SINGAPORE: A video went viral on TikTok earlier this month after a couple of Chinese tourists portrayed their country in a far more favorable light than Singapore.
The video on @anythingneng has been viewed over 70,000 times since it was posted on Sept 4, with many commenters agreeing that the cost of living is higher in Singapore than in China.
However, they were not so quick to agree with the other statements the visitors made when comparing Singapore and China.
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A woman said she feels that China “has more gourmet food” and added that Chinese food in Singapore is not authentic.
The man who was interviewed, meanwhile, said that the waiting time for doctor’s appointments in Singapore was longer than in China.
He said that in China, he gets to see a doctor about his problems within a day while the same process took him “one month” in Singapore.
The woman interviewing them then asked if things are more expensive in Singapore.
The female interviewee said yes, and specifically said that transport is costlier in the city-state. She explained that she had studied in Shanghai, a city considered to be expensive.
But transport in Singapore, she added, is probably twice as expensive, which left the interviewer open-mouthed in shock.
She later added that booking a ride with Grab is “very expensive” in Singapore.
The man also said that life in Singapore is “expensive in all aspects” and “not as cheap as in China.”
One commenter on the TikTok video, who has visited different cities in China, said that it is indeed “super expensive” in Singapore.
The cost of living is cheaper “in general” in China, another agreed.
Over on Reddit, users wondered why, if the Chinese find many things to complain about in Singapore, they still come in droves.
Another wrote that they were not surprised that the Chinese “complain about local amenities and culture and say China” is number one, as they’ve come to expect this kind of behaviour.
One chimed in to say that while the cost of living in Singapore may be higher than in mainland China, it’s probably comparable to living costs in Hong Kong.
As to whether the food is better or worse, this “totally depends on perspective,” they added.
A number of Reddit users, moreover, questioned the man’s statements comparing medical care in Singapore and China. /TISG
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