Moving to any new country can be a scary experience. You are suddenly taken away from your home comforts, and you have to find a way to embrace your new life and new home. Singapore is a small but mighty city that boasts a huge financial district as well as plenty of opportunities for ex-pats wanting to create new experiences. It is a city that is rich in culture, so it is a great place to move to if you are someone wanting to explore something new. Singapore is quite a popular city for ex-pats, and there are almost 2 million ex-pats currently living in Singapore. So, if you are planning to move to Singapore, then that statistic should give you some encouragement. Knowing that so many people enjoy the city, means that you are likely to enjoy it too. However, if you still have some concerns, then here are some extra tips for an ex-pat living in Singapore.
Find A Place To Live
The thing you need to think about before you move to Singapore is finding a place to live. While a hotel may be suitable for a short holiday, if you will actually be living in a new city, you need to secure yourself an actual home. Finding a place, you can make into a home will be a great way of settling into the new city as it means you will have somewhere to properly store all your belongings. Additionally, once you have your own place, you can start to make friends and invite people around. Socializing is a great way to integrate into a new city, and it is a good opportunity to discover new parts of the city you may never have seen on your own. To try and find a place to live, it would be a good idea to start looking at local estate agents and see what homes they have to offer. Then, once you have found a few you like, you can use an HBD loan calculator provided by PropertyGuru to work out how much you can reasonably afford to spend on your new home.
Healthcare
Healthcare is another important thing to consider as an ex-pat living in Singapore. If you are moving from a country with a national healthcare system, you will need to be prepared to pay for healthcare once you move. Singapore has an excellent healthcare system, and most of the time public and private healthcare will cost similar prices. Because of this, often people will opt for private healthcare, simply because it means shorter waiting times. You may also find that many jobs in Singapore offer a healthcare policy within the contract, so that could be something to consider if you are going to be searching for a new job. Having access to quality healthcare is extremely important, so you must do your proper research beforehand to know what your new country offers.
Research The Culture
This should go without saying, but before you move to another country and make that country your new home, you must research the culture beforehand. Culture plays a huge role in the society of every country, and it is likely that the culture from your home country is a lot different to that of Singapore. If this is the case, then it would be respectful to do some proper research before you make a move, so you can start learning a bit more about Singapore’s traditions and cultural expectations. Doing this before you move will be helpful as it will mean that once you start to explore the city, you will have a better understanding of the way things work. Furthermore, knowing a bit about the culture can help you to make friends as you will be able to interact with those around you effectively.
Cost Of Living
Another thing you need to be aware of when moving to Singapore is the cost of living. Singapore is, unfortunately, a very expensive country to live in, and it has been ranked second most expensive city in the world for ex-pats. Because of this, it is super important that you already have a job lined up before you move to Singapore or that you at least have a good chunk of savings to get you through. Although savings are great, they can quickly run out, so you must make sure that you have some sort of income. Singapore is so expensive because the city boasts world-class amenities, rich culture, and great career opportunities. So, if you do not already have a job lined up, then hopefully it shouldn’t take long before you find yourself in a high-paying job. Even if you are pretty settled in your current role, it could be good to start job searching and see if there are any higher-salary opportunities out there for you.