Salary.sg Forums - Reply to Topic
Salary.sg Forums  

Go Back   Salary.sg Forums > The Salary.sg Discussion Forums: > Income and Jobs > Relocating to Singapore with 7XXX/month ?

Income and Jobs Discuss jobs, career options and of course salaries




Salary.sg Forums

Thread: Relocating to Singapore with 7XXX/month ? Reply to Thread
Your Username: Click here to log in
Human Verification To prove you are a human and not a computer program that spams, please check the box below and answer any further questions if prompted.

Title:
  
Message:
Post Icons
You may choose an icon for your message from the following list:
 

Additional Options
Miscellaneous Options

Topic Review (Newest First)
19-02-2020 08:51 AM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by St1neGrab View Post
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)
28-08-2018 08:25 PM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
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
28-08-2018 08:24 PM
Unregistered 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?
26-08-2018 10:23 AM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
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.
17-03-2018 09:22 PM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
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
17-03-2018 08:21 PM
Unregistered 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.
17-03-2018 06:51 PM
Unregistered $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
17-03-2018 05:40 PM
Unregistered 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.
17-03-2018 12:08 PM
Unregistered 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.
17-03-2018 10:50 AM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by alexshr View Post
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.
This thread has more than 10 replies. Click here to review the whole thread.

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off




All times are GMT +8. The time now is 01:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.3.2