4) internet : 75
6) telephone, phone bills : 12

So far looks like rent is the highest expense:

I also want to save some savings, but looking at the current expense it looks like I won't be able to save any :(

Can you guys please share your experiences and suggest me whether I should consider relocating or not?

Thanks in Advance,
Alex


Unregistered 17-03-2018 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexshr (Post 105726)
Hi Paxie,

Thank you for the very detailed breakdown. Also, thank you for pointing out the bits that I missed in my initial research:

Here are the list of things that are likely to remain same throughout every month. Other than that some household expense, utilities might fluctuate.

1) Rent : HBD 2500 - 3000
2) Electricity : 220
3) Meal : 40 * 30 = 1200
4) internet : 75
6) telephone, phone bills : 40 * 2 = 80
7) Transportation : 150 (public)
8) Household : 200
9) Wife outfit : 500 (optional)

= (7XXX - tax)-(3000 + 220 + 1200 + 75 + 80 + 150 + 200 + 500)

Given that I also have to send money back home to support my family, it looks like I won't be able to save enough for myself.

Is there any other things that I need to worry about other than the things listed above ?

@unregistered


No hard feelings, I completely understand you. I pity myself that I have to leave my own country for newer opportunities. It's a very hard choice to make but at the end of the day, we all have to meet our daily needs. You can imagine living as expat where you won't be able to enjoy the privileges that we all enjoy back home.

Thank you,
Alex

Hi Alex,

Ignore that idiot.

Anyway, some of your numbers seem a tad off. Mobile phone bills would at least be SGD60 each (assuming both you and your partner are going for a standard data plan);

Electricity might not be that high, SGD150 - 180 / month for two, assuming you guys don't turn on your water heater and AC unit the 3/4 of the day...

Household = 200.. this seems way understated. I'm not sure what would be both of your lifestyles like.. but assuming your wife is going to cook 3/4 of the week and taking care of the household.. realistically, the figure will more be around 500/month at least (food, cooking stuffs, cleaning, general household supplies, etc.)

Meal = 40/day for two? You may want to elaborate more? Breakfast, lunch or dinner? What is your preference? Cost for eating out in SG varies wildly. Locals / asians would eat out at foodcourts / hawker centres (google them - there is where the good stuffs are).. but i know for a fact most Caucasians (female generally) don't like those places... smelly(?), hot, noisy, etc.

Lastly, do you know where is your office at or any preferred area you want to stay at? Your monthly cost of upkeep is also critically dependent on these two factors. If you stay in a 'posh' area, do expect the cost of amenities nearby to be expensive. If you stay in the 'heartland' area as with 70% of people, for the same amenities you can perhaps halve the cost compared to the former.

Unregistered 17-03-2018 12:08 PM

It is better to live in the suburban areas such as Jurong, Yishun, Woodlands.
You can get cheap rents for condos and can buy cheap food from hawker centres.
If you stay in posh areas, things are not cheap.

Unregistered 17-03-2018 05:40 PM

Generally speaking, I don't encourage a foreigner with only 7k income for 2 adults to stay in Singapore unless you are really here to live like a pauper and squeeze every single cent into savings for a better future back home.

You never say where you are from. If you are from a developed country and expect to maintain similar decent lifestyle then I can more or less guarantee 7k will never work out for both of you. If you are from a developing country with much lower living standards compared to Singapore, in theory you can push down your lifestyles to the lowest possible and still have some savings to send home.

But I reckon there won't be much left, maybe S$2k at max every month. However this will literally require both of you to just eat cheap, work and sleep every day. Not sure how long most people can last like that.

Unregistered 17-03-2018 06:51 PM

$7k pm is a lot of money for two adults.

Rent in a 1 bedroom condo in Woodlands $1700 pm
Food (at hawker centres and food court) and groceries, including lunch at work $2000 pm
Public transport $300 pm
Utilities $150 pm
Entertainment $500 pm
Misc $500 pm
Total $5150 pm
Savings $1850 pm

Unregistered 17-03-2018 08:21 PM

it really depends on how you maintain your lifestyle. 7k for a expat couple in SG may be over-stretching your own wallet at the end of every month.

If you are willing to conform to the living standards / preferences of the rest of 70% singaporeans, that is to eat out at hawker centres, getting your household supplies from local supermarts, etc then life shouldn't be that difficult. You'll still get to indulge in fancy stuffs and/or go for holidays once a while.

Some of the expats i know found it rough to adjust their diet to our local food. They prefer to skip hawkers and go for something more hipster-ish, getting their household supplies from specialty stores and etc.

Better talk to your partner first.

Unregistered 17-03-2018 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered (Post 105854)
it really depends on how you maintain your lifestyle. 7k for a expat couple in SG may be over-stretching your own wallet at the end of every month.

If you are willing to conform to the living standards / preferences of the rest of 70% singaporeans, that is to eat out at hawker centres, getting your household supplies from local supermarts, etc then life shouldn't be that difficult. You'll still get to indulge in fancy stuffs and/or go for holidays once a while.

Some of the expats i know found it rough to adjust their diet to our local food. They prefer to skip hawkers and go for something more hipster-ish, getting their household supplies from specialty stores and etc.

Better talk to your partner first.

This isn't a discussion about expat or local lifestyle. Most foreigners on expat packages are >300k so it is a given that TS cannot get anywhere close to being expat lifestyle. The rent of a typical expat housing benefit would wipe out most of his salary.

The challenge for him is even by local standards it's not very 'average" either. 7k is significantly below median/average in Singapore for employed household income (median is ~9k, average ~12k). Coupled with the fact that foreigners incur additional expenses and generally do not get to enjoy all the rebates and subsidies compared to citizens, the like for like adjusted income could be closer to 25th percentile.

At the end of the day TS and his partner must be able to accept a lifestyle that is around lower-middle income of a typical Singaporean for this thing to even work.

More info can be found here :http://www.tablebuilder.singstat.gov...on?refId=15438

Unregistered 26-08-2018 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered (Post 105855)
This isn't a discussion about expat or local lifestyle. Most foreigners on expat packages are >300k so it is a given that TS cannot get anywhere close to being expat lifestyle. The rent of a typical expat housing benefit would wipe out most of his salary.

The challenge for him is even by local standards it's not very 'average" either. 7k is significantly below median/average in Singapore for employed household income (median is ~9k, average ~12k). Coupled with the fact that foreigners incur additional expenses and generally do not get to enjoy all the rebates and subsidies compared to citizens, the like for like adjusted income could be closer to 25th percentile.

At the end of the day TS and his partner must be able to accept a lifestyle that is around lower-middle income of a typical Singaporean for this thing to even work.

More info can be found here :[://.tablebuilder.singstat.gov.sg/publicfacing/createSpecialTable.action?refId=15438[/

Using the household income may be misleading as many of these households have non-working children included in them.

Since he only has one dependent, the economics are quite different from those with children (more dependents).

In my opinion, TA doesn’t need to spend so much on rent if he’s willing to stay in a 3-room HDB or condo in suburban area. 2k will be enough.

If you are willing to take a master’s bedroom in HDB or condo, rent can be even cheaper at 1k - 1.5k.

Unregistered 28-08-2018 08:24 PM

7k for two is livable. Comfortable enough.

But not ideal. 17k would be more appropriate for an expat.

You will do a typical Singaporean Down to earth lifestyle with 7k.

Can negotiate? Any setting in allowance?

Unregistered 28-08-2018 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered (Post 109918)
7k for two is livable. Comfortable enough.

But not ideal. 17k would be more appropriate for an expat.

You will do a typical Singaporean Down to earth lifestyle with 7k.

Can negotiate? Any setting in allowance?


Need to consider bonus, if he 10 to 12mths bonus, like in o&g shouldnt be a problem

Unregistered 19-02-2020 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by St1neGrab (Post 129104)
And I wonder what the salary should be to live in Singapore 2 adults+ 2 children (school age).

Lifestyle lifestyle.

If scrimp and save, 3 simple meals per day, 5k good enough.

But ideally for a average sg lifestyle about 10k. (Wife not working and support two kids)


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