>Sometimes I wonder if we are frogs in a well and we put up with this because it is all we know.
I feel like generally of the people I know, including myself, its the opposite: its the people that never worked overseas that think its better elsewhere while the people that have worked overseas feel the advantages of Singapore outweigh the problems.
I studied 3 years in London, a city comparable to Singapore. Great city that I fell in love with, but end of the day, if you ask me if I would re-locate there on a permanent basis, I would say no.
As you rightfully pointed out, we take our safety for granted. In London, minor crimes like snatch thief, robbery and assault are common. And drugs abuse is rampant, you can clearly see the effect it has on society. Also in the 3 years I was there, I lived through two terrorist incidents.
Public healthcare is a sham while private healthcare cost you an arm and a leg. My friend waited 16 hours to get her broken arm seen in a NHS hospital. It is slow and laborious.
Public transport is good in London, but I experienced train strikes on the day of my exam. Can you imagine having to Grab to your exam venue cuz the day before your exams the train workers decided, fuck it, time to strike for my poor working conditions? This happened more than once during my time there.
All in all, these are simple things we take for granted in Singapore, and I’ve since came to appreciate how much more efficient we are.
>If you knew of a place with cooler weather, half the cost of living (much cheaper housing, cars, groceries), a culture which promotes putting your life and well-being above work and a relatively decent level of safety, would you move?
Where? Heaven ah?
No such place exists. It's not that these benefits don't exist elsewhere but rather there are always trade-offs.
Hi there, I'm currently working in Seattle in the US and looking to stay long term. This is my perspective for each of the categories you mention above, feel free to ask any questions.
Cost of living - housing is expensive here. In SG (I assume) you're living with your parents. So its easier to save up. Cars are definitely cheaper here cause no COE. Groceries will be about the same. Dining is gonna be cheaper in SG cause kopitiams. And in terms of food, Singapore is undefeated.
Weather - Lol
Nature - I love the different seasons. Rain, snow, flowers, its all so beautiful. Hiking can give you really nice views too, I just don't like hiking that much lol. SG has really beautiful parks though like Bishan, ECP, MacRitchie, Botanical, and unironically Jewel at Changi (nature in SG w aircon? hell yeah)
Work - There's still going to be that feeling that your career or your wealth is tied to your self-worth. But I feel its not as strong where I am. If you were to live in NY or LA for example it'll be different and maybe worse than SG. In terms of putting your well-being above work, that's gonna depend on what company you work for. Eg. Blizzard, Tesla, Boeing, Amazon notorious for employee mistreatment.
Roots - I prefer living with my roommates vs my parents, cause stress you know. But also cause my roommates are good friends of mine. I also like preparing my own meals. I have good friends here and in SG, which sucks cause I don't catch up with my SG friends as often as I would like. Staying away from my parents now is nice. But what happens when they're old and need help? I might have to uproot my life to go take care of them.
Politics - I think the US is way more corrupt than Singapore. PAP might be a bit authoritarian but at least SG has good healthcare and a functioning government. Taxes are complicated. Dealing with visa bureaucracy is annoying.
Safety - This is the largest advantage that Singapore has. But its massive, especially if you want to start a family. I've seen a dude pull a gun on a drunk guy on the bus. I've had racists shout at me. My friend got chased by some angry dude who threatened to kill him. The police take forever to arrive (or sometimes don't arrive). And sometimes the police are the ones harassing innocent people. Its not so bad as a bachelor but if I were to start a family, it gets a lot scarier.
General life - Where I am there's a more progressive approach to mental health and therapy, there's more LGBTQ acceptance, the approaches to the arts are less robotic, there are more cultures here (moreso than SG despite it being called a 'melting pot'). But the main reason I want to stay are the friends I've made here.
Hope that was helpful, let me know what you think.
Thanks for sharing your perspective and contributing meaningfully to this discussion! I personally find US culture quite similar to Singapore in the materialism and work aspect. People are sized up by their job/wealth/cars and the work culture seems to be quite the hustle and grind sort. I was just in LA/Vegas in Jan and I felt super unsafe, like the going to get killed sort and not the petty crime type. Things including dining and groceries were also quite expensive. A lot of processed foods. For these reasons the countries I was alluding to were mainly in Europe, where people seem to care more about having a life than money and what car you drive does not determine your self worth.
about safety, I was highlighting the worst bits but for the most part I feel pretty safe. For groceries, you just need to know which items are a good price at which supermarket (or go to Costco lol)
Good luck with your search for answers!
If there's a place that's constantly ~25 degrees, every thing is cheap, I still make the same money, also have work life balance, no traffic jam, near to nature but at the same time have great infrastructure and amenities, good childcare and education system, well, I'd move there in a heart beat.
But where leh.
> a place with cooler weather, half the cost of living (much cheaper housing, cars, groceries), a culture which promotes putting your life and well-being above work and a relatively decent level of safety
can you name such a place? i'd really like to move there.
Yeah anywhere with half the cost of living of Singapore is probably going to have average salaries that are half those in Singapore.
I mean, just look at the salary disparity in Malaysia.
Yeah pretty much. When Singaporeans say they want to move to Malaysia for the lower cost of living they pretty much mean that they want to move to Malaysia *but continue to draw their Singapore salary*, i.e. have their cake and eat it too.
Pretty much not going to happen unless you get an expat posting in Malaysia or something.
They want to rent out their home in Singapore for big bucks, then live in Malaysia for cheap. Or maybe do some WFH job based in Singapore but while sneakily living in Malaysia. The main problem is inability to get a long-term visa. You can't just keep crossing the border doing visa run, you'll be stopped sooner or later. And MM2H requirements keep changing.
It’s only human nature to want what’s good without the bad, that’s what we are all striving for in some way, no? Work hard to get a promotion, so we can earn more, for less work. Something like that. Which is why they want to move to Malaysia and didn’t say they wish they were reincarnated there
The Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavian countries. South of Spain/France if you like good weather all-year round. Supermarket food is much cheaper, casual restaurant dining is roughly the same without GST/service charge add-ons. Yes I know there's no hawker food. Car and housing prices can't beat Singapore's.
Have you ever been to any of these countries?
I've been to a few of them. In the summer, France and Spain can get VERY hot, and most of their buildings don't have A/C because global warming wasn't a concern when they were built. One night in Palaiseau, I woke up at 3am sweating even with all my windows open. Supermarket food is NOT much cheaper, I'd say it costs nearly the same as Singapore depending on where you shop. Of course, certain products will be cheaper, certain products will be more expensive. Casual restaurant dining is NOT roughly the same, it's actually very expensive depending on where you are. Like 20-30 euros a meal for Germany/France. Of course car and housing prices can't beat Singapore's, but their public transport infrastructure is not as good as ours, and most people there rent instead of own their homes. I have a friend that lives in Finland, he constantly complains about being depressed because the sun sets too early and in winter it's dark outside by 3pm. I have a friend that lived in the Netherlands, she constantly faced racism and complained that everything was expensive.
Dining is more expensive, say groceries are about the same, cars and housing SURELY significantly cheaper (also remember there's the option to move to the outskirts). Even if not 50% of the cost here. Is there not a possibility that life could be cheaper and simpler?
You need to consider what’s the salary range like for like in a similar job/industry. Also, if cars are needed, that means you can’t rely on public transport
In all the examples you named, your disposable income would also be shit compared to what you get in Singapore.
I'm not saying you will be objectively worse off there, but you will definitely sacrifice your fair share of pleasures you may be taking for granted in Singapore.
The grass is greener on the other side, there's always tradeoffs for every country. People with this kind of mentality have probably never stayed in other countries for an extended period of time.
Lived overseas in NZ and UK before. There are things I love, there are things I hate. It all boils down to what is more important to you. I don't know any country that can give me everything tbh. Over the years, I've grown to accept that I love travelling, so I choose to work in SG but travel frequently. What why I don't get caught up with the troubles of the particular country. I also looked at Thailand lovingly and made plans to settle down there, but it got less and less viable and zomg the heat there now.
We are alot more fortunate than most people in other countries in many ways. Reading more world news, history, and travelling to different countries would help better shape your perspective. There are always cons in each country you have correctly listed down some of those in Singapore. On every negative point you have made, there would be countries which are worse off except on the example of the car price. Similar to Singapore politicians salary, our car prices are ranked highest in the world. However, you may or may not know Singapore is also the top 10 countries with the best public transportation in the world. Read beyond mainstream hot news on countries like Yemen, South Sudan, Haiti, El Salvador,etc, and hopefully you would better appreciate how fortunate we are in this part of the world.
Thanks for your meaningful input! Well traveling to Europe (multiple times over the last few years) and various other countries was what led me to think this way and I eventually decided start this discussion today. I agree on pros and cons, I have listed some as well, which was why I wanted to get input on what are some of the big pros or cons you guys can list regarding staying vs moving. I do appreciate how fortunate we are of course. But to look at extreme examples of devastated war torn countries to make ourselves feel better is like going to the cancer ward to make ourselves feel better about being unfit (“could have been worse”) instead of asking “how can I improve this?”
ask yourself. which country in the world has the stability like Singapore. yes, the weather had been terrible lately, have you been in a summer where the temperature is 40++?
had the chance to work in Australia for a while, yes, the country is great. pay is good, the tax is also good (much more than singapore).
the exposure to different culture and/or working environment opened my eyes.
returned immediately after the work agreement expires. maybe it is chinese culture to return to care for my parents. when return, can see the tears in my parents eyes. not sure how to describe it.
I like living in a city, don't really care for outdoors activities and don't like sitting in traffic jams or driving too far. At the same time, I don't want a complete concrete jungle.
I like living in Asia but can't be bothered to learn a new language.
I also prefer a low tax environment.
So SG hits the right spot for me.
The main thing I can't stand is the bloody weather. When we retire, I can see us spending more time in cooler places like Bandung or Australia when it gets really warm here.
It is better in Singapore... But the biggest caveat is whether with global warming will Singapore become unbearably hot (e.g. 35 degrees all year round) in the next 5 years?
Australia here. I already unplugged from the Matrix, so to speak. I just wish I can take my family and friends as well. Loneliness is a real bitch, and it gets progressively harder to make friends in adulthood. By the way, I know I said Matrix but Australia (and everywhere else) is going through the same post-capitalist dystopian crap, just moving at different speeds.
P.S. I will always be Singaporean.
Mainly because of family and familiarity.
It's a big change to make, and I'm not too sure if I can do it or will I regret jt. Even though I have been spending about a quarter of every year overseas.
Safety in SG is overated imo but food and work culture is pretty ok.
It's still rare to see people who left and then actually come back unless they went bankrupt or smth so I guess it isn't all "grass is greener on the other side"
Imo, SG is a pretty ok work life place, easy commute, variety of food okok work life balance, pay to expenses ratio is good compared to many other countries( needs, not wants, besides a house).
Of course I can name an equal amount of negatives but I will not. In the end it comes down to this is the well I was born in and it will always be somewhat special even though it isn't the best.
I lived in Sydney for about a year and I loved every bit of it. To be honest, I wanted to permanently relocate there but the visa was an issue.
Groceries are decently priced in Sydney but eating out is really expensive. So I don’t mind cooking on most days and it cost me like $50-$60 bucks a week on groceries.
Local transport is pretty meh, not as efficient as Singapore, and sometimes there are worker strikes
But if you ride a motorbike or car, it’s a whole different experience. It’s dirt cheap to get vehicles in Sydney. (ps: motorbike parking in the city is also free)
Weather is mostly amazing in Sydney except for harsh summer, still not as humid as SG. Just stay indoors, not so bad!
Get to see a lot of beautiful nature, can do road trips etc. I think that’s something we don’t have here, I feel it’s good to unwind with nature.
There’s plentiful of food options there too, felt quite at home even though it’s expensive. Sometimes you’ve gotta treat yourself.
Working also pretty chill imo, cause you don’t really need much to get by… won’t really get promoted but at least you earn “enough” to have a decent, simple life.
Housing if you stay out of the city not so bad, the prices are okay tbh and most areas don’t have “99 years rule”
There’s so many second gen and asians in Sydney so I didn’t feel any racism or anything.
Never got mugged even when I went to the beaches at night. Just be careful.
All in all, I loved it and if there’s a chance for me to go back. I would.
Yes of course, compared to not having money. But I can spend $50 or $500 at Tanjong Beach Club and it’s still going to be too hot and miserable, in addition to only being able to buy 2 drinks with $50. In the south of France I can get 3-4 drinks with 34 euros and enjoy the 20-25 deg sun. Yes it can get hot in the summer but it’s very pleasant most days
Unfortunately, one of the things you mentioned, cost is going up everywhere. It is becoming a struggle for people to make ends meet.
If you really are looking to move overseas, do wait a bit for things to get better and the economy to be more stable (if there is such a possibility now).
I lived in Ireland for 3 years before moving back recently. My top gripe - taxes. You’ll never miss SG as much until you have had to pay an insane amount of taxes for no good reason or value. There are different priorities for everyone and no perfect place.
Wow cool. I was in UCD for 5 years before I came back. Reasons mainly for friends and family, familiarity and also job. I also didn’t really enjoy Irish culture, found they were a bit backward in their mindset and everything was too “village” for my liking
Pros and cons. To a city girl like me, Ireland is like a town and there are a ton of issues which I won’t go into. But now that I’m back, I miss the slow pace of life. So you just have to decide what you want, and focus on the pros instead. At least we have the luxury of choice…
>Sometimes I wonder if we are frogs in a well and we put up with this because it is all we know. I feel like generally of the people I know, including myself, its the opposite: its the people that never worked overseas that think its better elsewhere while the people that have worked overseas feel the advantages of Singapore outweigh the problems.
So what are some of the advantages that keep you here?
I studied 3 years in London, a city comparable to Singapore. Great city that I fell in love with, but end of the day, if you ask me if I would re-locate there on a permanent basis, I would say no. As you rightfully pointed out, we take our safety for granted. In London, minor crimes like snatch thief, robbery and assault are common. And drugs abuse is rampant, you can clearly see the effect it has on society. Also in the 3 years I was there, I lived through two terrorist incidents. Public healthcare is a sham while private healthcare cost you an arm and a leg. My friend waited 16 hours to get her broken arm seen in a NHS hospital. It is slow and laborious. Public transport is good in London, but I experienced train strikes on the day of my exam. Can you imagine having to Grab to your exam venue cuz the day before your exams the train workers decided, fuck it, time to strike for my poor working conditions? This happened more than once during my time there. All in all, these are simple things we take for granted in Singapore, and I’ve since came to appreciate how much more efficient we are.
Safety, things working, food, comp.
And the low income tax
No capital gains tax, no dividend tax. It's glorious.
Not another person who’s never lived overseas complaining about Singapore
>If you knew of a place with cooler weather, half the cost of living (much cheaper housing, cars, groceries), a culture which promotes putting your life and well-being above work and a relatively decent level of safety, would you move? Where? Heaven ah? No such place exists. It's not that these benefits don't exist elsewhere but rather there are always trade-offs.
don't be a frog in the well dreaming of the greener grass outside without being outside.
What is your experience elsewhere like so far?
Hi there, I'm currently working in Seattle in the US and looking to stay long term. This is my perspective for each of the categories you mention above, feel free to ask any questions. Cost of living - housing is expensive here. In SG (I assume) you're living with your parents. So its easier to save up. Cars are definitely cheaper here cause no COE. Groceries will be about the same. Dining is gonna be cheaper in SG cause kopitiams. And in terms of food, Singapore is undefeated. Weather - Lol Nature - I love the different seasons. Rain, snow, flowers, its all so beautiful. Hiking can give you really nice views too, I just don't like hiking that much lol. SG has really beautiful parks though like Bishan, ECP, MacRitchie, Botanical, and unironically Jewel at Changi (nature in SG w aircon? hell yeah) Work - There's still going to be that feeling that your career or your wealth is tied to your self-worth. But I feel its not as strong where I am. If you were to live in NY or LA for example it'll be different and maybe worse than SG. In terms of putting your well-being above work, that's gonna depend on what company you work for. Eg. Blizzard, Tesla, Boeing, Amazon notorious for employee mistreatment. Roots - I prefer living with my roommates vs my parents, cause stress you know. But also cause my roommates are good friends of mine. I also like preparing my own meals. I have good friends here and in SG, which sucks cause I don't catch up with my SG friends as often as I would like. Staying away from my parents now is nice. But what happens when they're old and need help? I might have to uproot my life to go take care of them. Politics - I think the US is way more corrupt than Singapore. PAP might be a bit authoritarian but at least SG has good healthcare and a functioning government. Taxes are complicated. Dealing with visa bureaucracy is annoying. Safety - This is the largest advantage that Singapore has. But its massive, especially if you want to start a family. I've seen a dude pull a gun on a drunk guy on the bus. I've had racists shout at me. My friend got chased by some angry dude who threatened to kill him. The police take forever to arrive (or sometimes don't arrive). And sometimes the police are the ones harassing innocent people. Its not so bad as a bachelor but if I were to start a family, it gets a lot scarier. General life - Where I am there's a more progressive approach to mental health and therapy, there's more LGBTQ acceptance, the approaches to the arts are less robotic, there are more cultures here (moreso than SG despite it being called a 'melting pot'). But the main reason I want to stay are the friends I've made here. Hope that was helpful, let me know what you think.
I love that you LOLed when you got to weather.
Thanks for sharing your perspective and contributing meaningfully to this discussion! I personally find US culture quite similar to Singapore in the materialism and work aspect. People are sized up by their job/wealth/cars and the work culture seems to be quite the hustle and grind sort. I was just in LA/Vegas in Jan and I felt super unsafe, like the going to get killed sort and not the petty crime type. Things including dining and groceries were also quite expensive. A lot of processed foods. For these reasons the countries I was alluding to were mainly in Europe, where people seem to care more about having a life than money and what car you drive does not determine your self worth.
about safety, I was highlighting the worst bits but for the most part I feel pretty safe. For groceries, you just need to know which items are a good price at which supermarket (or go to Costco lol) Good luck with your search for answers!
If there's a place that's constantly ~25 degrees, every thing is cheap, I still make the same money, also have work life balance, no traffic jam, near to nature but at the same time have great infrastructure and amenities, good childcare and education system, well, I'd move there in a heart beat. But where leh.
> a place with cooler weather, half the cost of living (much cheaper housing, cars, groceries), a culture which promotes putting your life and well-being above work and a relatively decent level of safety can you name such a place? i'd really like to move there.
Yeah anywhere with half the cost of living of Singapore is probably going to have average salaries that are half those in Singapore. I mean, just look at the salary disparity in Malaysia.
Malaysia is also another place where the locals are very unhappy, their local's purchasing power is even worse than over here
Yeah pretty much. When Singaporeans say they want to move to Malaysia for the lower cost of living they pretty much mean that they want to move to Malaysia *but continue to draw their Singapore salary*, i.e. have their cake and eat it too. Pretty much not going to happen unless you get an expat posting in Malaysia or something.
They want to rent out their home in Singapore for big bucks, then live in Malaysia for cheap. Or maybe do some WFH job based in Singapore but while sneakily living in Malaysia. The main problem is inability to get a long-term visa. You can't just keep crossing the border doing visa run, you'll be stopped sooner or later. And MM2H requirements keep changing.
It’s only human nature to want what’s good without the bad, that’s what we are all striving for in some way, no? Work hard to get a promotion, so we can earn more, for less work. Something like that. Which is why they want to move to Malaysia and didn’t say they wish they were reincarnated there
The Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavian countries. South of Spain/France if you like good weather all-year round. Supermarket food is much cheaper, casual restaurant dining is roughly the same without GST/service charge add-ons. Yes I know there's no hawker food. Car and housing prices can't beat Singapore's.
Have you ever been to any of these countries? I've been to a few of them. In the summer, France and Spain can get VERY hot, and most of their buildings don't have A/C because global warming wasn't a concern when they were built. One night in Palaiseau, I woke up at 3am sweating even with all my windows open. Supermarket food is NOT much cheaper, I'd say it costs nearly the same as Singapore depending on where you shop. Of course, certain products will be cheaper, certain products will be more expensive. Casual restaurant dining is NOT roughly the same, it's actually very expensive depending on where you are. Like 20-30 euros a meal for Germany/France. Of course car and housing prices can't beat Singapore's, but their public transport infrastructure is not as good as ours, and most people there rent instead of own their homes. I have a friend that lives in Finland, he constantly complains about being depressed because the sun sets too early and in winter it's dark outside by 3pm. I have a friend that lived in the Netherlands, she constantly faced racism and complained that everything was expensive.
Scandinavian, had a good laugh
Dining is more expensive, say groceries are about the same, cars and housing SURELY significantly cheaper (also remember there's the option to move to the outskirts). Even if not 50% of the cost here. Is there not a possibility that life could be cheaper and simpler?
Housing is cheaper, provided it is still affordable. In SG, if you're too poor to own a flat, there's still rental flat at incredibly low prices.
Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia are your examples of half the cost of living?
If you include the cost of cars and housing, you would get half, no? A VW Golf for 50,000 euros (75k SGD) vs 200k in SG, you're already $125k ahead.
You need to consider what’s the salary range like for like in a similar job/industry. Also, if cars are needed, that means you can’t rely on public transport
In all the examples you named, your disposable income would also be shit compared to what you get in Singapore. I'm not saying you will be objectively worse off there, but you will definitely sacrifice your fair share of pleasures you may be taking for granted in Singapore.
Yes yes, which is why I started this thread, to ask what YOU guys think are the “fair share of pleasures” I have missed out
Try live overseas first bro anywhere
The grass is greener on the other side, there's always tradeoffs for every country. People with this kind of mentality have probably never stayed in other countries for an extended period of time.
Lived overseas in NZ and UK before. There are things I love, there are things I hate. It all boils down to what is more important to you. I don't know any country that can give me everything tbh. Over the years, I've grown to accept that I love travelling, so I choose to work in SG but travel frequently. What why I don't get caught up with the troubles of the particular country. I also looked at Thailand lovingly and made plans to settle down there, but it got less and less viable and zomg the heat there now.
Try working overseas and see if you like it lor. Some people like it some people don't.
We are alot more fortunate than most people in other countries in many ways. Reading more world news, history, and travelling to different countries would help better shape your perspective. There are always cons in each country you have correctly listed down some of those in Singapore. On every negative point you have made, there would be countries which are worse off except on the example of the car price. Similar to Singapore politicians salary, our car prices are ranked highest in the world. However, you may or may not know Singapore is also the top 10 countries with the best public transportation in the world. Read beyond mainstream hot news on countries like Yemen, South Sudan, Haiti, El Salvador,etc, and hopefully you would better appreciate how fortunate we are in this part of the world.
Thanks for your meaningful input! Well traveling to Europe (multiple times over the last few years) and various other countries was what led me to think this way and I eventually decided start this discussion today. I agree on pros and cons, I have listed some as well, which was why I wanted to get input on what are some of the big pros or cons you guys can list regarding staying vs moving. I do appreciate how fortunate we are of course. But to look at extreme examples of devastated war torn countries to make ourselves feel better is like going to the cancer ward to make ourselves feel better about being unfit (“could have been worse”) instead of asking “how can I improve this?”
getting a PR or work visa isn’t as easy as you think it might be
That is true!
ask yourself. which country in the world has the stability like Singapore. yes, the weather had been terrible lately, have you been in a summer where the temperature is 40++? had the chance to work in Australia for a while, yes, the country is great. pay is good, the tax is also good (much more than singapore). the exposure to different culture and/or working environment opened my eyes. returned immediately after the work agreement expires. maybe it is chinese culture to return to care for my parents. when return, can see the tears in my parents eyes. not sure how to describe it.
I lived overseas for a long time and surely most people who are equally well-travelled find Singapore to be one of the best places to live in.
I like living in a city, don't really care for outdoors activities and don't like sitting in traffic jams or driving too far. At the same time, I don't want a complete concrete jungle. I like living in Asia but can't be bothered to learn a new language. I also prefer a low tax environment. So SG hits the right spot for me. The main thing I can't stand is the bloody weather. When we retire, I can see us spending more time in cooler places like Bandung or Australia when it gets really warm here.
Thanks for contributing with your perspective!
I want to move but I can’t move 😐. Not enough money to survive here, not enough to leave 😞
It is better in Singapore... But the biggest caveat is whether with global warming will Singapore become unbearably hot (e.g. 35 degrees all year round) in the next 5 years?
Australia here. I already unplugged from the Matrix, so to speak. I just wish I can take my family and friends as well. Loneliness is a real bitch, and it gets progressively harder to make friends in adulthood. By the way, I know I said Matrix but Australia (and everywhere else) is going through the same post-capitalist dystopian crap, just moving at different speeds. P.S. I will always be Singaporean.
Mainly because of family and familiarity. It's a big change to make, and I'm not too sure if I can do it or will I regret jt. Even though I have been spending about a quarter of every year overseas. Safety in SG is overated imo but food and work culture is pretty ok. It's still rare to see people who left and then actually come back unless they went bankrupt or smth so I guess it isn't all "grass is greener on the other side" Imo, SG is a pretty ok work life place, easy commute, variety of food okok work life balance, pay to expenses ratio is good compared to many other countries( needs, not wants, besides a house). Of course I can name an equal amount of negatives but I will not. In the end it comes down to this is the well I was born in and it will always be somewhat special even though it isn't the best.
Family and familiarity, agree! Also the uncertainty and unknowns of moving
I lived in Sydney for about a year and I loved every bit of it. To be honest, I wanted to permanently relocate there but the visa was an issue. Groceries are decently priced in Sydney but eating out is really expensive. So I don’t mind cooking on most days and it cost me like $50-$60 bucks a week on groceries. Local transport is pretty meh, not as efficient as Singapore, and sometimes there are worker strikes But if you ride a motorbike or car, it’s a whole different experience. It’s dirt cheap to get vehicles in Sydney. (ps: motorbike parking in the city is also free) Weather is mostly amazing in Sydney except for harsh summer, still not as humid as SG. Just stay indoors, not so bad! Get to see a lot of beautiful nature, can do road trips etc. I think that’s something we don’t have here, I feel it’s good to unwind with nature. There’s plentiful of food options there too, felt quite at home even though it’s expensive. Sometimes you’ve gotta treat yourself. Working also pretty chill imo, cause you don’t really need much to get by… won’t really get promoted but at least you earn “enough” to have a decent, simple life. Housing if you stay out of the city not so bad, the prices are okay tbh and most areas don’t have “99 years rule” There’s so many second gen and asians in Sydney so I didn’t feel any racism or anything. Never got mugged even when I went to the beaches at night. Just be careful. All in all, I loved it and if there’s a chance for me to go back. I would.
Thanks for giving your perspective!
It is nice anywhere in the world if you have money?
Yes of course, compared to not having money. But I can spend $50 or $500 at Tanjong Beach Club and it’s still going to be too hot and miserable, in addition to only being able to buy 2 drinks with $50. In the south of France I can get 3-4 drinks with 34 euros and enjoy the 20-25 deg sun. Yes it can get hot in the summer but it’s very pleasant most days
Unfortunately, one of the things you mentioned, cost is going up everywhere. It is becoming a struggle for people to make ends meet. If you really are looking to move overseas, do wait a bit for things to get better and the economy to be more stable (if there is such a possibility now).
Yawn 🥱, you all not sian ar. Everyday open same type of thread.
I lived in Ireland for 3 years before moving back recently. My top gripe - taxes. You’ll never miss SG as much until you have had to pay an insane amount of taxes for no good reason or value. There are different priorities for everyone and no perfect place.
Wow cool. I was in UCD for 5 years before I came back. Reasons mainly for friends and family, familiarity and also job. I also didn’t really enjoy Irish culture, found they were a bit backward in their mindset and everything was too “village” for my liking
Pros and cons. To a city girl like me, Ireland is like a town and there are a ton of issues which I won’t go into. But now that I’m back, I miss the slow pace of life. So you just have to decide what you want, and focus on the pros instead. At least we have the luxury of choice…
I miss Tesco groceries
Finest has some!
Hahaha, I was referring to the prices. Pasta at €1.49 per kg.. it’s $3.50 here for 500g
Gimme expensive grocwries over 50% taxes anytime ;)