Last time taxi driver can afford 5-room HDB, now can afford coffin also problem.
Seriously lah, what happened to my country? I was talking to my uncle over CNY, and the more I listen, the more I feel like we are the “strawberry generation” not because we are soft, but because the cost of living is literally crushing us into jam.
My uncle was a taxi driver in the 90s. Single income, stay-at-home wife, three kids. You know what? He bought a 5-room HDB in Ang Mo Kio and still had enough leftover for Tiger beer every weekend and to send all three kids to uni.
Fast forward to 2026. Now? You look at the Grab/Tada drivers or the remaining Trans-Cab uncles. They drive 14 hours a day until their back give way, prostates got problem, and for what? Just to cover the rental and the ridiculous COE. After minus-minus everything, they take home peanuts.
Let’s look at the math, shall we?
HDB Prices: Last time, $150k can get a huge 5-room flat. Now? $150k is just the COE for a mid-sized car. If you want a 5-room flat in a mature estate now, you better have $1M or be ready to sell your kidney on the black market.
The “Coffin” Problem: Even dying also expensive. You want a 5-day wake at the void deck? The rental, the tentage, the catering… by the time you “up lorry,” your children already in debt. Last time can afford a decent burial plot or niche; now, even a small square in the columbarium costs more than a 2nd hand Rolex.
It’s damn depressing, man. We work like dogs, BTO wait forever, and even when we get it, the unit is so small that if I sneeze, my neighbor’s TV channel will change.
The Pioneer generation could drive a taxi and build a legacy. My generation drives “private hire” just to pay off a study loan and afford a $7 Cai Fan (no fish, only chicken).
Is it just me or is the Singapore Dream becoming a Singapore Nightmare? End of rant. Going back to work now because my boss just sent me a Slack message on a Sunday. KNN.
u/StrawberryJam99: Wait until you see the 2027 GST increase. You think $7 Cai Fan is expensive? Just wait.
u/HDB_Slayer: Last time 5-room is 120sqm. Now “5-room” is 107sqm but they charge you double. We are literally paying more for less oxygen.
u/TaxiUncle88: Boy, last time diesel was cheap and no ERP everywhere. Now I pass one gantry, my heart pain once.