Singapore: The world's most expensive city

The report is right: Singapore isn't cheap by any measure.
If you visit or move there, remember to bring lots of cash!

I applied for job in bank in Singapore and waiting reply from them. how much average salary for bank jobs in singapore for experienced employees?

Samasimo: The salary level depends very much on your background (education, work experience, other skills) and the exact job description (responsibilities, etc.), thus this cannot be answered based on the very little information you gave.
Perhaps you can google Singapore salary surveys, which are regularly published by various consultancies and headhunters and are available on the net. I think I also posted a few links on this forum in the past - you could try to find that post, too.

thankxx beppi

Hi

I can not agree more. I came in 1998 and when I compare it with the first time I came in the cost increased exponentialy.


Ameer

So guys. How is the everage monthly budget for single man to spend his time working, going out for dinner and drink, normal shopping and so on ?

Samasimo:
This cannot be answered easily, as there is a wide range of lifestyles, expectations and spending habits. If you live frugally and are o.k. with the limited privacy and luxury of a sublet room in a shared flat, you might manage on S$2000-3000, but if you want your own apartment, some restaurant meals and entertainment including an occasional beer, you will need double of that or more.

Having lived and worked in both Singapore and Luanda, Angola, i believe Luanda is the most expensive of the two.

Singapore is also the most expensive city for shopping clothes.
The five most expensive cities also includes Paris, Oslo, Zurich and Sydney. Tokyo, who led the list, dropped to ninth place last year.
But in Singapore, one of the cheapest online gifts - **
EIU expects the cost of living index for the 131 cities in the world twice a year, using as a starting point subsistence level in New York.

Ten years ago, Singapore was only 18 m in the index.
Large cities in India were considered the least expensive in the world.

I think it all depends on where you eat, where you buy your clothes and where you choose to live. In other words, live more like the locals and it will seem less expensive.

Also, many Singaporeans and Expats choose to live across the border in Malaysia in Johore Baru. They can buy or rent houses or apartments a lot cheaper than in Singapore and of course most everything else in regards to the cost of living is less expensive. They commute to work from Malaysia to Singapore everyday.

That does not mean that Singapore is any less expensive, but it is a solution to some people's problem with the high cost of living.

@ Maqsewe
I'm guessing that may no longer be true with the crash of the oil price?

well ... sorry -i'm quite new here! is it possible to live in indonesia and take the boat daily to go to work ?
thanks

The ferry to and from Batam takes 45-60min each way. So even if you live and work very near the ferry terminals on both sides and the customs formalities are quick, you lose about 3 hours every day (and have to pay S$50/day for the ticket).
Apart from that, you need a residence visa for Indonesia. I cannot comment on how to get that.

sounds like it's not the best idea thanks forthe info

There is no way a foreigner can stay in Indonesia and work in Singapore. You will not get a residential visa in Indonesia and nor Singapore govt will allow you to do so.

Though daily ferry ticket is cheap, both ways you can get less than $35 per day.

surya2k wrote:

There is no way a foreigner can stay in Indonesia and work in Singapore. You will not get a residential visa in Indonesia and nor Singapore govt will allow you to do so.

Of course one can think of constellations where this is possible: He might be an Indonesian, or married to one, or already possess a residence permit for Indonesia by another way (though wanting to live there and work in Singapore will NOT give him a visa, that's clear). The Singapore authorities could care less - a Singapore work visa gives you the right, but not duty to live in Singapore - as many commuting Johoreans show.