# Short term living expenses or per-diem rates



## Bernard

Does anybody know a website/specific page listing a break-down of expenses in Singapore? 

It has been hard to find a decent practical list -- UStravelstate site lists $126 to $145 per day. I doubt my company is going to give me that per-diem rate.

I will get accomodation provided and my boss asked me to figuring out the living costs there.

I need some guidance, since I will be for 2 or 3 months working in a project.

Thanks for your kind response


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## Stravinsky

Bernard said:


> Does anybody know a website/specific page listing a break-down of expenses in Singapore?
> 
> It has been hard to find a decent practical list -- UStravelstate site lists $126 to $145 per day. I doubt my company is going to give me that per-diem rate.
> 
> I will get accomodation provided and my boss asked me to figuring out the living costs there.
> 
> I need some guidance, since I will be for 2 or 3 months working in a project.
> 
> Thanks for your kind response


Wecome to the forum Bernard
Cant help you there but I hope someone will be along with living expenses


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## myqute

Well food is very cheap...$2 to $4.50 per serving in normal food courts and "kopitiam". If you cook dinner yourself you can spread some food over a few days (about $10 to $15). Restaurant food can be anything from $6 per dish (ala carte) to $55 (buffet) per meal.

Accomodation will depend on distance travelled. Taxis are the most expensive from $4.20 per 3 kilometres travelled.

Bus and MRT (like your subway) are the cheapest to commute. Can be anything between 90cents to $3.50 or more per trip (depending on distance travelled).

Rental will depend on whether it's whole apartment ($700/mth and above depending on number of rooms, amenities nearby and location) or just a room ($300/mth upwards if you are lucky or else on average $400 and above).

Is this info helpful? All $ stated in in SG$ (US$1 is about SG$1.67??)

If you have more specific questions, please post cos I will be glad to offer you more info.


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## synthia

I found the US military rates, which are broken down into lodging, meals if no government meals are available, meals if some government meals are available, and incidentals. The US military is not usually overly generous. The meal allowances assume that you will always eat in restaurants, not that you are cooking for yourself.

I think the rates you found include accommodation. For business travel, meals are generally for western food, in decent restaurants. The meal rates seem high to me, because there are so many cheap places. However, you are not obligated to eat in the local food court or Chinese noodle place every day in order to save your company money.

There is a deli in the shopping area behind Raffles where I have eaten when I was feeling homesick. Corned beef and pastrami on rye with a big fat kosher pickle and a slice of New York cheesecake along with a couple of Cokes would run around $20.00. Now that's a real deli sandwich with the meat piled high, mind you. And worth every penny when you've been away for nearly a year.


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## myqute

Oh man! Synthia's post is making me hungry!  Where's that deli you mentioned with meat piled high? I wanna go!


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