working in sg is definitely not a bad experience. i'm an engineer working in the semiconductor industry in sg. i draw about 2.8k a month as basic. my company also pays me OT, but is hard to get. once a while when the need arises, might get and extra 100-200 a month. in sg, the cost of everything is about the same as malaysia EXCEPT rental & transportation.

rental in sg is astronomical if you wanna get a room/unit close that is strategically located (eg, close to MRT stations, amenities, city, etc) currently the average rental in the central area is around $600 for a common room (w/o aircon, include electric, water etc) whereas if you r interested to get the entire flat (do not even bother to think about private apartments, condos or even landed properties as their rental increases accordingly) is around 1500 for a 3 bedroom flat (if u r lucky!) else it would be close to 2k.

transportation here is efficient. there is no reason for u to own a car period! the bus, mrt and taxis worked seamlessly together. not to mention it is cheap too. if u dun take the cab often, 100 bucks a month is enough for your monthly transportation expenditure. even if u take the cab frequently, the cost is still cheaper than owning a car. even better, as the taxi driver acts as ur driver so u can travel in the comfort of a car minus the hassle of driving (if u think of it as a hassle).

food wise, pricing is not too much different from malaysia. maybe kl's price is a tad higher but not by much. 2 years back the food in sg is really cheaper but due to the recent price increases, they r no longer as cheap as they used to be. but one thing is for sure, food tastes better back in malaysia. here the food is practically the same everywhere u go. the nice foods are usually found in restaurants/cafe which we as normal working class do not have the privillege to go to day in day out. i do agree there are hidden treasures, but to go to these places, sometimes u need to own a form of transport. it may be too much of a hassle to take a 45 min bus ride (that u can reach in 15min with a car) just to eat a bowl of nice mee soup. hell there is always mcd & kfc they really are cheaper here compared to malaysia dollar to dollar.

well below are my breakdown on my monthly expenditure. hope the info helps to those who r contemplating to work in sg
(SGD)
salary : 2800
rental : 500 (share wif gf, so 250 each)
transportation : 100 (maybe higher if take cab occasionally)
food : 500 (inclusive of the occaional weekend dining at restaurants)
send money back msia : 1000 (pay loans, giv parents etc...)
entertainment : 200 (for movies, shopping etc)
misc : 50 (phone bill, internet bill)

savings = salary - everything else
= 2800 - 2100
= 700 per month

equivalent to RM1600 a month! (SGD1 = RM2.3)

here is wat it would be have i continued to work in kl
(RM)
salary : 2800
petrol : 400
food : 300
fixed cost : 1500 (loans, giv parents etc)
entertainment : 200
misc : 200

savings = 2800 - 2600
= RM200 per month, WTF!!!

shinichi,

if u wanna do bank transfer online, if not mistake the cheapest way is thru telegraphic transfer (TT). you will be charged a percentage for of the amount u transfer as levy with a minimum of SGD10 plus other charges. there is no tax for transfering money home via TT. as for me, i will normally change the money in cash and bring it back to malaysia everytime i go back hometown.

kb2005,

i have been working in sg for 1 yr ++. singapore is a very fair country. as long as u hav the relevant experience in the field that you wanna enter, u will stand a chance. if u r fresh and have relevant degree, u will also stand a chance. pls take note though that as malaysians working in sg, we need to apply for a work permit, smaller companies might not be willing to go through the hassle of applying one for u, but most electronics MNCs will as they employ a large amount of foreigners as operators.

i've actually considered about that also. but after taking into account that i take a bus direct from sg to kl and not travel to jb to take a bus, i think the risk is minimal as the only place u stop is at the sg & msian customs as well as the r&r area along the highway. of course i make sure there is some one to fetch me from kl also lar, else will kena "lou lap" also hahaha...if some one were to take a bus from jb, then the risk is multiplied by N times hahaha...

also if u transfer via bank, u will definitely be on the losing end as the exchange rate given by the banks is definitely lower than wat u can get outside at selected money changers