present living cost in singapore

dear sir / madam !! very good afternoon

my self and my wife with one little kid wish to settle in singpore, we are from the middle class indian family.

pls guide what will be expences (in terms of sgd): for house rent , school expenditure, food expences, travelling expences,medical expences,%26amp; other misc expences in singapore required for a middle class fmly.

that is the total expenses of a couple with little kid per month based on middle clsss family,

pls guide will be grate ful

best rgds//sana

present living cost in singapore

Hi Sana,

Welcome to Singapore!

I%26#39;m not sure what a ';middle class'; would mean in India... like how much spending power you have... but the following are generally what you would be spending in Sg.

House Rent:

Singapore Housing Property went through a crazy hike in prices since 2007... with prices of private property some almost doubling and some more then doubled.

However, with the economic crunch lately, the sale/rental for houses had dipped quite abit albeit not as favourably as it would be before the hike.

It depends on where you would like to stay... if you are looking to stay in prime places which are near to the CBD Areas/Central Areas, a Studio alone can cost you a minimum S$3000 a month.

As for non-prime areas, it can cost you at about S$2000 to S$4000 for a 2-3rooms private property (condominium).

You could look for property agents to help you look for the apartment... however, i think you don%26#39;t really need it as it is so easy to find rentals now. Some property agents might ';ask'; you to pay them commission fees... but please note that you DO NOT have to pay them commission. It is the owners who need to pay them commission for rental. So be careful when negotiating with them. You could get a copy of The Straits Times in Singapore and flip to the property pages... there are many properties on it available.

In terms of schooling, we would have to know how old your child is!

Food expenses shouldnt be a problem as there are ample food in Singapore... price ranging from a S$3 for a plate of chicken rice/noodles in hawker centres to fine dining at luxurious prices.

Travelling expenses will depend on whether you are intending to buy a car yourself or using public transport.

For public transport, the MRT per trip ranges from S$0.80 to a maximum of S$1.80. (not sure if the price changed but even if it is, it will just be a few cents more)

Sg is quite an expensive place to own a private car... as the COE (prices fluctuate) is set quite high albeit it is lower now... and you%26#39;ve got to pay ERP everytime you enter CBD or heavy traffic areas (charges start from S$0.50 to S$3.00 depending on the time of day). There is also a road tax on your car every year. And also you need to pay insurance...

A cheaper range car can cost like S$30000 for a Getz/kia/hyundia (depending on model) for new cars.

High range cars like BMW, AUDI, Mercedes... will cost about S$120,000 for their basic new cars.

On an average for cheaper car range, you will spend at least S$700-S$1k a month for maintance, petrol fees, carpark and ERP if you drive daily... But of course the payment per month will be cheaper if you have enough cash to pay off the car at one go!

In Singapore, it is usually the transportation and the housing fees which takes up most of our income.

But it will surely depend on your lifestyle... if you love to shop, and there are so many shopping opportunities in Sg... you%26#39;ll bound to spend more!

Cheers,

Suying