master room with a/c fully furnished is easy to find especially near Bedok area... for $700~800.

Well, if I take MRT to work that means I can wake up at 6am and leave my house at 7:30am. But then that also means I have to squeeze with other people on the MRT and stand for 45 minutes. There's a bus straight from Marine Parade to Jurong East MRT (Bus #197) and the journey takes a whopping 2 hours (there are over 50 stops in between iianm).

Moreover I could save more if I take the bus. One trip is just $1.60+ compare to $2.50 (Bus to Bedok, then MRT to JE). Taking bus to work daily would add extra $60 to my savings account

Marine Parade has a slightly higher rent as it is near the beach. Me and my girlfriend plan to visit the beach this weekend after this hectic week. 1+1 units means 1 room 1 living room, the house comes with only one room itself, don't have other rooms to lock haha. Other places like Bedok... the rate fluctuates a lot... a 1+1 unit (with 1 room locked as there are NO legal 1+1 units at Bedok) can range between $900 to $1400 =.="

This post has been edited by yrh0413: Jun 18 2008, 10:17 PM

Previously when I was working in Malaysia, my routine is almost the same too... I work in Cyberjaya and stay in KL; every morning switch LRTs and buses also 2 hours on the road already =.="

Here, at least I could sleep in the bus for 2 hours straight, and the kind bus driver would shake me up when I reach JE $60 for 2 hours of sleep? Well I earned it back by sleeping in the bus

so what do you guys do after work/weekends? I just finished watching all my dramas that I'd brought from Malaysia... haih...

Just look for jobs online, you'll find abundant of job offers at Singapore especially on Jobstreet and jobsdb. Most ads do favor Singaporeans or those with PR status, but there are some who don't mind the nationality.

You can only apply for PR after you have worked in Singapore for over 6 months. For the time being, just apply for an S-Pass or Employment Pass if you're a Uni/College graduate.

Can? What's the success rate if I apply for a PR on the 5th day of my work? Zero or close to zero?

nicvoo, do you hold a PR after servicing for 4 months?

Weird, I got this from the official website. Never mind... I'll wait for 6 months then.

"Permanent residency application is open to those under 50 years old and who are
suitably qualified or skilled. They may apply to the Singapore Immigration Authorities
for Singapore P.R. after at least 6 months of employment on Employment pass or on
a three -year Work Permit."

I love this one!

Girl, let's say a Gucci bag cost you RM2k here in Malaysia; but it cost you S$1k in Singapore. But then ask yourself, do you wish to buy luxury goods here in SG? I for one just come here to work the hell out of me and bring a guni sack of SGD back to Malaysia. Singapore is my gold mine for now

As for the rent, to be frank the rent for HDB units are crazy in Singapore. Early of last month a 2+1 unit was S$1100 on the Internet, then middle of the month it went up to S$1400. Then end of the month when me and my girlfriend went to search for a place to stay, the rent was S$1800 and above. Damn crappy I would say. We end up contacting the agent to hunt for a 1+1 (in fact 1+1 unit used to be at $800~900 only )

PR means Permanent Resident. You're entitled to buy houses and enjoy some benefit that non-PR are not entitled for. The CPF of 21% does hold people back; but then if you look into it... that's your "EPF" anyway... your retirement funds even though you could only get it back after age of 60.

And to be honest I won't apply for PR unless (1)Your current salary minus 21% is sufficient to feed yourself; (2)You have enough money to pay for downpayment of a HDB purchase. Just imagine your pay is S$2000; deduct 21% that means you'll have to survive with S$1500 per month. I rather come back to Malaysia if that's the case.

eggs 10 biji $1.30 for the smallest one; dragon fruit 3 biji $1.50; fresh homemade fish balls 10 biji $2; one piece of chicken breast $2; a can of sardins $1.50; one packet of 5kg fragrant rice $10... do I sound like an auntie?

ericca I do cook for my girlfriend once a while (every weekend that is). Let's see... a dinner of bihun soup cost us around SG8 for 2 person.

... and that is every bowl of bihun was served with salmon fillet, 5 fishballs, an egg, lots of vege, and ikan bilis soup that I'd boiled for an hour hahaha I don't think anyone could make 2 bowls of bihun soup for RM10

okie... more examples... a dinner with one ABC soup, a can of sardines, and a plate of vege = $6... and that is more than enough for both of us; in fact normally we eat till wanna vomit =.=" However do note that I didn't factor in the cost of cooking gas, water, and electricity. Eating outside may be cheaper, but if compare the size of serving definitely cooking will be cheaper.

and i just love to cook with my girlfriend helping me... and seeing a smile on her face and a satisfied tummy is just something money can't buy.

... too troublesome. Normally I eat outside for $2.50~2.80 for lunch.

Its almost end of the month already; perhaps I could give you guys a breakdown on my expenditure on the 1st month working in SG.

Staying in a 1+1 unit at Marine Terrace with my girlfriend.

- Rental deposit (1 month deposit): $550
- Rental: $550
- Housing agent fees (50% of rent): $275
- Broadband application: $55
- Singtel postpaid: $50
- Wi-fi router: $70
- Household and cooking utensils etc: $200
- Ez-link card for public transport: $100
- Food: $500
- Employment Pass application (inclusive of body checkup): $100

Haven't got my utility bill yet but most probably it will be $60. So there goes... a grand total of $2450 for the 1st month. Next month onwards won't be so hefty... rough estimate gonna be around $1400 only.

As I said, I’m staying with my girlfriend in a 1+1 unit. We rent it for $1100 so it is $550 for each of us. Mine is one living room and one room; but we love this place as there are no landlords nagging us, we can cook, no one fight for toilet every morning, and the list goes on

Marine Terrace is somewhere near Parkway Parade. The rent here is higher than nearby residential areas like Bedok because Marine Terrace is just walking distance from the beach. You can actually rent a 1+1 unit at Bedok for $900-1000, depends.

Me and my girlfriend are laptop users, so it is not convenient to get wireless broadband as we have to subscribe 2 lines. Moreover we only use our laptop at home as we have our own workstation in our workplace. In the end we choose Starhub’s broadband package which is around $25 per month. The first month’s bill will be higher because there is a $30 service charge upon subscription.

Change port or not, that will be a year later and god knows if we’ll be still staying here or not.

Yup, if your unit has the satellite tv hub, getting Starhub broadband will be a cheaper choice. Singtel’s broadband is like Streamyx which it requires an active telephone line. That means you have to pay monthly phone rent on top of the broadband charges. For Starhub, just $25 per month for 2MB line.

We did surveyed around for Broadband packages on the first few days in Singapore. In the end we decided to inform our landlord and cut off the house line.

p.s. As for Singtel and Starhub’s mobile service, there is no such thing as no signal this, no signal that. Singtel and Starhub is just like Maxis and Digi. Moreover Singapore is so damn small and I highly doubt you’ll get zero signal here (perhaps you’re trying to make a call underwater, that I don’t know ). However the rates are a little sucky for Singapore mobile service providers… list as below (comparing my Maxis postpaid and Singtel postpaid):

- Singapore mobile service providers charges the same rate for incoming calls. Malaysia? No such thing as people call you then you have to pay to receive calls. Call rate is 16c per block for incoming and outgoing calls. However for postpaid service, usually incoming calls will be free.
- Billing sucks big time. Let’s say you get 100mins free for your postpaid package, but there are no way to keep track of your usage. Maxis postpaid allows you to keep track of your usage amount on their website.
- Itemize billing = additional cost. Maxis has itemize billing for FREE since day 1 for postpaid service.
- Caller-ID is a paid add-on service. You don’t subscribe then your phone won’t show who is calling you. $5 per month I think.
- Upon subscription PLEASE PLEASE ask them to list out all the services they’d given you for free. They charge EVERYTHING! They will activate all the add-on services for you then you have to cancel them one by one by calling their customer service. If not Tada, you’ll be surprised on your next bill.
- PLEASE DON’T EVER GO FOR PREPAID. Prepaid users are charged for incoming calls, and you have to pay a fee everyday just to enjoy free incoming calls. I subscribed Singtel prepaid in the 1st week… used up the $10 credit in just 3 days. Crappy!

Singtel is most common in Singapore, but Starhub is slightly better as it offers better features with minimal fees. There’s another provider, M1 however; charges a lot of hidden charge. I advice you go ask around Singtel or Starhub for suitable packages for you. Cheers!

Nono, don’t get it wrong girl. First 1 or 2 months usually will cost you a lot because you have to pay extra fees like rent deposit, agent fees, broadband signup, mobile signup, household items etc. Those will set you back around $1000 already.

For the consecutive months, it will be quite constant if you’re not a big spender Like me, first month cost me $2500, but next month gonna be $1300 per month, or less. My girlfriend spent a lot in her first month… blame GSS (Grand Singapore Sale) !!! Imagine The Body Shop giving out discounts up to 70%! Tempting tempting!

Singapore telcos dump everything to you and start charging you when the promotion is over, but items like Caller-ID, itemised billing, and even incoming calls shouldn't even be charged. Its like buying a plate of chicken rice and the seller charges you seperately for the chillie sauce, the fork, the spoon, and the bowl of soup

Ah well, different countries different telco... have to adapt and get used to it.

nerd with a big fat wallet eh? Well, I'm starting to love SG more and more... the working attitude here is 100% much better than Malaysia. You got no time for pantry, and you have to cut short your pee-ing time too!

damn, I'm so addicted to work now hahahaha

good for you, I spend $6 per day just on MRTs and buses… staying over 50 bus stops from my workplace. Damn… at least its still much cheaper than driving to work in KL haha

That would be a great idea! But Singapore no mamak stalls wo... where to meet ah?

Marine Parade Rd, nearest MRT is Bedok (green line). Anywhere will do la