Filipinos@Singapore

The cost of living in Singapore is high regardless at which angle you look at it. This has been supported numerous times in various studies and surveys that you see in the news. But we, Filipinos, are known to be thrift and knows how to tighten our belts when necessary. That means as long as you keep your cost below your income, you'll find working here in Singapore financially fulfilling than in the Philippines.

To give you an idea on how much is needed to live in Singapore, we've listed down an average monthly expenses. The cost shown below is for a couple in a rented master bedroom. Both are working and travels from the farthest north station to the city. The husband packs lunch while the wife buys her lunch in Kopitiam. They cook dinner and prepares sandwich in the morning. Eat once or twice a month in fastfood and stays at home in the weekend. The test is conducted from July to September 2008. All expenses were logged including small amounts ( $1.00) that you may incur during trips to the nearest neighborhood store.

Here are the factors:

• Number of Persons : 2 (couple -- husband and wife, no kids)
• Accomodation : Master Bedroom
• Profile : both working in IT, non-smoking, non-drinker
• Flat Location : Woodlands
• PUB/Cable/WiFi : Shared Equally
• Job Location : City/Central Area
• Number of Rides/Transfers : 1 transfer

Item Description	Amount
Room Rental	$750.00
PUB	$155.00
Provisions/Grocery	$280.00
Transporation	$270.00
Phone/Call Cards	$50.00
Allowance	$250.00
Miscellaneous	$100.00
Total	$1,855.00

The amount displayed above will already let you live comfortably enough. Usually, budget for miscellaneous items is not used because they have their allowances anyway. Though hubby's allowance is only $100, that's still a considerable amount considering that he's packing his lunch and only eat outside on Fridays(usually at hawkers). Budget for provisions is also big but that already includes all the couples' household needs. Non-essential items like junk foods, juice, softdrinks are all bought in the grocery and included in the Provisions budget.

What we are trying to say is that the amount you can still have your expenses far below that amount. As a matter of fact, the couple's expenses for July is only $1,670. However, their expenses went up in other months due to one-time expenses that crops up every now and then like aircon cleaning, household necessities, or simply when one of them crave for pizza or pasta.

The table is just a guide for our fellow Filipinos who are planning to come here in Singapore so that they can set their own expectations. It's also applicable for OFWs who are already here in Singapore. If you think your expenses are below the amount shown, then good for you. If not, then maybe you can do better next time.

A similar post for Singles is posted in Cost of Living for Singles - 2008.

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Disclaimer

The article above is in no way be used as a scientific reference. Take note that though the amounts stated above are true and correct, the study is very limited and no scientific methods were implemented. It was not a result of a survey of many subjects but rather we asked only one couple for this simple experiment.