by Tamara Hock

Created on: January 03, 2008   Last Updated: January 05, 2008

I always hear complaints that it is very expensive to live in Singapore. I do not agree with this. The following is a guide on how to live in Singapore as cheaply as possible. This is aim to help not only those who have low income, but also those who enjoy high income but want to save more money. All prices are in Singapore dollars.

*Accomodation*
For Singaporeans:

If your household income is less than $1500 a month, you can rent a flat directly from the Housing & Development Board (HDB). If your income is less than $800, a 2 room unit costs $44 - $75 a month. For income between $801 and $1500, it costs $123 - $165.

If you form a family nucleus, You can also purchase a flat directly from HDB. A 3 room flat (approximately 67 square metres) costs $118,000 - $134,000. You can get a loan from HDB, the monthly repayment should be less than $500. But you will need to pay 20% of the purchase price, either by cash or using your Central Provident Fund (CPF). If you earn $2000 a month, you should save about $460 in your CPF ordinary account every month. You should have at least $27000 after working for 5 years, enough for the downpayment.

For foreigners:
The cheapest option is to rent a room in a HDB flat (public housing). This will cost about $300 - $500 in areas like Jurong West which is furthest away from town. Singapore is very small. Traveling from Jurong West to town by MRT takes only about 40 minutes. If you can find someone to share a room with you, then it can cost as little as $150. If you are a family and need to rent an entire flat, it costs about $1500 a month for a 3 room HDB flat (2 bedrooms and 1 living room).

*Transport*
Use public transport. The MRT is fast, efficient and comfortable. The longest trip should cost no more than $2.80. For bus fares, the highest is $1.80 for normal buses, $2.35 for express buses. If you take MRT, then have to change to bus for a few stops, you should spend less than $4.00 per trip ($2.80 for MRT, $1.10 for bus). If you don't work on weekends, then total should be less than $200 a month, even if you stay at one end of Singapore, and travel to the other end to work. You can save more by using the EZ-link card instead of cash.

*Water, electricity, gas bills*
If you do not use air conditioner, total bill should be less than $100 for a household of 2 adults and 2 kids. Learn how to conserve energy.

*Food and groceries*
The cheapest option is to cook at home. Even if you work, you can pack a sandwich to work. It is healthier anyway.

The

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