SINGAPORE: In a city where luxury is currency and status is sport, one “average Joe” is quietly rewriting the rules.
Meet Xuan Kai, a Singaporean navigating life in one of the most expensive cities on Earth—Singapore—while intentionally living like he’s broke. Not because he has to, but because he wants to. His reason? “If you’re earning a million dollars, but you’re also spending a million dollars on a Ferrari, then you’re actually very, very poor in real life, but it looks like you’re doing well, and to me, I think that just defeats the purpose,” he says, and in a culture obsessed with the next big flex, his stance feels refreshingly radical.
From having hawker meals to paying rent to his parents, Kai isn’t your typical Singaporean bragging about his condo view or car collection. He’s chosen frugality, not out of scarcity, but out of principle—and a desire for something that’s becoming rare in the race for riches: freedom, inner peace, and happiness.
Living large, spending small
Singapore isn’t cheap. “Our houses are extremely expensive,” says Kai. “It usually ranges from around S$400,000 to S$700,000 even, and it can go into the millions if you’re buying a condo or landed property.” Cars? “Our cars are super expensive as well. They are at least S$100,000. I think it is even more now: Closer to S$150,000 just to own a car in Singapore,” added Kai.
Then, add in luxury dining at places like Marina Bay Sands, and you’ve got a recipe for budget-busting, wallet-draining, lifestyle-inflating living.
However, Kai opts just for the humble hawker centre. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy food,” he says, “But I think I’m quite a simple person, and I strive to live a bit of a minimalistic life. I would prefer to have the freedom to choose to do what I want to do, and if I want to eat at an expensive restaurant, yeah, sure, we can do that, like once in a while, but I don’t have to do it every single day.” While others drop S$500 on omakase, he’s content with a S$5 meal, such as maybe a bowl of noodles, that satisfies both his taste buds and stomach.
“Is the expensive restaurant food a lot better than the coffee shops’ food? Maybe sometimes, but not all the time,” he shrugs. “I absolutely hate it when I’m eating food that I feel isn’t worth it.”
Paying rent to his parents
While many Singaporeans dream of luxurious condos with infinity pools and smart fridges, Kai is paying just S$500 a month in rent to live with his parents. Not exactly TikTok-viral lifestyle content, but he’s unbothered.
“I’m still living with my parents because I haven’t secured a place with my girlfriend yet, which I’m totally fine with,” he explains. His home setup? “As long as there’s good enough space… my own space to sleep… and things like that, I’m happy.”
However, don’t get him wrong. Kai isn’t anti-luxury. He’s just anti-lifestyle inflation. “If I have it, great, but am I going to spend a lot of money on it? I don’t think so.”
Escaping the 5C cult
In Singapore, chasing the “5Cs”—Cash, Car, Condo, Credit Card, and Country Club—is a national sport, but for Kai, it’s more like a national trap.
If “you want all these things to show that you’re doing well in life, to show that you have status, to show that you have money and to show somebody else that you’re doing better than them,” he says “To me, I find that it’s very, very pointless.”
So instead of chasing clout, he’s chasing clarity. Kai wants to “escape from this cycle of having to chase things like bigger and bigger houses, bigger and bigger cars just to show people that I’m better than them.”
The ultimate irony? Most people who look rich are broke in disguise. “Let’s say you’re earning a million dollars, but you’re also spending a million dollars on a Ferrari… then you’re actually very, very poor in real life,” he warns.
Budgeting: The new flex
Frugality isn’t a mood. It’s a habit, and Kai’s biggest weapon is simple: budgeting.
He’s been tracking his every expense for years in a trusty spreadsheet. “Every month, I know exactly how much money I’m spending and what categories I’m overspending on.” It’s not about being stingy—it’s about staying in control.
That control? It translates into guilt-free joy. “If I want to eat an expensive meal, if I want to go on an expensive trip… I can just do all that, and I don’t even have to feel guilty because I have money put in place.”
He’s even got a travel fund and emergency stash, so when life throws a curveball—like a surprise birthday party or wedding—he’s ready.
Not rushing for retirement
Kai has long-term goals. Retirement is one of them, but he’s not in a hurry to get there.
“I don’t really look at retirement as something I want as soon as possible… because I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now,” he says. “Retirement, I feel, is for people who are unhappy or really burnt out from their job.”
So instead of escaping a 9-to-5 nightmare, he’s building a sustainable life now, where he doesn’t have to trade his personal peace for paychecks. “If you enjoy what you do, then you can just continue doing what you’re doing.”
Why frugality equals freedom
At the heart of Kai’s lifestyle is a bigger philosophy: frugality equals freedom. “In essence, frugality means freedom to live however I want, choose however I want.”
This freedom allows him to spend when he wants, save when he needs, and ignore the pressure to keep up with the status quo. “Nobody cares if you’re earning like a billion dollars, and then you’re spending a million dollars on a Ferrari… yeah, that’s fine, go ahead,” Kai opined, however, if you’re spending everything you earn just because you can, especially to show off to others even if it makes you poor, what’s the point in that?
Frugality, to Kai, isn’t about denial. It’s about deciding. It’s not about being cheap. It’s about being clear.
“I think being frugal will help me stay happy and peaceful for as long as possible,” he reflects. “At least, when I’m living in Singapore in my 30s—and hopefully I’ll continue these habits until I’m a little bit older as well.”
The real flex should be about having peace of mind
So while others chase promotions for pay raises, just to own Ferraris, Porsches, and Lamborghinis to flex to others, Kai is content with chasing peace, purpose, and maybe a little bit of tasty nasi lemak for himself.
Yep, he’s not playing the game, and that’s what makes him the true winner.
In a world where flexing is also currency and consumerism is king, Kai reminds us that wealth isn’t just about how much you earn and spend—it’s about how free you feel.
As he puts it best: If “I want a big house or a big car one day, that’s fine—if I can afford it, well within my means, but I don’t need these things to survive…” adding, “For me, I really treasure freedom, and I really treasure being happy and being peaceful, so these are the few things why I’m being so frugal in Singapore.”
With that, maybe living like you’re broke in Singapore might be the smartest and richest way to live after all.
Watch Kai’s full take on frugal living in Singapore in the video below:
In other news, here’s another young Singaporean who also cracked the wealth code—even without flashy brands, overnight crypto wins, or what he calls “lifestyle inflation”. He insists 100% that, ‘Yes, you can still become a millionaire even if you’re working 9 to 5’ — 30 y/o Singaporean shares how he got rich, yet doesn’t own a car, and still takes public transport
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