FT COUPLE MOVING TO S’PORE FOR $6K/MONTH JOB, ASKS WHETHER IT IS ENOUGH

Hi Singaporeans, first time posting.

I recently received a job offer in Singapore for SGD 6000 per month. Medical aid and 3 month bonus included. I am wondering what type of living standard I can expect on this income.

This will be for my wife and myself.

We are coming from a 3rd world country (South Africa)

I know there are quite a few things to take into consideration such as housing / renting is quite expensive. I am expecting about 2500 – 3000 as we want to try and get a condo for the gym and other utilities.

I was hoping if some people have some budgeting tips and can share their current expenses.

I travelled to Singapore in October and I am very fond of eating at the hawker centers as the food is quite affordable and the quality and taste is amazing.

I also noticed that some other people using the train might take the same trip as me but get charged less for the train trip than I was. I am not sure if I had some “tourist card” or if there are train packages one can buy to make traveling cheaper.

Any help and insight here would be much appreciated!

Netizens’ comments

• Will your wife be earning an income as well?
  Realistically, 6k is not a lot for the both of you after spending half of it on rental, but it may be doable if you’re frugal with all other expenses.
  Consider a HDB, 2.5-3k sounds like it can get you a HDB in a decent location (near MRT and amenities). Not sure how small or how inconvenient a condo would be at that rental price.
  • (OP) Not in the beginning no. We are going to look for a job for here once we get there as she just finished off her degree.
    It seems like going for an HDB and paying for a gym membership might be the way to go. I was not aware HDBs are available for expats.
• Dude you shouldn’t be considering a condo with that salary if you’re a sole breadwinner. Singapore is expensive af
• When are you planning to relocate?
  $6000 is going to be very tight for 2 people at this moment as condo prices have recently shot up as all expats who left during the pandemic are coming back and that created a shortage in private housing that pushed prices up by 50% if not more in some cases.
  If you can wait then a few months could potentially save you some money if the wave dies down.
  Otherwise you can try looking for some smaller apartments a bit away from the city centre, so you might fetch something at around $3000 (but the problem isn’t only the price but availability as well, which is quite low).
  Your next best bet could be co-renting a larger apartment with other expats. This typically works out cheaper and could offer you pretty great living conditions if the apartment is big (and I’ve seen some huge ones shared by 3-4 people at a lower price than a small apartment).