REASONS NOT TO MOVE TO SINGAPORE FROM USA | In this video, we are talking about reasons you may not want to move to Singapore. Let's get
started! Click the subscribe button and the bell icon to join the discussions on living abroad in
Singapore! If you haven't watched my "Reasons to Move to Singapore" video, you can watch it up
here after you finish watching this video. This video focuses on whether you should move from the
U.S. to Singapore, so if you are from another country and you are thinking about moving to
Singapore, some of these reasons may not apply. As always, take this video for entertainment purposes
only and do thorough research before you make such a big decision on whether you should move to
Singapore or not. Let's dive into this video! One reason you may not want to move to Singapore
has to do with the salary. In general, salary in Singapore is lower than salary in the U.S. In
some cases, the salary in Singapore is much lower (30%-50% lower) unless
you are on an expat package in Singapore (in which case your salary will be high). For those of us
who are looking for entry-level to mid-level non-management positions, just know that your salary
will most likely be lower in Singapore. I have mentioned this in my previous videos but I want
to mention it again because I think it's really important. As a foreigner working in Singapore,
you won't be eligible for CPF contributions, so if you are currently contributing to your 401k
with your employer in the U.S. just know that you may have to figure something else out for
your retirement savings if you decide to move to Singapore (if retirement savings is significant to
you). Another reason you may not want to move to Singapore has to do with work-life balance.
Most likely if you move to Singapore for work, you will have less work-life balance in
Singapore than in the U.S. In my case, I have had to work a lot longer hours in Singapore than I have
had to in the U.S. It is the same for people I know who have worked in both countries. They
also said that work hours are longer in Singapore than in the U.S, so if you really value
work-life balance, Singapore may not be the place for you. On the positive side, Singapore is
really fast-paced, so you will most likely learn a lot in a really short amount of time. Based on
my own experience, I feel like I learned in six months time in Singapore what I learned in two
years time in the U.S. Another reason you may not want to move to Singapore is if you want to own
a car and if you prefer driving. Cars in Singapore are really expensive. A $20,000 SGD car
in the U.S. can easily cost more than $100,000 SGD in Singapore because of the
COE (certificate of entitlement), which is something you need in order to own and operate
a vehicle for 10 years in Singapore. That certificate alone can cost as much as $40,000
to $60,000 SGD excluding the cost of a car. If you are someone who prefers
driving and if you are someone who does not like taking public transportation and you do not want
to pay $100,000 SGD for a car, then Singapore may not be the place for you. On the
positive side, Singapore has a really convenient public transportation system. The MRT (the train)
and the buses are usually very efficient and much more affordable than owning a car. Another reason
you may not want to move to Singapore is that the cost of living in Singapore can be really high.
Unless we are talking about living in the Bay Area or living in New York City, there are definitely a
lot more places in the U.S. where you will have a lower cost of living than in Singapore
especially if you are thinking about renting a condo in Singapore. Renting a one-bedroom condo
in Singapore in a central location can easily cost $1,600 SGD or more per month. I have met a few expats who
pay at least $2,000 SGD per month for their one-bedroom condo. Because a lot of things
are imported in Singapore, the same products you may be used to using in the
U.S. will most likely cost a lot more in Singapor (even if we are talking about drugstore items that
are very affordable in the U.S.). Those same items can cost a lot more in Singapore. For me, every
time I visit home, I try to buy things in bulk and bring them back with me to Singapore. Or, I
try to find cheaper alternatives in Singapore for the products I was used to using in the U.S. Another
reason you may not want to move to Singapore has to do with buying properties. As a foreigner in
Singapore, you are not allowed to purchase an HDB flat. You can purchase private properties, but
they are ridiculously expensive. A small condo in Singapore can easily cost a million dollars.
On top of that, a lot of residential properties in Singapore are not freehold properties like they are
in the U.S. The 99-year lease is the most popular type of property. In that case, after the 99
years is up, your property reverts back to the state. You will no longer own it, so essentially it is
a long-term lease. There are 999-year lease properties and freehold properties but they
are even more expensive, so a lot of times you are definitely better off buying properties in the U.S.
because most of the residential properties in the U.S. are freehold and there are a lot
of places in the U.S. where you can find cheaper properties than in Singapore. It is
understandable because Singapore is so small and land is so precious. It makes sense that properties
are really expensive. Another reason you may not want to move to Singapore has to do with the
weather. Singapore is hot and humid everyday (365 days per year), so if you prefer cooler weather or if
you want to experience a winter season, Singapore may not be the place for you, but since Singapore
is such a great travel hub, you do have the option to travel to countries with cooler
temperatures. Another reason you may not want to move to Singapore has to do with personal space.
Singapore is a really small country. To give you an idea of how small it is, Los Angeles alone
is almost twice the size of Singapore. On top of that, Singapore has a population of more than
5.8 million people, so you can imagine how crowded some places can get in Singapore. Personal space
may seem really silly to talk about, but if you are someone who is not used to people standing
really close to you in the checkout lines at grocery stores or at convenience stores or when
you order food and if you are someone who is not used to people literally touching you on the trains
during the morning and evening commutes when the MRTs are really crowded, it can definitely get
really claustrophobic and stressful at times. If you are someone who prefers a lot of personal
space, Singapore may not be the place for you to live in, but it is still a great place to
visit. As a tourist, if you are able to travel on the weekdays do so because a lot of the attractions
are really crowded on the weekends and you can avoid the crowds if you explore on the weekdays.
As far as having very little personal space in Singapore, even after living in Singapore for
four years, it just makes you so calm and relaxed when you have more space and when all of a sudden
you move to a country where a lot of places are really crowded and you just feel like you are
squished and it is super claustrophobic it really can affect your mental health as well. I just do
my best to avoid crowded places as much as I can. These are some reasons you may consider before
you decide whether you should move to Singapore or not. There are definitely pros and cons no
matter which country you live in (whether it is the U.S. or Singapore). If you do have the opportunity to
live in a new country do so because it would definitely widen your perspective on a lot of
different things. You may even gain a deeper appreciation for the things you may have taken
for granted just a little bit back home. Thank you so much for watching! If you have any comments, please
leave them down in the comment section below. I will see you in the next video coming out very soon! Bye-bye!