Singaporean need help

Hi Judy,

Is your rent covered by your new work?

if it is, i would say SGD 1000 is fairly comfortable for daily expenses.

so 5,000RMB is enough?

what kind of food will i be expecting or i have to cook myself?

Hi Judy,

Average meals run about 50-100 RMB per person in a decent average restaurants (e.g. Thai Express equivalent), a bit more with drinks. Of course, if you go to foodcourt, you can expect lower prices (within 30RMB). You can probably figure out how your expenses will run up to based on how many meals you think you'd eat out...

Reian,

Thanks for your advice.

I don't cook so think will need to eat out daily and every meal. So can i estimate daily food expenses about 100 RMB per day?

By the way it is true that we are unable to access facebook in Shanghai?

Hi Judy

Yes, you cannot access facebook in China, there may be ways around but you can check it out when you are here.

I do not cook also and dine out everyday. RMB 100 for food each day should be fine. Just look out for rental, it's rather expensive if you want a decent place which is convenient. Budget around RMB 5k to RMB 10k is minimum. RMB 20K is better of course.

Also look out for income tax differences, the taxes here is much higher, so remember to compare on net salary. You can also ask for a sum of relocation allowance as you will need to buy 4 season clothing and some basic household items.

As a guide, living in Shanghai cost around the same as in Singapore, but transport is cheaper than singapore. If you have equivalent pay as in singapore (after tax), you should be ok (exclude rental).

Be prepared for some culture shock but just have an open mind and it can be fun.

RMB is getting stronger, so take in consideration on exchange rate too.

Heidi

Hey Judy,

Yeah as long as you get your rent settled. The rest is pretty comfortable.

I tend to eat out all the time, so 100 RMB per day is very comfortable for three meals as long as you are not eating at high end restaurants.

The place i am renting is below 5 k. It is a pretty nice place and convenient. You just got to spent some effort looking.

Thanks for your advise.

What about sending money back to Singapore?

I know that there is some restriction regarding this matter. So how many percent can we sent back?

Hi Judy

Yes there is currency restriction in China. You need some proof of your income in order to send money back, meaning you cannot send more than you earn.