Singapore Pay

[globetrotter87]

Is it possible to live comfortably on this salary and be able to save?

3,800 Singapore Dollars a month - living expenses
3,400 Singapore Dollars a month - salary

No annual flights given (just the initial flight over to Singapore and a return ticket after completing a 2 year contract). Medical coverage provided.

It seems that Singapore is quite expensive to live in and while it seems that the salary is good, I am scared in actuality a lot of it will go to rent, bills and high living costs.

Thanks!

[National]

You could live on that, but maybe not comfortably. I think saving much would be difficult. To be able to give you a specific answer, it would be helpful to know your situation. Single? Couple? Kids? How big of an apartment would you need? S$3800 should be fine for rent and utilities, but the S$3400 will be tight for daily living like groceries, eating out, transport, etc. Again, it matters how you will live -- will you take taxis or stick completely with public transport? How often will you eat out and what type of restaurants will you eat at? Do you plan on traveling? Groceries are expensive no matter how you eat, but the more local your cuisine, the cheaper --think rice and Chinese vegetables and little meat. Even living cheap, I think S$3400/mo will leave you with very little savings.

Compared to what I've seen, S$3400 is a low salary. Most of the "good" schools pay double that, plus a housing allowance.

[globetrotter87]

Thanks so much for your insight.

I am single, no dependents. I think from what I've heard from others and you I won't be accepting the position. Although Singapore looks like an amazing opportunity and I wouldn't mind living in a small flat, I will not be happy if I need to watch every penny I spend. The cost of living in Singapore seems to high.

:-)

[seinfeld]

Are you kidding?! That's fine money! Our single teachers get paid less than that and they don't complain!
Singapore is expensive if you choose it to be! You can get lunch for $4, dinner for $8 if you choose to do so.
You can get a nice 2 bedroom apartment for that rental allowance in some areas.

[migratingbird]

Am going to jump in and ask some other SIngapore money questions...if no one minds me hijacking the thread! I've been offered the same money as the OP but with another SG$3000 housing allowance. I have a non-teaching partner and a baby. I have visited the country several times, and have friends living there, so am pretty aware of how far that salary will go. However, I'm interested more in start up costs - what's a typical deposit on a condo to rent, is a car worth the expense, and what are the costs involved in getting a maid (live-in)? I want to budget now so we have enough money to get settled when we arrive.

[Rob]

Having lived in Singapore for 25 years, mostly at one school there, I can offer some insights. Migratingbird, I just left Singapore 4 months ago and was renting a 650 sq foot HDB (gov't) flat for S$2,600/month. With US$3000, you can most certainly rent a spacious HDB flat, but not a condo (pool, exercise room, etc), unless it is way outside the downtown area, With your family, some of the rent will need to come out of pocket if you are renting a decent condo. That is not really uncommon anymore frankly.

The leases are usually for two years, and with that, you need to put a 2 month deposit down. In my 25 years, I always got the deposit back, but I have heard of exceptions. If you push for a 1 year lease, the deposit is only a months rent. In addition, you need to pay the agents fees, which usually add 1/2 to 1 months rent. Since I knew Singapore well, I tried to deal directly with the landlord.

As for a live in maid, I'm not sure, but for a car, it is far more expensive than any other place I have loved in. It's not unusual after all the taxes (gov't, road, etc) are paid to have the cost exceed US$60,000, and gas is expensive. I was happy with their mass transit, arguably the best in the world.

Rob

[seashell]

I don't have the depth of experience of Rob in S'pore. I left there 4 years ago and only lived there for 2 years on a similar salary. I think rents have actually gone down a little since 2008/2009 (Seriously ridiculous rental prices). Singapore Craigslist gives you a good idea of what you might find in certain areas. Will your new work cover any of the deposits? I think the East Coast with a small family would be awesome. I had some colleagues who had cars, but they were serious long-termers and families of 4 with both partners teaching (hence they also lived a bit further away in larger condos). The transport system is truly excellent though can be crowded at peak hours. I've heard getting taxi's is harder. I wish I had known when I was first looking how great the bus system is as I was initially set on being close to an MRT, when I found out how great the busses were I quickly found a place and busses left from nearby to nearly every part of the island.

[migratingbird]

Thanks so much, people, this is really helpful. The area I'm looking at is Bukit Batok - I don't want to be too far from the school I'm working at or else baby will be in bed by the time I get home! Will definitely have a look at craigs list. I thought a car might be impossible...thanks for the confirmation, I just hate struggling with a pushchair on and off the bus! I felt the same as you, seashell, about the MTR placement, so that's good to know too.