Lifestyle and Culture
Accommodation
Singapore has a wide selection of accommodation catering to a variety of budgets. These range from HDB flats and condominiums to service apartments.
Singapore has a wide selection of accommodation catering to a variety of budgets. These range from HDB flats and condominiums to service apartments.
HDB flats are public housing that are located in various towns across the country. Each town is a self-sufficient community with schools, bus/MRT stations, and places of worship as well as sports, recreational and medical facilities.
Condominiums are private apartments with facilities such as swimming pool, gym and round-the-clock security. Serviced apartments are another option that provide value-added services such as cleaning, laundry and room services.
Utilities
You should put aside a minimum of SGD $150-200 for water and electricity. However, your electricity bill can be much higher if you use air-conditioning a lot. Broadband Internet, cell phone plans, and house phone lines are really affordable, though. Altogether, they should not take up more than SGD $130 in your budget.
Groceries
Grocery shopping in Singapore is expensive as almost everything is imported. Here is a list of prices to give you an idea (estimated):
Bag of Ground Coffee: $8 Minced meat (250g): $7
Butter (250g): S$4.70 Fresh Milk (1L): $2.50
Loaf of Sliced Bread: $2.
Cold storage is more costly but has the widest selection of western goods for expats.
Bag of Ground Coffee: $8 Minced meat (250g): $7
Butter (250g): S$4.70 Fresh Milk (1L): $2.50
Loaf of Sliced Bread: $2.
Cold storage is more costly but has the widest selection of western goods for expats.
Food
Singapore is a hot pot of cuisines to eat, incorporating a rich heritage of food dishes consisting of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian influences.
Singapore is a hot pot of cuisines to eat, incorporating a rich heritage of food dishes consisting of Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian influences.
Transportation
Singapore has extensive, safe, and reliable public transport. If you use mostly trains and buses, you will not have to spend much money on public transportation. But if you figure in a 20-minute taxi ride per day, this will add up to almost SGD $500 a month for your cost of living in Singapore.
You won’t save anything by owning a private car. The Singaporean government is trying to cut down on road congestion and air pollution, so there are prohibitive costs, fees, and taxes involved. If you have to travel round the city a lot for work, try negotiating a travel allowance with your employer.
You won’t save anything by owning a private car. The Singaporean government is trying to cut down on road congestion and air pollution, so there are prohibitive costs, fees, and taxes involved. If you have to travel round the city a lot for work, try negotiating a travel allowance with your employer.
Climate
Like most of Southeast Asia, Singapore is generally hot and humid. It's warm and humid year round, with the temperature almost never dropping below 20°C (68°F), even at night, and usually climbing to 30°C (86°F) during the day. Humidity is high, mounting over a 75% mark.
November and December is the rainy season. June-August is considered to be the best time to visit, but even then it rains often. Most public places and public transport in Singapore are air-conditioned; there is quite the love affair with air conditioning. (Note: not all public hospitals have air-conditioning!)
November and December is the rainy season. June-August is considered to be the best time to visit, but even then it rains often. Most public places and public transport in Singapore are air-conditioned; there is quite the love affair with air conditioning. (Note: not all public hospitals have air-conditioning!)
Culture
A melting pot of various cultures, Singapore celebrates the religious and cultural festivals of its population. These include the Muslim Hari Raya Puasa and Haji, the Hindu Deepavali, the Chinese Lunar New Year and Christmas.