SINGAPORE: A Singaporean who has been without a job for five months now asked in a Reddit thread how much a person needs in order to survive in Singapore. They added that they’ve surprised themself because they’ve been able to survive on $1,000 a month.
“Makes me wonder where the rest of my money went while I was still working,” wrote u/Actual_Eye6716 in a post on r/askSingapore on Tuesday (May 13).
“My question to you, how much do you need to survive?” they asked users on the platform.
The most upvoted answer came from a university student who says they spend between $500 and $550 per month, adding that they are paying for their own school fees. They set aside $400 for food and between $100 and $150 for transportation fees.
However, they added that they live and eat very frugally, cooking at home and preparing meals on Sundays. Also, they never take private hire vehicles or order food.
“Might get called a cheapo, but when prices for meat, dairy, and veggies are on the rise, I think it’s pretty reasonable to save up,” they added.
In another comment, they wrote that they don’t accept every invitation from friends to spend time together, choosing only those that they really want to go to.
Another wrote that they can survive on a “bare minimum” of $1500 a month if they have no mortgage. They warned, however, that this means a life of no luxury, adding, “Goodbye to travels and fun.”
“If only food and transport are of concern, minimally $500-$600 will do, but it is barely enough to get by as well, due to many affordable food options not being that affordable nowadays. If you want to have some leisure or entertainment and socialising treats, then perhaps $800-$1,000 will be sufficient if you spend about $50-100 on weekends,” a commenter weighed in.
Another provided a breakdown of his expenses, excluding rent. “I have been spending around $600 per month. Actually, the food and transport in Singapore are pretty affordable if you think about it. I’m single, mid-30s, male.”
He spends $15 per day on food, for a total of $465. His commuting budget is $100, and he allocates $27 for miscellaneous expenses.
This prompted a commenter to add, “I was looking for the most realistic calculation, and this is it. Those who say $1K is not survivable haven’t been poor or tried to live within this budget before. I have a friend who earns $700, his rent, utilities are taken care of, and at the end of a year, he has $1K savings.”
Others pointed out that the post author’s budget does not apply to all because they don’t need to factor in housing expenses, and others wondered why they don’t have any payments for insurance. /TISG