The International Schools Review Forum

Having recently gained job in Singapore, do any contributors have an idea of accommodation prices?
Single, so a small studio apartment would be ok. Use an agent, or private search?

Depends on where you want to live. Check out Straits Times housing:

http://property.st701.com/

There is a wide range of prices- as in any city. Being closer to public transportation, amenities and attractions impacts cost. Are you going to have a bike, motorcycle or car?

We used an agent when we got there. Made the process a lot quicker and allowed us to concentrate on job.

Our first year in Singapore we didn't have a car. My wife and I decided to find a house near things to do, rather than near school.

One thing I should have done is considered the time it took me to get to work using public transportation.

If I had to do it over again, I'd start from my place of work, and travel backwards, using public transportation. In other words, figure out where the closest bus stop or MRT station is to your school. Then consider your budget, and how many stops/transfers you can stomach. Find somewhere to live close to the end point of your route.

I always envied those people who only had to walk a couple of blocks to their bus stop, and didn't have a transfer.

It was no fun having two bus transfers to make during a morning monsoon. I ended up bringing my work cloths in a bag and dressing at work.

We also ended up living close to an HDB block. Shopping at the wet market, and eating there ended up saving us a lot of money- rather than buying all our stuff at Cold Storage or where ever. If you shop like a local, you can save money.

Thanks to the people who responded to my question about Singapore accommodation. I found the contributions to be informative and accurate. I now have a comfortable apartment within a twenty minute commute from my new school.