SINGAPORE: In 2023, a 30-year-old Malaysian man took a big leap by leaving his comfortable life in Kuala Lumpur for a new job opportunity in Singapore. He gave up his steady MYR 10,000-a-month job, his cozy home, and his car, trading them all for a fresh start with a salary of S$7,000.
Despite the higher pay, he had reservations about the move. Concerns about renting a room and relying on public transportation loomed large. He was also warned about the possibility of being labeled a ‘second-class’ citizen or ‘Malayu’, a term for Malaysian labor workers.
A year later, he decided to share his experiences of living in the Lion City—a place known for its steep living costs and fast-paced lifestyle—on r/MalaysianPF, a Reddit forum.
On lifestyle and wealth
In his post, he shared that despite having more money to spend on big-ticket items and experiences, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his overall sense of wealth hadn’t really changed.
The high cost of living in Singapore, combined with his habit of converting prices back to Malaysian ringgit, made it tough for him to see the financial improvement he had hoped for.
“The thought of purchasing a house in Singapore with prices over $1M seemed unattainable. Getting a car with COE prices >$100k didn’t feel right. And I can’t mentally stop converting so spending $100 on a meal felt like a robbery,” he wrote.
“So, do I feel wealthier? Sometimes but mostly no.”
As for the lifestyle, he found that it wasn’t that different from living in Kuala Lumpur. “The cliche saying that Singapore has a faster pace of life, in my opinion, only applies if you’re from the less developed cities in Malaysia. If you’re a city folk like me, you won’t have a problem keeping up,” he said.
On workplace culture
When discussing workplace culture, he acknowledged that his perspective might be somewhat limited, as he had only held one corporate job in Singapore. However, despite this, he felt that his experiences were insightful enough to share his observations.
One thing he noticed was that both Malaysians and Singaporeans often assume that working in Singapore is more hectic than in Malaysia. From his experience, though, that wasn’t the case.
In his job, he found that the locals really value work-life balance. His hours were flexible, his bosses were “stern but gentle,” and as long as he met deadlines and performed well, everything ran smoothly. In fact, there were times he even found himself a bit bored at work.
“The locals seem to be big on work-life balance,” he said. “I would comfortably view Singapore’s workplace as more mature and performance-centred.”
In contrast, his experience working in three major MNCs in Malaysia was quite different. He’d spent countless hours, including weekends, working for the companies.
Office politics were intense, and colleagues wore their overtime like a badge of honor. “I personally am guilty of showing off my OTs,” he said.
Regarding concerns about being labeled a ‘Malayu’ or facing discrimination as a foreign worker, he found those worries to be largely unfounded. He didn’t encounter any discrimination related to his nationality, either in the workplace or in public.
“I dare not say Singaporeans and locals are extremely welcoming and warm, but I could deduce that the locals don’t give a crap about your origins and will treat you equally as long as you are not being a menace,” he expressed.
He did point out one significant challenge: finding a job or switching jobs in Singapore as a foreigner is tough due to the local policy requiring four local hires for every one foreign hire.
“That will strongly work against you but I wouldn’t call it discrimination,” he explained. “So, for you to receive an offer from Singapore, you indirectly outweighed 4 local hires, and that’s how valuable that offer is.”
On Singapore’s efficiency
Another thing that caught him off guard was how incredibly efficient everything is in Singapore. “Singapore’s efficiency is not a myth,” he shared.
He then recounted a time when he had to collect his employment pass from the government immigration department. Being used to the slower pace of Malaysian government systems, he scheduled his appointment four hours before his office hours to get the formalities done.
To his astonishment, he was in and out of the Singapore immigration center in just 10 minutes. This included multiple steps: thumbprints, photo-taking, printing his resident card, and authenticating his digital identity (SingPass).
He arrived at his office at 7:30 am, mind-blown by the efficiency, and was even allowed to go home earlier that day.
Moving forward
At the end of his post, the man expressed that while he still feels connected to Malaysia—keeping up with the news and visiting Kuala Lumpur whenever he can—he’s decided to settle in Singapore for the foreseeable future.
“To be frank, returning to Malaysia at this juncture felt like a backward move. So, heavy-heartedly but unhesitantly, I won’t,” he said.
“My place in KL now feels like a vacation home – that same special feeling of returning home during festivities.”
Read also: Malaysian man in Singapore lives with just S$10 per day on food & transport
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