‘The millionaires take the metro’: Indian techie on what surprises him about Singapore

SINGAPORE: A video on Instagram from a senior software engineer from India working in Singapore has gone viral, with people agreeing with the things that have come as a shock to the techie, but really in the best way.

The man behind the Instagram account called @amandailylogs wrote that his move from India to Singapore has involved not just a location change, but a “logic change.”

He started with “the definition of rich,” explaining that this is very different in the two countries. Mr Aman said that in India, “rich people buy cars to show status.” In space-scarce Singapore, meanwhile, because of the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) system, people need to pay tens of thousands of dollars to drive a car on top of the price of the car itself, many simply choose not to buy a vehicle.

“So, seeing a guy in a tailored suit on the MRT is normal. Public transport is the equaliser,” he wrote in the caption to the video.

In it, he added, “So the millionaires take the metro, nobody judges you for taking the bus. Your net worth is hidden in your bank, not parked in your driveway.”

His second point was what he called “the kitchen paradox,” explaining that while in India cooking at home is cheaper and eating out is a luxury, in Singapore, he eats at hawker centres for S$5. He actually called this a “daily necessity, because groceries + time often cost more.”

Mr Aman also observed that “it’s a culture designed for efficiency, not domesticity.”

Thirdly, he marvelled that he hadn’t touched a physical document in half a year, since all the contracts he’s needed, such as those involving banking or rental, have been digital.

“The government works like a tech company,” he said, writing in the comments that “the ‘Singpass’ system is mind-blowing. One app connects you to tax, housing, health, and banking. I genuinely forgot what a Xerox machine looks like.”

Finally, he described how people mind their own business in Singapore, as opposed to their neighbours gossiping and colleagues asking about their salary.

“Nobody cares who you are,” he noted, and although he felt cold and lonely at first, he later realised that “it’s actually freedom” and the “privacy feels like luxury.”

“Singapore isn’t just a country, it’s a well-optimised machine,” he added, “You don’t come here for the vibe, you come here for the efficiency.”

In his caption, he added that while Singapore is expensive, what people are paying for is a “bug-free Operating System.” /TISG

Read also: ‘Healthier work culture with clear boundaries.’ Indian worker in SG is thankful he no longer have to beg for days off