Video from Indian expat exposes more challenging side of life in Singapore

SINGAPORE: It’s not unusual for Indian nationals in Singapore to praise the city-state for its safety, organisation, and high living standards. In a recent video that has since gone viral, one woman said that her life has levelled up significantly, but she also showed that getting there has not been an easy road.

At the beginning of the March 6 of the video from Neha Rahwat, who goes by @sglinks on Instagram, she wrote that she had moved to Singapore “for a better life.”

However, she’s since discovered that “Living in Singapore as an expat is not just Marina Bay selfies & fancy brunches.”

Among the challenges that she deals with are high rental rates, which she said can reach up to S$5000 “easily.” Ms Rahwat also noted how expensive groceries are, along with car ownership, due to the pricey Certificate of Entitlement that can cost around S$100,000 apart from the price of the vehicle itself.

Instead of the glamorous picture of living as an expat in the city-state, her life has been characterised by “Discipline, High rent, Career pressure, Personal growth, and a Safe & structured life.”

Concluding that life in Singapore is “tough but fair,” she wrote in the caption to her video that “Singapore will test your patience, budget & mindset, but once you adapt? You level up differently.”

Commenters on her post, while not disagreeing with some of the points she made, appeared to find life in Singapore to be well worth it.

“I lived 11+ years in Singapore and moved to the USA this January. After staying in Singapore, nothing can match that level of comfort, safety, hygiene, organised lifestyle,” wrote one, who called the city-state “the best place to live” but added that the only limitations are “career saturation and limited opportunities.”

“Nothing matters (more) than clean air, food, and environment. Cars are not required if the public transport is as good as Singapore. I am more than happy to pay high tax if, in return, I get a stress-free environment,” another chimed in.

Another, however, questioned the post author, saying that groceries are not that expensive and that people can find a two-bedroom HDB unit for around S$2,000 a month.

“What kind of things are you eating… and why are you living in such an expensive house?” they asked.

“Try living in Auckland, NZ. Salaries are half that, and rents are twice as much if you can find a place. Groceries are more expensive than jewellery,” an Instagram user wrote.

Another commented, “I was taking an MRT ride with the boss after a salary hike discussion, just after my first year of working in Singapore. His advice: Save money.” /TISG

Read also: ‘The millionaires take the metro’: Indian techie on what surprises him about Singapore