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Basic Guide to Living in Singapore for Foreigners

Weather in Singapore

• Tropical climate, high humidity, lot of rain fall, relatively uniform climate
• Average summer temperature around 30 degree Celsius
• Average winter temperature around 25 degree Celsius

Singapore Demographics

• About 70% Chinese, 15% Malays, 8% Indians
• Official languages are English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. English is widely spoken.
• Literacy rate is more than 90%

Housing in Singapore

• Majority of Singaporeans live in Housing Development Board (HDB) flats
• You can rent a HDB flat from the owner. Rates for HDB flats can vary between S$600 - S$1500 per month.
• Singapore authorities have introduced a Scheme for Housing of Foreign Talents (SHiFT) that allows foreigners to rent designated HDB flats at a lower cost. The scheme is open to PRs, employment pass holders, and skilled work permit holders.
• You can also rent private apartments and condominiums in Singapore. The monthly rent can vary from S$2000 to S$10,000+ per month.
• PRs and foreigners are allowed to purchase private apartments but not landed houses in Singapore.
• You can employ a foreign maid through a maid agency. You will need a pay a monthly salary of about S$300+ plus a monthly levy of about S$345 to the Singapore government.
• Getting telephone, electricity, gas, internet connections are easy and hassle-free.

Transportation in Singapore

• Singapore has excellent public transport system that includes bus services and MRT (i.e. subway system). The fares are very reasonable.
• Singapore also has excellent air-conditioned taxis with very reasonable and metered fares.
• Car ownership in Singapore is quite expensive.

Education for Children

• Foreigners with employment pass working in Singapore can send their children to private schools or they may apply for admissions to government schools. They don't require a student pass.
• Private schools in Singapore are considerably more expensive than public schools. The fee for public school is very nominal whereas for a private school it can range from S$8000 to S$15000 per year.
• Public schools are very good and absolute majority of Singaporean children attend public school system.
• Majority of the western expats send their children to private schools usually to the one that provides curriculum similar to their home country.

Food

• You can find all kind of food options in Singapore including Indian, Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Western and more. The choices of food available is always an eye opener for first timers to Singapore.
• A growing favorite with the young working crowd is designer coffee places like Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Coffee Club. They have become the in places to hang out with friends. Most cafes serve Western food like sandwiches, pizzas and pasta.
• Fast food options include McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Pizza Hut, Burger King, MOS Burger and more.
• Hawker centers and food courts are the people’s main eating choice when dining out. You can find hawker food widely available in Singapore, a meal averagely costs about S$3-S$5. Food courts are usually found in shopping malls, and are air-conditioned and thus slightly more expensive. For example, a plate of noodles that cost $3 in a hawker center may cost $4 in a food court. The choice of food is also more cosmopolitan, with some food courts even offering Italian, Korean, Japanese and Greek cuisine all in the same place.
• Eating out is one of favorite activities of Singaporeans. Of course you can visit a local grocery store, load up, and cook at home.

Shopping

• Shopping ranks right up there with eating as a favorite pastime.
• Popular shopping areas in Singapore include Orchard Road, Raffles City, Marina Square, Suntec City, Little India, and China Town.

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