Couple looking to relocate to SG ask if it’s ‘really 2X more expensive than the US’

SINGAPORE: Writing that they have been living in China for the past decade, a man from the United States who has a Chinese wife said he “really wants to end up in Singapore in the long run.”

However, he wanted to know if Singapore is really twice as expensive as the US, as this would naturally factor into their decision.

U/jmknmecrzy wrote in his Oct 15 post on r/askSingapore that he and his wife plan to live in the US for five years to up-skill and then prepare to get back to Asia.

He wrote: “We are moving to Seattle, where a couple can barely make it on 110,000 USD (143,000 SGD) a year. We have no kids and no plans on it.”

However, he added that a close friend of his in China said that expats in Singapore need to earn much more than that salary because of high living costs and wanted to check with local Reddit users if this is true.

“Could anyone shed some light on this? We were hoping for marketing/PR/Hospitality jobs or to live off of US remote income. Obviously, the timeline is longer, but it’s hard for me to imagine Singapore could be 2-5X more expensive than the U.S., like he is saying,” the post author added.

The problem does not have a one-size-fits-all answer, given that where one chooses to live in the United States, as large and varied as it is, will affect the cost of living.

Also, while Singapore is one of the most expensive countries in the world, where car ownership and property prices can cost a pretty penny, living costs are not necessarily twice what a person would spend in the US, depending on how one lives.

However, there are other factors to consider, especially since the couple is not Singaporean.

“Rent is definitely the more expensive part of Singapore, along with a (non-necessary) car. Everything else is comparable or cheaper than the US, depending, of course, on lifestyle,” a Reddit user wrote.

“The US has kind of a large range of cost of living. Singapore is cheaper than living in Manhattan, but a lot more expensive than living in El Paso. Also, keep in mind the different tax rates. For example, a couple making 110k USD in Seattle probably has around 85k take-home after taxes, while 110k USD in SG results in only around 6k in taxes.

The cost of living in Seattle is comparable to Singapore. Your biggest cost will be rent (not dissimilar to major US cities), and your biggest barrier is actually getting a job in Singapore,” another cautioned.

This last point was echoed by a Reddit user, who said, “The job market in Singapore isn’t that great right now, even for locals. So it’s going to be even tougher for foreigners.”

“You will have to find a job first in Singapore, and the Singapore company is willing to hire you and sponsor you. Because you are not a citizen, the cost of living in Singapore is a lot higher. Rent and education for your kids will cost more,” another added. /TISG

Read also: Singapore holds the top spot for current cost of living index in Southeast Asia