# Is this enough?



## Berniea (May 11, 2013)

My husband has had an offer of a job in Singapore. He is a professional and we do have a certain lifestyle that we want to keep. 

He has been offered S$11923 per month after tax. Although they say they will pay for our accommodation I do feel that we are going to have to put towards it for somewhere decent to live. Minimum 3 bed, outdoor space, nice area etc...

Is that enough for the both of us to live on? I won't be working. We like to go out every weekend for meals and drinks and sometimes during the week as well. We like to eat well at home so I would be buying a lot of imported food. We go away for weekends, go to concerts, etc.. We also have 3 cats. 

It is worrying me that this offer is just far too low. Can someone give me some advice? 

Thank you


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

What's the employer's offer figure for accommodation? Are any other forms of total compensation included in the offer, for example medical insurance? Annual paid travel to your home country? Life insurance? Disability insurance?

Can you characterize your current total compensation and (without getting too exact) place of residence, for comparison?

As an initial, general reaction, that looks quite comfortable, but details matter.


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## Berniea (May 11, 2013)

My husband is going to try and find out the allowance. We will both have medical insurance and flight home.

In Thailand. He/we might be moving to Singapore but it will be with the same company he is with now. His total is $12771 per month. We live in a nice 3 bed villa with private pool.


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## sgporc (May 14, 2012)

Berniea said:


> we do have a certain lifestyle that we want to keep.





Berniea said:


> We live in a nice 3 bed villa with private pool


FYI, just trying to keep up this one item alone would probably cost more than his total monthly salary.


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## Berniea (May 11, 2013)

I don't mind not having a pool, what I do very much mind is not having any private outdoor space. We love entertaining, having bbq's etc...


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

OK, is the $12771 figure in Thailand U.S. dollars or Singapore dollars? Is that gross (before tax) or after tax? I assume that there's no additional housing allowance, correct?

A big part of the answer is going to depend on the housing figure. Is it also correct to assume his employer will pay for the housing directly in Singapore, giving him a maximum budget within which he can search for housing? (That's the tax efficient way to do things in Singapore, as I understand it.)

Housing is quite a bit more expensive in Singapore than in Thailand -- Berniea is absolutely correct -- so a lot will depend on the maximum housing budget your husband's employer has in mind and also how highly you value housing versus other forms of consumption and savings. It's possible, depending on the figures, that you'll be living in less luxurious housing (though still very comfortable) in Singapore but then be able to save significantly more money, for example.


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## Berniea (May 11, 2013)

It is in Singapore dollar's, after tax, with housing allowance included. 

All I want is somewhere decent to live, private outdoor space and have a life, but be able to save as well. I have been to Singapore a few times but only for a day or two so didn't really find out how much it would cost for nights out, traveling around, things to do etc...

Do you know if it is easy to get British food from supermarkets? I am totally in the dark!


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

So the $12771 figure in Thailand is Singapore dollars, OK. Net of taxes, OK. And then you pay for housing on your own out of that amount, correct?

"Private outdoor space" generally automatically translates into "expensive" in Singapore. And I should have said that _sgporc_ was absolutely correct. Hopefully that was obvious. If you try to replicate the single family home with private yard residential model in Singapore you (and/or your employer) will pay dearly for it. Just how highly do you value that attribute? If it's a mandatory requirement, and if your husband's employer isn't willing to pay for it, then you're probably in the better situation now.

Yes, it's rather easy to find lots of international food products. Singapore is a modern city state with lots of British (and other nationality) expatriates, and there are supermarkets that cater to their tastes and preferences. Naturally you'll pay more than you would in, say, Birmingham. I bought some cheese made in England the other day, and the price certainly did not decrease on my cheese's long voyage from its production home. Though I suppose it aged a bit more which isn't necessarily a bad thing.


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## Berniea (May 11, 2013)

That is correct, yes.

Private outdoor space is very important to me. I won't be working, I do like to be able to pop outside where I am not overlooked and chill out, we like to have bbq's, . I also have 3 cats that I do not intend keeping them locked in forever! This is proving to be very difficult  

Thank you so much for your help BBCWatcher


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Yes, that's comparatively rare and certainly expensive. Much as it would be in Manhattan, Tokyo, or Hong Kong. It exists, certainly, but not inexpensively. You can take a look at the various property rental Web sites for Singapore to get an idea of prices. Look for terms such as "Landed House" and "Bungalow," but then many of those won't have private yards, so you have to dig a bit more. I just checked one of the popular sites very quickly, found a fully detached "bungalow" with 3 bedrooms listed with a private garden (size not clear), and the monthly rental is listed at S$10,000. That strikes me as a fair price for Singapore for that sort of property, but that's just one of the first that popped up and not scientific.

Of course if your husband's employer wants to spring for 5 figures, fantastic.

If by "private" you mean "a nice place to relax (garden, pool, BBQ, etc.) open only to residents of the building and their chaperoned, generally well behaved guests," that's _considerably_ more common and considerably less expensive. People still like that sort of thing -- you're not the only one -- but most people can't afford to pay for exclusive use.

Private automobiles work much the same way in Singapore, by the way. You can't even think about getting a car on the road without at least S$100,000 (at least), and that doesn't fuel it, insure it, park it, maintain it, or settle the tolls. "Just don't" is the best advice.

Welcome to Singapore. Maybe.


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