How Do Expats Feel About Living In Singapore? | Street Interview

Singapore is boring as hell

Im curious of why use the term expats and not inmigrants?

Singapore is a great country to live in with much to admire and adore. Yes, the cost of living is high and the current rental market is insane right now. Rentals are a big part of an expats life but whats also interesting to note is that the pay scales vary greatly. I know of expats younger than me i.e. in their late 20s earning at least 20-30% higher than my salary while on the other end the video shows the Japanese guy skipping lunch. Such extreme paradigms exist in most major cities nowadays and could be much worse in fact.

"don't live in a bubble...venture out of your condo"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH

I''ve never understood people who complain about the rules and laws here being "too strict". So what exactly do you want to do that the rules that are stopping you? The freedom of stealing, cheating and littering without consequence?

The Japanese boy who skipped lunch 🥹 noooo

So jealous of Danish grandpa and the people in Singapore for never needing to own a car.

Man, everyone and his dog complaining about the costs of living. Move to Malaysia if you can't afford Singapore ffs.

What makes these people expats as opposed to immigrants?

The older gentleman was so wellspoken and wise

Singapore is clean but it’s expensive, boring and people are quite rude

I have been living in Singapore for a year and am curious why people don’t ever acknowledge the following:
- to live in an HDB flat as a non-Malaysian non-citizen, you are subject to the Non-Citizen Quota rules and can only live in that flat for 2 years before you have to move. That alone can make an HDB feel less realistic to live in. They are often quite large estates, so anyone with a bad sense of direction or neurodivergent tendencies might get overwhelmed. So yes, there are some really nice HDB flats but it can be overwhelming to think about all those things when you first move here and need a place quickly.
- The actual rent that you negotiate for housing may be higher than listed price due to bidding wars and people renting flats without visiting. It’s been hard trying to find an HDB or condo with 2 br for less than 4000-6000/month that is not on the outer edges of Singapore (ie Jurong, Tampines, Yishun, past Serangoon).
- Dependent Pass holders can no longer work part-time, but unless you are from a certain group of countries, you can only apply for full-time jobs with a relatively high income. Not very handy for individuals with chronic health conditions or caretaking duties. Also, if your speciality is not finance, tech, or international school teaching, it can be hard to find a place that can hire a foreigner full-time. Certifications and top-notch credentials are often requested.
- the cost of local secondary schools for foreigners is about the same as the cheapest international schools. Primary school fees are reasonable, but they really go up in secondary to ~2000/month. That’s also assuming that your child can pass the entrance exam in the first place and doesn’t have any special needs for learning.
- foreigners pay a higher rate for medical services at public hospitals compared to locals and PRs. I find it to be high quality care that’s been better than some private clinics here and it’s still usually cheaper than private. The price doesn’t matter if you have good health insurance, but if you don’t, it can add up.

These are just some of the factors that might affect an expat in Singapore. They are not complaints - i’m just trying to explain why it may not be possible to “live cheap” here or why someone might feel restricted in terms of opportunity. I am constantly impressed at how well locals and PRs are taken care of here by the government - it’s a good thing! But there’s a lot of things pertaining to expats that aren’t mentioned in these kinds of videos.

Full disclaimer: I previously lived in HK for several years. I usually spent 10,000-15,000hkd each month (1700-2600 sgd) depending on my rent. Was single back then.

30% are foreigners? It's actually 40% haha. Singaporeans take up about 3.6m/ 6m, and lots of them are first gen. Singapore is definitely an immigrant country.

Trying to Survive in Singapore is not Living.

Japanese skipped a meal is the real story.

Being in Japan and seeing these jackass streamers, I’d like to see the cane introduced in Japan and the rest of the world

Singapore the most boring place on Earth.

Next video: why singaporeans want to get out of Singapore :)

Yea if you like living in a concrete jungle

But then you have to put up with the annoying accent and arrogant brainwashed behaviour from local Singaporeans

i love it

I liked the man from Denmark, seemed cool

Good place to visit, However, not a place worth settling down as everything here is too structured.

Asian boss is a ccp channel

No Chewing Gum and hardly any Social Life !

You are no longer an expat in Singapore when you obtain citizenship. Believing you have somehow magically become “local” because you just passed your “x” year anniversary of living in Singapore is pure delusion. Covid showed exactly how you are treated if you are not a citizen. You could have lived in Singapore a generation and it didn’t matter.

Passport bro from the UK afraid to show his face on camera

the short hair girl,where is she come from

Singapore is one of my top considerations in places to live because it is "so strict", so clean, so safe and more than anything seriously built with intelligence rather than the lapidasical chaotic hodgepodge of city planning you see in most places.

The cost of rent per square meter is a concern though. Currently my home on the southern outskirts of Suwon, South Korea is about 190 square meters and as I have been window shopping it seems I'd probably have a home about half that size in Singapore. I also used to live in the USA in Nebraska and my home there was a comically big 260 square meters and cost much less than my current home.

Why call them ex-pats these people are just immigrants with money.

I am living in Kota Tinggi and take the Ferry to Changi and I am in my desk by 9am. No need to go to he Office I work Remotely. Malaysia is the best decision I made. I spend on RM and earn on SG$. These guys are dumb.

"working culture taking over Japan" - ermmmm i dont think so

Singapore best country in the world safe and clean... majulah Singapura

For foreigners, its quite a haven. For true blue Singaporeans, it could be a dog’s life. 😅😅

I'd think people want to leave because of the weather

#1 American said America is the bad place to live
#2 UK said UK is the bad place to live
#3 AU said AU is the bad place to live
#4 Japan said Japan is the bad place to live
#5 South Korea said South Korea is the bad place to live

###### Everyone now said their country is the bad place to live, So the question is "Where do you live on right now ?" Earth or Jupiter

Quote: Everywhere is the same

Stop using expats word for them, they're just another immigrants

I sense a hint of singaporean accent from the Danish guy which is just awesome. He’s a true local haha

I like the Danish guy)

One of the best places to live Go Green Absolutely committed to its citizens Low crime

It is a tax haven. That is why

Omg the guy from Denmark sounds slightly Singaporean slightly European I love his accent

I love the Denmark guy, would love to know more about his story!

Migrants not expats.

So 3-4 usd month enought I use 2 k for south east asia

governments need to intervene and do something about rent prices. I know that the inflation and interest rate is high so landlords are going nuts. But there are also greedy landlords and no proper rules. Nowhere in the world. In the future, this same thing will collapse this industry..

The man has been here for 34 years and his accent is so perfect and gentle ❤❤❤❤❤

I think they mispelled migrant