Has Singapore become more expensive to live in than other first world countries?

[Ben]

I noticed that many jap and korean restaurants own the shops and lands. Therefore, they do not face constant rental increase by landlords.
Besides that, they rarely have those food court chains that delivers lousy kopi and similar food throughout singapore (Kopitiam, Koufu....)

I detest these food court or coffee shop chains. They destroy good foods in Singapore.

I fully agree with what you said. If dine out, I always try to look for those old coffee shop stalls man by the elderly. It is really getting hard to find good and cheap food these days. Sad lei...

[Jared Seah]

Hello Isaac,

Statistics are just statistics. When you stay and live in UK, you will understand first hand which country is more "expensive". And after graduation, where you prefer to practice in UK or Singapore as a doctor.

I've a feeling you will miss the low taxes in Singapore! "Free" stuffs costs a lot!

The most expensive cities I've been are in Switzerland - Zurich and Basel. Everything works! But man if you look at the prices....

To me, Singapore is somewhere in between. Japan/Westertn Europe/US are the most expensive to live. Singapore is in between with HK at the middle (we still got $3.00 hawker food!). As for the "cheap" countries, that Singaporeans know very well - we travel a lot of these places for bargains and holidays!

[Zelphon]

Hello Isaac,

Statistics are just statistics. When you stay and live in UK, you will understand first hand which country is more "expensive". And after graduation, where you prefer to practice in UK or Singapore as a doctor.

I've a feeling you will miss the low taxes in Singapore! "Free" stuffs costs a lot!

The most expensive cities I've been are in Switzerland - Zurich and Basel. Everything works! But man if you look at the prices....

To me, Singapore is somewhere in between. Japan/Westertn Europe/US are the most expensive to live. Singapore is in between with HK at the middle (we still got $3.00 hawker food!). As for the "cheap" countries, that Singaporeans know very well - we travel a lot of these places for bargains and holidays!

Very hard to find $3.00 hawker food now...

Nowadays, a proper meal in a hawker centre (excluding drink) is about $4.00 now..

[Musicwhiz]

Very hard to find $3.00 hawker food now...

Nowadays, a proper meal in a hawker centre (excluding drink) is about $4.00 now..

I usually have my $2.50 Nasi Lemak at Golden Shoe Raffles Place. Rice, chicken drumstick, luncheon meat and ikan bilis. Plus I bring my own water so drinks are FOC.

[Zelphon]

Very hard to find $3.00 hawker food now...

Nowadays, a proper meal in a hawker centre (excluding drink) is about $4.00 now..

I usually have my $2.50 Nasi Lemak at Golden Shoe Raffles Place. Rice, chicken drumstick, luncheon meat and ikan bilis. Plus I bring my own water so drinks are FOC.

No wonder you can accumulate so much opportunity fund lah...

I had my lunch today at AMK hawker food centre.

Ate at the famous Niang Tou Fu stall "Xi Xiang Feng"...
6 pieces (no seafood) + noodle/beehoon dry = $4.50

Hawker food getting expensive leh...

[kazukirai]

I usually have my $2.50 Nasi Lemak at Golden Shoe Raffles Place. Rice, chicken drumstick, luncheon meat and ikan bilis. Plus I bring my own water so drinks are FOC.

Wow, MW. My office is outside the CCR and even then I probably spend anywhere from $4-5 for lunch on an average day. If there's a 'Thrift Idol' competition, you'd definitely be top contender.

[Ben]

I work in a ulu place and need to drive out for lunch. Simple lunch at a HDB coffee shop cost about $3.5 + another $1.2 for drinks + $0.5 for coupons. Total $5.2, excluding petrol cost. Cheap mei?

[Musicwhiz]

Wow, MW. My office is outside the CCR and even then I probably spend anywhere from $4-5 for lunch on an average day. If there's a 'Thrift Idol' competition, you'd definitely be top contender.

Haha! Not everyday lah, admittedly. Like today I "splurged" a bit and went to try out Wendy's burger and baked potato and spent a total of $10.20 for lunch.

But most other days I go for economical rice - $3.00 to $3.50 at most (I always bring my own bottle of water) or Bak Chor Mee at $2.00 (yes there is still one stall along North Bridge Road, but portion is not big la obviously!).

[[DY]]

Wow, MW. My office is outside the CCR and even then I probably spend anywhere from $4-5 for lunch on an average day. If there's a 'Thrift Idol' competition, you'd definitely be top contender.

Haha! Not everyday lah, admittedly. Like today I "splurged" a bit and went to try out Wendy's burger and baked potato and spent a total of $10.20 for lunch.

But most other days I go for economical rice - $3.00 to $3.50 at most (I always bring my own bottle of water) or Bak Chor Mee at $2.00 (yes there is still one stall along North Bridge Road, but portion is not big la obviously!).

Hello MW, I see we work around the same area

I ate ‘cai fan’ at Fook Hai Building today. $3.50 for 3 dishes. The variety of dishes there is good. And at night, they serve ‘zichar’ until 10pm. Can get hor fun for $3.00.

Then across the road at china square’s basement, there’s a yong tau foo store that sells standard 7 pieces for $4.00. Prices have gone up already, it used to be $3.80.

I had ‘cai fan’ at golden shoe once for $2.50. ridiculously cheap. Served with paper plates and plastic forks and spoon. But the food wasn't fantastic.

I try to limit myself to $10 a day for both lunch and dinner. My line of work, I tend to stay late, hence the need for dinner as well.

[Musicwhiz]

Hello MW, I see we work around the same area

I ate ‘cai fan’ at Fook Hai Building today. $3.50 for 3 dishes. The variety of dishes there is good. And at night, they serve ‘zichar’ until 10pm. Can get hor fun for $3.00.

Then across the road at china square’s basement, there’s a yong tau foo store that sells standard 7 pieces for $4.00. Prices have gone up already, it used to be $3.80.

I had ‘cai fan’ at golden shoe once for $2.50. ridiculously cheap. Served with paper plates and plastic forks and spoon. But the food wasn't fantastic.

I try to limit myself to $10 a day for both lunch and dinner. My line of work, I tend to stay late, hence the need for dinner as well.

Haha well I don't actually work in the Raffles Place area, but I frequently walk to Golden Shoe for lunch. It helps that they sometimes give out freebies at the open square beside UOB Plaza.

I would agree that food is still relatively inexpensive in Singapore especially in coffee shops and hawker centres, relative to the median wage earned here. In Australia I've heard that eating out can cost a bomb, and set you back quite a bit; plus they have high tax rates there too so I guess disposable income is much reduced.

The "cai fan" is usually pretty cheap everywhere unless you choose Nasi Padang or it is from a food court. My usual daily lunch expenditure is about $3.00 to $4.00 assuming I bring my own water.