Anyone currently living or have lived in Singapore before? Would you be willing to share with us your experience? Contemplating moving there in a few years for the education system. http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-rankings-2013-12
I haven't been there in almost 20 years, but I did live there for 6 months (my stepmother was a lawyer for Mobil and she and my father lived there). I went to Singapore American School which at the time I believe was ranked the #6 International school in the world. It was a very good school.
<iframe width="1280" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AclwZliZlOs?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Spoiler Couldn't resist
I've lived in Singapore and visit quite often. Singapore lives up to its reputation as being very clean, safe, and orderly. You can drink the water right out of the tap, eat street food with no fear (other than not being used to the flavors), and use public toilets. As a foreigner there is no problem getting around speaking only English. Singapore is also one of the World's greatest food cities and the local cuisine is a blend of Chinese, Malay, and Indian with the odd sprinkling of British. If you don't like the local food there is plenty of other choices. Getting around Singapore is pretty easy as it also has one of the greatest public transportation systems in the world and good taxis (most importantly honest taxis). There are a lot of sights with some very interesting architecture if you like that. The downsides to Singapore are that it is a small place and after awhile can get boring. Singaporean culture is somewhat shallow and very focused on materialism. If you're looking for a lively art scene and deep culture you're not going to find it in Singapore. Also as the saying goes "Singapore is a fine city. ($100 fine for littering, $200 fine for jay walking, $300 fine for spitting, $500 fine for not flushing the toilet, etc..)" It can sometimes feel almost repressive in the amount of social control. It's also very expensive especially if you focus on the tourists areas where food and drink are pricy. If you want to eat cheap check out the local Hawker Centres. Since you are thinking about living there Singapore is one of the most expensive real estate markets in the World. Most Singaporeans live in the quasi government HDB housing but even there the demand is very high for better housing. Cars are very very expensive with a lot of taxes on them. Good thing that you can get around Singapore without too much trouble without a car. One of the best things about Singapore though is that it is a travel hub and centrally located for Asia and Australia so it is easy to get out of there. Within a couple of hours there are some amazing temples, mountains and beaches in Malaysia, Indonesia and other ASEAN countries. Feel free to ask me if you have any other questions about Singapore.
The beginning of the Lego Movie sort of captures the feel of Singapore both good and bad. It is clean and well run where people obey the rules and in a many cases even like that. Not really a place for rebellious music, art or attitudes. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9cQgQIMlwWw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Was in Singapore last week. Beautiful city, great food and culture but the climate is uncomfortably hot.
Thanks for sharing your experience! How much would I need to rent an apartment to live in a decent area with good public school districts?
Living here for 14+ years and there are basically 3 types of places to live in SG. These are: HDB - common public housing that ranges from 2k to 3k sgd for a 3-4 bdrm flat. Condominiums - plus minus higher 500-1k+ sgd higher than an HDB. Landed Housing - Expensive 5k above
assuming the "us" entails yourself + vivi. that being said, i've visited this place nearly a dozen times since the 80's. right now it is drowning in new money largely held by clueless sheeps herded around by the benevolent dictator there. very overcrowded in parts for it's small size and infrastructure and generally very overpriced across the board. and with it's shipping and banking industries decimated, it's 382% debt-to-gdp ratio, and it's recent 12% currency collapse -- the bubble is set to pop hard. they do have some nice restaurants and parks though, and it is clean.
"Us" = me and everyone else on clutchfans. If or when the bubble pops, all the better. I'm able to live a lifestyle a notch above a hobo off my investment income without a job.
from one perspective yes. from another, being around people who used to be "rich" and are now suddenly broke is not particularly pleasant.
not talking about friends, but just living in a depressed economic situation. if you have to move to a new place, just consider one on the upswing that still has room for growth. b/c going to singapore, it's readily apparent they are at the peak with a completely saturated marketplace. there will need to be a reversion there for a while before a new cycle of growth can ever start up again. and their financial snapshot indicates that reversion will be painful.
Singapore might be due for a reversion but I doubt it will be very bad. I've been in Singapore during other panics. I was there in 1998 during the Asian currency crisis when several ASEAN currencies plummeted. While there was a lot of uneasiness in Singapore there wasn't chaos in the streets. Singapore still remained as clean and safe as before. Singapore if anything is pragmatic and the government has built up a pretty strong reserve that it can tap in the event of a downturn and can manipulate its internal economy and populace in ways that are difficult for other countries. Singapore has previously been able to weather downturns by changing social policies to cause Sinaporeans to spend more or save more depending on the crisis. This frequently isn't a good thing from an individual freedom standpoint but the Singaporeans have traded a lot of individual liberty to live in a country that has proven it can adapt rapidly to changing conditions to keep its quality of living high. It's almost like the Borg in that way.
Singapore remains World's Most Expensive City. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31689124 Singapore remains world's most expensive city Singapore has retained its position as the world's most expensive city, according to research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The top five most expensive cities in the world remain unchanged from a year earlier and include, in descending order, Paris, Oslo, Zurich and Sydney. The EIU's survey comprises 133 cities worldwide and uses New York as a base. It compares the cost of more than 160 services and products including food, clothing and utility bills. Singapore was found to be 11% more expensive than New York for basic groceries. And together with Seoul, it was found to be the most expensive place in the world for clothes, "with prices 50% higher than New York", the EIU said. "Most significantly, Singapore's complex Certificate of Entitlement system makes car prices excessive, with Singaporean transport costs almost three times higher than in New York." The information gathered for the survey is designed to be used online as a way to calculate the cost of relocating and living for expatriates and business travellers. Currency moves The EIU said it was "very rare" to have an unchanged top five in their survey, especially considering the worldwide drop in oil prices together with deflationary pressures in many markets. Foreign currency movements and falling oil prices had an effect on the cost of living in several cities. Most notably, a weaker currency in Venezuela saw Caracas slide 124 places in the ranking, from the sixth most expensive city last year, to one of the cheapest this year. However, the survey does not take into account the recent jump in value of the Swiss franc. The EIU said that Zurich would top the list if that was included in the cost analysis. In 2014, Singapore replaced Tokyo, which topped the list in 2013. Japan's capital fell to 11th place this year as its currency weakened against the dollar and deflation continued to impact the economy. Value for money Some of India's cities stand out as the least expensive in the world, with Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai included in the five cheapest. The EIU said low wages and price subsidies on some staples had contributed to Indian cities' place in the survey. Asia's third-largest economy has continued to battle an economic slowdown as well as deflationary pressure in recent years. Last month, the country's central bank said it had seen a sharper-than-expected decline in the price of fruit and vegetables since September last year. It used this factor as one reason for cutting its benchmark lending rate in a surprise move earlier this year.