“Look for rental in HDB instead of Condo” — Singaporeans advise newbie

SINGAPORE: An individual on the verge of moving to Singapore for the first time has turned to Singaporeans, asking them for local advice and recommendations for living in the country. Many did not disappoint, sharing quite a bit of helpful tips.

“I’m moving to Singapore, what should I know?” an online user asked Singaporeans in an online news forum on Tuesday (July 11). “I’m moving to Singapore in a few weeks and it’s (going to be) my first time living alone abroad for my course at PSB,” the netizen shared. “I would appreciate (it) if any of (you could) drop some recommendations for cheap food, the do and don’ts, some Singaporean slang, etc.”

From where to find a place to rent to hawker centre tips, many Singaporeans came through for the online user, sharing bits of advice on living in Singapore.

“Cheap food is literally everywhere, you do not need any recommendation for that,” said one.

Another listed down a few things, saying, “Look for (a) rental in (an) HDB instead of (A) condo. Take public transportation instead of buying (a) car. We use Grab instead of Uber. Visit hawker centres and coffeeshops for meals. Tables with tissue packs are taken. Be prepared for the humid and hot weather.”

“Don’t get fined here – littering, vaping, eating or even drinking plain water on public transport, jaywalking, the list goes on,” another shared. “Easily S$300 to S$2000 per fine for the above. And there are plain-clothes officers walking ard to enforce the laws. It happens…

“Locals speak Singlish, it’s not easy to learn because it’s a mixture of many languages and there aren’t any standard rules. A lot depends on context. The most basic ones I hear foreigners “mastering” would be la, walao, can.”

Somewhere in the comments, a netizen even gave the writer a short crash course in basic Singlish.

Im Moving to Singapore, what stuff should i know
by u/Gloomy-Bit-4568 in askSingapore