‘The cost of living is over the top’: Foreign worker wonders how local and expat families budget and still save in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A foreign worker living in Singapore wondered how local and expat families in the city-state budget their earnings and still manage to save, as he described the cost of living here as “over the top”.

“It’s difficult to save much and make plans”, he wrote on r/askSingapore.

Sharing his story online, he said that despite working hard and living in Singapore for a long time, he “just can’t make it,” adding that he has been living paycheck to paycheck, with only S$1,000 set aside for emergencies.

Another thing he said had been adding to his difficulties in making ends meet was his self-employed girlfriend, whom he said he has been supporting as she had not been pitching in for their supposed shared expenses.

“I have started to resent and feel this cannot continue forever,” he said.

Eager for guidance from other local and expat families, he asked how working couples budget their household finances, split expenses and discuss money with their partners.

Most commenters suggested he either go back home or end his relationship with his girlfriend, saying he seemed unable to cope with the financial pressures on his own.

Some plainly told him to “dump her, save money, get much better pay, and settle down only if you are comfortably able.” Others suggested he talk to his employer about a possible pay rise, take on part-time jobs, or apply for another job that pays more.

Foreign workers struggling to make ends meet may not be unfamiliar to locals, as some younger Singaporeans take on second jobs to make ends meet amid the rising cost of living.

In April, some Singaporeans online even asked how they could improve their quality of life here, as Singapore remains the most expensive city for both locals and expats in Asia this year.

A breakdown of Singapore’s monthly cost of living from StashAway’s August article showed that rent continues to take the biggest chunk of spending here, estimated at at least S$800 per month. The estimate rises with the number of people in a household, with a family of four estimated to spend around S$5,800 per month.

This is followed by food and dining, estimated at at least S$500 per month when spent on hawker meals alone and up to S$2,400 for groceries for a family of four. /TISG

Read also: Singapore’s cost-of-living squeeze reaches even affluent households: Sun Life