If you are an upper middle class or rich in europe you will be poor in Singapore. My sister married a Junior doctor in the NHS. She divorced him without a single alimony or settlement (that's because they didn't have any kids together). She had enough with it, living like a extermly poor and budgeting everything. She finally gathered enough courage and told him in his face, I'll do better as a beggar in Singapore.
She said, "I don't own a car" not "we don't own a car." Since she is a linguist, not sure whether it is word play, obscuring the fact that her husband drives.
btw the word "own" is wrongly used in SG because SG is the only country with COE, if you don't have that piece of COE paper then you can't drive, so the correct word should be "lease".
@@uwet.8826 the husband doesn’t own (or lease) a car either. Trust me. If he did, I would know. He does have a Singaporean drivers license, though. A boy can dream 😂
I really like Ana. She makes some excellent observations about Singapore, but above all, she is also very understanding and accepting of different cultures. She is absolutely right that a good cure to extreme nationalism and jingoism is to experience other cultures and environments, and the good thing is that a good chunk of Singaporeans are fairly well travelled, so rowdy nationalism isn't as bad here as it is in say, America. On the subject of Singaporeans being "civilised" about replying promptly to emails, I don't necessarily think it's about respect, but rather that Singaporeans do not like to waste time. Singapore is one of, if not the most efficiently run country in the world. People are accustomed to things getting done quickly. And Singaporeans are also amongst the fastest walkers in the world. This is all manifested even in language and culture, where Singlish is spoken to get straight to the point. The biggest contradiction of course, is that many Singaporeans also don't mind long queues to get their craved food! But that's the kiasu culture for you. I hope Ana and her family continues to stay in Singapore because we could really use more people like her. And yes, everyone's feeling the pain of the rising cost of living. Here's hoping it gets better in the future!
i like Ana a lot. Her responses are honest yet never condescending. Id be sad if Singapore becomes so expensive that people like her are compelled to go elsewhere. Thanks, Max, for this video!
When we arrived in Singapore back in 2011, I was determined never to have a car, because it (already !) was horribly expensive. After 4-5 months of dealing with taxis, reasonably good, efficient and affordable as they were, and with a toddler and associated kit, we decided to buy a car. It was a 4-years old Ford Mondeo, that cost the same as a new Porsche Cayenne in the US, but it was a life-changer. Back in the day, one could finance the whole purchase, there was no minimum down-payment, and the company selling the car included 24/7 service, which was totally great. Upon leaving Singapore, I sold the car for a bit more money than I still needed to pay to the bank, which I found amazing. My experience of driving a car in Singapore for 5 years was truly excellent. Little traffic, hassle-free, no concern whatsoever. Obviously, having guaranteed parking at home and at my workplace helped a lot. It was fun to take the car to Malaysia on a few occasions, if only for the thrill of speeding up on the motorway, something quite unthinkable in Singapore. If I were to return to living and working in Singapore, I doubt that I would buy a car again. Honestly, status and showing off aside, MRT, Bus and Grab are all one needs for mobility. Car-owning has simply become unreasonable and I find it impossible to justify to pay that much for the privilege. Actually, as a resident in Bangkok, and although car-owning it a lot less expensive than in Singapore, I think the same here. The ability to drive away from Bangkok for a weekend or so might temper that statement, but in Singapore, that option is pretty much non-existent.
Singaporean strangers like to chat people up. They are harmless. The danger is they keep irritating you and tries to get to know you when you have absolutely no time for them. Duh ~.
Rich mentality... and Thailand.... you realize Thailand, Vietnam travel by motorcycle with themselves and kids. Thus you could own your own transportation.
@@sagepirotess6312 Apparently, not everybody in Thailand travels by motorbikes. My neighbourhood in Bangkok looks a lot like Singapore, with glitzy shopping malls and 5* hotels. And the car park of my condo is full of Porsches and Mercedes. There is even a Ferrari or two.
@@jpbweb2023 and that's fine. People living within their means... but this individual cant adjust her lifestyle or location and toys with the income she produces.
@@sagepirotess6312 Indeed. As I understand the situation, Ana still can afford the lifestyle she had chosen for her family, but she is voicing concern about how unsustainable that choice might become. At some point, she and others in a similar situation may have to downsize or localise, or leave. It is a sad state of affairs when one is effectively priced out of a lifestyle that once used to be affordable but stopped being so.
I think a lot of Singaporeans don't understand the difference between an expat package foreigner (these are always sent from some multinational as part of a rotation or to handle a branch) and a foreigner who's taken up work here due to the relatively high salaries (typically this is the sort who then talks about PR). In the general "west", This would be considered to be an immigrant. One reason, particularly why Singaporeans think expats are drawing ridiculous salaries is because this was true in the past. Every Caucasian (white) foreigner really was on an expat package. And they were always from Western Europe, the US or Australia. This isnt true today. While they're "white", Spanish and Portuguese economies have not been able to sustain high salaries. For them, their golden age has long passed in the 18th century. And you'd be aware of the salaries in Russia and Eastern Europe which are incomparable to those in Central and Western Europe. Its just that the locals aren't aware.
@@MaxChernov At one time, the packages matched or exceeded the packages the expats were getting back in their home countries (or were somewhat higher as they were posted here due to "hardship".) But these days a local package about matches what someone in Western Europe (excluding Switzerland Norway) would earn anyway and what hardship is there to speak about a posting to Singapore. For a majority of Caucasian (white) foreigners, it is a case of economic (oft temporary) migration Vs a company posting to a far flung undeveloped part of the world. Just that most Singaporeans are not aware of it
@@Yalbou well, being a local here, I find it odd to refer to someone by their skin tone. I am aware that the Spanish and Portuguese refer to themselves as "White" (Blanco/Branco) though. After all I studied Spanish till an intermediate level and can communicate in it. I prefer the term "Caucasian" though so yes, they would fall under that umbrella. But then again, so do some Latinos. Most Singaporeans won't know the difference.
What Ana said is true about language in Singapore being efficient. Whenever I write a paper, my management would want to cut as many words as possible, from 40 pages to 15 pages. Put in bullet points to go straight to the point. Use simple words and best to use flowchat to represent. It makes you put yourself in other people's shoes because they have to read it. Time is money.
The truth is that neither my local nor foreigner friends have much money left over after paying monthly expenses. Local pay CPF which goes towards paying off the loan for a BTO flat, often in areas some distance away from malls etc, so you need car. Foreigners don't pay CPF but instead high rent, flight tickets home and international school tuition, and you can't save much money renting an HDB. We are all working hard, let's have some empathy and be kind to each other.
Foreigners who are PR have to pay CPF. Also keep in mind CPF is forced savings, it is still your own money. So even if you pay CPF you don't lose the money. In other countries you pay the equivalent usually through social security but the money is not yours to claim back. If you pay 1000 per month in Singapore you get 1000 back. In the UK you pay 1000 and you get the same back as the guy who paid 100 or even the guy who paid nothing.
@@pollythedog4914 It's practically impossible for a European to get PR these days. Haven't heard of anyone obtaining it. You can get your CPF money back once you leave the country, but it's fairly useless before that. You can buy a resale HDB but only if both in the couple obtain PR. Otherwise only resale EC.
Whether you are rich, poor, local or foreigner…People from different income levels/social classes have different type of struggles. We can never understand each other unless we experience it. There are different social classes among Singaporeans too. There are foreign parents whose children are left in their home country because their salary is not enough to bring the family members, or they simply cannot afford to live together here. For them, living together with their kids is a luxury. I am a Singapore PR who came to Singapore nearly 30years ago. My family’s monthly income was less than S$2,500 for many years. Making ends need for four of us as a foreign family was never easy. My mum never had a chance to go back to her hometown until her parents passed away as we could not afford to pay the plane ticket. However, I must admit that I have benefited from being a foreigner (e.g. being able to speak a foreign language like a native speaker, etc.) and I am aware that many Singaporeans feel that it is unfair for a person like me to have a decent job because I skipped the competition which most Singaporean would need to go through. We all know that there are times we want to complain about our circumstances, and we all know that everyone has their own issues. It is always good to know different perspectives, but I wish some of your videos have shown a little more respect to those who are less privileged. You choose to be here and you have a choice to live elsewhere, or in a different way.
When u earn more. U can have a choice of spending less.. and keep to basic. However if u are poorer. U don't have a chose of spending less. That simple fact.
Singapore's leadership knew from day one that its survival depends on being globalized and open to the world. Although there are anti-foreigner sentiments in the grassroot, the truth is that every job in Singapore depends on investment or trade with the outside.
All my teachers in my old secondary school have a car. Their wages are 2000 to 5000 sgd a month. Sure, car morgages are crazy but it's still doable. But owning cars in Singapore is just stupid anyway. You can just use MRT, and if you want to pamper yourself, just use Grab.
@@lucyfiniarel2347 cars should never be seen as assets. Rich people don't care about cars,watches being an asset. Its a luxury. Fruits of their labour.
all the singaporeans you know owns a car? the waitresses, nurses, technicians, electricians, clerks, school teachers, army soldiers?????? you live in a condo, kids go to private schools ($30k a year) while 90 percent of singaporeans live in govt houses and public schools.... you are poor?
Actually true once you have a car most of us are repaying every month. It is extremely expensive anywhere from 1.4k and above before ERP/PARKING/SEASON PARKING/ ROAD TAX / INSURANCE / SERVICING thats very expensive
After watching several interviews, I would say Bruce Willis is my favourite male interviewee and Ana is my favourite female interviewee. She is here for 6 years and already understands and appreciate Singapore more than many Singaporeans. The housing market is totally ridiculous, hopefully the cooling measures can do something and ultimately, Fed's decision on their interest rate plan will be the main factor affecting everyone globally.
Really interesting interview! I think the rising cost of living is indeed a big concern even to locals. I just wonder whether inflation is hitting the rest of the world equally hard?
I'm loving Ana more and more after each interview. She has such a lovely personality and it really shows. Now firstly, I regret to say that some people (in Singapore) are just xenophobic and they are incorrigible. I would like to apologize on their behalf. Secondly, Singlish is exactly what she described it - a language that is meant to be efficient. For example, your group of friends and you are in a conundrum and you wanted to ask if anyone had any idea on how to get out of it: English: "Does anyone have any idea what we should do next? This will end very badly for us if we can't think of a way out of this situation."" Singlish: "How ah? Die lah like this." See the difference? Both conveys the gravity of the situation, but with different amount of words used. Lastly, I would think that when someone speaks to you in Singlish, they are treating you as ""one of us". Personally, I would speak in proper English (grammar/syntax) to a foreigner who speaks English to me. But if said foreigner becomes someone I interact with on a regular basis, I would inadvertently pepper my English with Singlish words. Although I'm not quite sure what is meant by "deep Singlish". Perhaps you could elaborate on that? I am a Singaporean Malay, and as with most people born and raised here, I was exposed to different cultures, languages and dialects growing up. As a result, I speak English and Malay fluently, understand and speak a little bit of Mandarin and am able to pepper my sentences with Hokkien words as I'd like. I love that Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and languages and would never want that to change. I cannot imagine myself living in a country where the population is homogeneous.
Your rent will be more expensive when you choose to live near CBD. Can tell that Ana lived quite near to Frasers Suites. Sure expensive la. Many locals don't own cars too.
This interview touches on very interesting topics... Life in Singapore is getting exorbitantly expensive for foreigners mostly due to rental price increases and school fees going through the roof... many foreigners choose to leave which will change this trend dramatically but this trend will only be noticed once it's too late to reverse... It's already noticeable in the rental market... the crazy asks of LL for 80% increases are gone and they will gladly settle on +25% now... within 6 months with less foreigners around, who knows where the market will settle. Do not consider the past 12 months to be a reflection of what the future holds... Complacency amongst landlords and estate agents is rife but this will very quickly change if there are too few foreigners to fill the ever growing demand of properties bought only to rent out to expats... And that rate of change is already happening...
I believe if foreigners apply to become a Permanent Resident and join the local community, they will experience a whole different dimension. Then they can buy HDB flats, enrol their children into the local schools and join activities organized by People's Association. There is a vast difference in costs.
I think you do not know how many foreigners came into Singapore this year. Just on nurses alone, the government is going to employ at least 4,000 before end of 2023 with majority from overseas. There are foreigners who left, but our total population compared to 2022 at least ballooned by 600-700k.
@@angmatthew it would be great if you could share your source for this statistic you use ... you are suggesting the population of Singapore grew by more than 12-14% in one year. That would be an unprecedented growth... care to substantiate it ? You won't be able to, mind you, because it's a complete lie.
One day come to Indonesia and traveling in bandung city. Usually by car 4 hours arrive to bandung city. But with high speed railway 350 km/hours only 45 minuts from jakarta city. Amazing, the first in southeast. Open to public 18 august 2023.i will be there. Don.t miss it guys
Great video, and I really love the interview's questions and answers.❤ Both made very valid points. Regarding the reason why Singaporeans get a car, its not because they are rich. Rather, they are materialistic wants(i.e., more convenient especially when you have a family,etc.). On average, SG salaries are $4.5k/Mth (Bef CPF deductions), and servicing a car loan + car expenses would put you back $2k/month. Adding on your personal expense, less having a family or owning/renting a house , is $1k. Nett, you would get 4.5k - 20% CPF - $2K =$1.1k savings per month. If you add in the cost of housing/rental. I would say that you'd have almost zero savings. Once you lose your job, everything might go south. Thus, the pressure is on, 24 hours a day. Furthermore, most locals I know take public transport because cars/hailing are too expensive. Next, the reason why locals may see expats as well to do individuals is because we are expats ourselves abroad. Usually, only if it makes sense for the company to afford your negotiated living expenses abroad, they would send you here. The taxes are way higher in the western hemispheres as compared to SG. But the salaries expats are receiving here are the same as those they receive back home, plus 1 x of their salary as stipend + lodging is covered. They would then have to just pay for their expenses here, food, transport, etc, which are honestly way way cheaper here than in the West. Hence, nett liquid savings in hand would be significantly more than local individuals. Education is more expensive, but taxes are a magnitude less here. A good measure of the cost of living, personally, would be comparing the ratio of $average/meal : $Salary/month. Because I think there's always going to be a cheaper alternative (Home, food, school, etc) but what are you comfortable with ? Especially when one leaves their country for another. Public housing ranges from $200k (Price of a car 😂) to $1.2mil. Sorry for the long comment 😂but the content really caught my attention. I love it, and I just wanted for others to hear from the side of a Singaporean. For the singlish part, I think locals just prefers everything fast, and that's it. Locals replied the interviewee's email is because they are afraid of complaints
Thanks Max for showing real life and problems in Singapore!! Some channels only tell the good side of things...ljke Nomad Capitalist block 🚫 your posts if you say anything bad about Singapore, or Serbia, or good about the US.
Even living in USA cost or rents have doubled in last 3-4 years but wages did not double. Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world. If she is a working nomad would be better live in Thailand.
Europe is going through the same thing. Here in the Netherlands the middle class, which used to be quite comfy are now struggling to come by. Young people just starting with work can't find a home at all.
Plenty of ang mo's on the MRT as I observe. Not so many in the hawker centres maybe, but I think they're more likely than the Singaporeans to be cooking and eating at home - living simply.
@@kingbolo4579 think they're more likely than the Singaporeans to be cooking and eating at home - living simply. Don't be a clown, they cannot adapt to the food simply
Different priorities in weightage. Majority Singaporeans will never spend the kind of money regular expats pay for housing as a proportion of their pay. Even more so for rentals. Same for meals and drinks.
@@MaxChernov well, not necessarily but HDB is an option for them. You will hardly find a local household earning less than 12 to 15k at a bare minimum living in a condo. But you find many expats paying 5k or more for housing on a 15k salary. Different priorities.
@@zenweaver those are the Yaya ones... Most probably the younger lots. Although to be fair, many need cars to drive around their elderly parents or relatives.
One good efficient example of Singlish in the beverage business, such as "kog-" which evolved from Malay "k=Kopi" which means coffee, Hokkien "O" which means dark, Hokkien "g=Gao" which means strong, and "-" an indicator for Cantonese "Siew dai" which means less sugar. It's a daily thing...
Let's be honest, most foreigners working here are on "expat package". Expat rates are pretty high, atleast 3 times the rate a Singaporean employed in a similar position draws. Some expat packages even includes accomodation. Expat salary, is probably more than sufficient for an average middle-income working class family, covering daily expenses, utilities, and kids' expenses. I once read a report about an expat complaining that his SGD20,000 salary isn't enough. The article then deep dives in him and his family's lifestyle. They stay in a condo (condo rentals are atleast $4,000 or more), kids attends international school, they buy grocery from Marketplace-grade grocery stores, and buys very specific stuff flown in from the region they originated from. I don't find Ana's experience convincing. For all we know, she and her family might be earning the same and having the same lifestyle as the expat I mentioned above. This video did not really set the context of Ana's story for her to justify her claims. There are definitely cheaper alternatives to basic things like food, groceries, daily necessities, transport. If you have to live off the way you lived back at your home country, you're gonna be so financially exhausted here. I have American and British ex-colleagues who chose to rent a HDB, eat the food we eat, take the transport we take and they are living well.
Freelancers can get gov age pensions in Australia and New Zealand. For Australia gov age pension, you need to pass assets tests. For NZ gov age pensions, maybe no such test, neither working history requirements. Both need perment residents or citizens who have lived in these countries for certain years.
Been in Australia for 19 years and a citizen now and I am 61 yrs old. Government pension here is 65 and if you don't own your property or don't have saving for old age pension is not enough. Renting here is paid weekly and owning a house is expensive unlike in US a simple apartment here can buy you a level house in US. My sister is a US citizen has a house in Florida 3br good area cost only $250k while here it can never afford you an apartment. The medical here is not free as many thought. It can be free if you wait for a schedule in weeks or months and you go to GP ( some are free bulk billed but now it's being phased our ) and you are referred to specialist and you pay. I had first hand experience when I had a rush surgery for brain tumor we cannot wait for a schedule as my case is a ticking bomb. We had to pay. People here who wanted to be looked after medically have private health insurance. The notion that is free that's not all true. In saying Australia is a safe place to live. I live in a beach part of Queensland you live like a tourist everyday but you have to work or you have to be well off not to worry.
Not really, some places are still more affordable than others and you can have better "things" for your bucks!. Singapore is definitely not one of them. :(
It is truely different from last time. When I cam to Singapore in 2008... some of the rentals like 1000 and now you have to pay 2500+ for the same house. Cars have always been expensive.
I think it's important to state the type of housing you're renting, the location, and also size of the rental place. For cars, it's a luxury to have cars in Singapore.
Thank u for voicing our miseries. Our government seems to play-pretend that covid is over, things go back to normal, but the fact is costs and prices, even GST, are rising except our salaries.
Your gov have other interests in mind unfortunately like attracting foreigners with money (mostly china people, they are the biggest spenders in properties and prices went up many fold, inflation isn't the only culprit!). And locals are now struggling; it's sad but a reality, economical interests against well being of its citizen.
Welcome to Singapore. I hope the rent inflation you're experiencing subsides along with interest rates. These cycles happen and things always get better over time ❤
Speaking singlish so others don’t understand. There’s this story (not sure how true) that US airforce & SG airforce were having joint training & mock battles. Some how the Americans could hear what the Sporeans were saying so they switched to Singlish & won. 😂
Depends how you live your life: International schools, expensive condo (owned or rent), expensive food, etc all add up to the high cost. If you can afford it, great! If you can't afford it, make adjustments loh
U have hit upon the very issue that the normal man in the street is facing, we have seen our salaries stagnate whilst cost of living goes through the ceiling. Why are car prices through the roof? Cause the rich foreigners have no qualms paying for higher COE’s . The higher prices for COE’s are market driven & COE’s are a finite resource so higher bids get the COE’s pushing up the prices to such an extent that the man in the street can’t afford a car for his family. The old joys of driving up North with the family for a break has become an impossible dream for d man in d street! As for this lady, maybe look at down grading to a HDB unit instead.
There are different methods of "living comfortably" in countries, hence, it would always be best to mix and talk to locals who have lived in that particular country for more than 40 years, and who have been adapting to how the country has evolved over the years. And please do not risk leaving your phone on the table.😊 by the way great video!
Why don't you live in Medini second crossing ? My condo is on sale. I was thinking to work in Singapore and live in Johor. My husband will only pay 18% tax and I pay 10%. In the UK, he pays 40% to 45% tax and I pay 32% tax as low earning. Singapore has to buy a few inhabitat islands to expand their land.
PRs can buy 2nd hand HDB and the kids can attend local schools (albeit based on availability of spaces). The Malaysians, Chinese, Indians PRs etc. made full use of the privileges. If PR you are expected to contribute to CPF which can be used to pay for HDB instalments. Ana certainly has been Singaporeanised which complaining is a trait of.
conversation between max, an entrepreneur and youtuber, and anna, a professional linguist from spain who has been living in singapore for six years. they discuss stereotypes about wealthy foreigners, the rising cost of living in singapore, and the unique aspects of singlish, the local language. anna shares her perspective as a privileged individual, explaining how the increasing expenses in singapore have made it more challenging to maintain a certain standard of living. she mentions that salaries are not increasing while costs like school fees and maintenance fees are rising. as a freelancer, she faces difficulties in charging clients more due to the perception that times are hard for everyone. anna also emphasizes the importance of saving for retirement as a freelancer and the challenges faced by many families in singapore due to the rising rental prices. max adds that if someone negotiated their salary four years ago, they can't expect the same standard of living now. they discuss misconceptions about foreigners being super wealthy, noting that foreigners often face higher costs for certain services compared to citizens. they also mention the affordability of cars, which many singaporeans can afford but foreigners may find challenging. anna highlights that living abroad changes one's perspective and helps counter nationalistic and extremist ideologies. she praises singapore's efficiency, safety, and open attitude, contrasting it with her experiences in other countries. anna appreciates singlish for its efficiency in everyday communication but believes it has limitations when expressing complex ideas. she commends proper english in singapore, finding it clear and understandable compared to legal language in other countries
On the point of how we express "Deep Regret" or "Had we know that.....", she got it all correct ! Singaporeans do have a singlish for that. Its called " WALAO EH" 😂
As an expat, knowing your salary is not going up. Guess what.....you could consider shifting to a HDB flat. Staying with the locals will certainly enable you to be more acquainted with the local culture and understanding how common Singaporean live and work. The rise in rental of HDB will certainly not be on par with the condo rental rate you are paying, though you lose the benefit of amenities such as pool, security guard 24/7 etc....
I would vouch as a Singaporean that we are swallow bunch of people and would take loans to buy $200k car and $2m condo. Having a miserable life paying the loans and work into the graves.
Many buy condo as an investment though. You do not lose your monthly payments for the condo unless you never sell it away. Like a place to put your money instead of the bank.
That isn't real income lmfao. Looks like someone didn't pay attention in school. Subtract that with all other monthly expenses. It will never be enough.
What Singapore offers you - convenience, good bizs environment, safe country, good transportation system, strong currencies, multi-cultured society etc etc.... is Worth it. Period.
Yes yes, that's why "umbrage" became a trending word when SPH CEO used it 🤣 I like my country's humour when it comes to things like these, when someone goes out of their zone and uses a word we don't often/hardly use. Though it meant no harm, also I believe many of us learnt a new word back then 🤣
"I don't know who can afford those prices", those people that are richer than you. As you are using your perspective to judge a price at a high or low based on your own income and you came out with a conclusion that it's not affordable. Plenty of people that complaining expensive but still everywhere a condo sale goes off there will be long queues that are actual buyers.
I arrived in Singapore only month ago and surprised at risingg cost and miss Anna makes many valid points. However, I do think life is not easy for Singaporeans as well. This is story world over due wars and inflation. When I am looking at my pay and rent and what I will save here, I am worried. However, its equivalent back home would be same story unless I owned a home which would save rent. This is true for Singapore as well, people have their homes so they save a part of income which expats cant. Its true everywhere honestly.
Some of the car owners need car for their job , the car increased their income. Its a necessity. Others want a car simply because of social status or convenience . You could have downgrade to a hdb room and own a car but i doubt so.
Don't worry. Even the locals nowadays wanna be like you. Earn the monies in Singapore, retire elsewhere in our 60s. Next year GST is 9%, by 2040, it will be like 12% at least. We want our monies to last as much as possible as well.
I think there are freaks here too lol and while it's safe, it's better not to take it for granted. Kidnapping is unlikely to happen but creepy people exist everywhere.
"In 2023 the average salary in Singapore is about SGD 8,450". Wow is this true? Congrats to each and every worker in SG. During my time working in a manufacturing company in Yishun my monthly salary is SGD 2500 as a Maintenance Associate.
Anna can always consider renting HDB, why insist on private condos in prime location? Even for private condos, there are more affordable ones, albeit further from city center, and most likely China/Indian/Pinoy enclaves. Could it be that HDBs and heartland condos are beneath her?
Don't buy a car in Singapore, don't use public transport!😂 I was there in Singapore in 2000. Everytime our family of four people travel we used to take taxis. It is faster, cheaper . I was in Clementi, was working in Jurong. First one has to ride a bus to mrt(metro), mrt to Jurong and last leg company vechile.It took 90 to 100 minutes factoring connections. One day, I hailed a taxi from residence to work spot. It took me just 12 min. and 10 sing $, whereas bus/mrt/bus would cost around 8 Sing $. Afterwards it is always taxi!😂
I don’t own a car for practical reasons. Can i afford one? Japanese or Korean boleh lah. BMW forget it. But the parking situation in malls & even some office buildings is crazy. Can’t find a lot and when you do, the parking fees are 🙄
@@leguezennecx Its cheaper to grab or take taxi but when you’re in a rush & its raining & its peak period & no one wants to pick you up, you wish you have a car.
Ana...i'm x S'porean...(i feel your PAIN...coz i've been thru....it...Anyway You Decide to be there n Work....n SAVE for your Retirrment Age...)...Save...n Migrate Out...is the BEST OPTION..
Totally! My mum passed on two recurring ideas: 1.) invest in education and 2.) save for retirement. Now it’s just embedded in my DNA. I just can’t help it.
@@anapleite8112 Invest in education after 25 then what lah? Study study study and you still struggle. I can guarantee you all those fancy degrees mean nothing in the end when everything they teach at local universities (NUS,NTU,Poly) or even international universities. You can never get out of slavery unless you start your own business. That is the truth.
I just read the heading that says your salary is not going up…many locals don’t even have a salary, so be grateful and take it as a tax to the people for earning a good living here….
We have Singnese too. My frds and I spoke to each other while we were sent to INTEL fab for a project in China, Dalian. Our Chinese counterparts does not understand what were we talking about in Mandarian. =P
How much is her or her monthly household income? It is at least SGD20k or more right? And what are the expat benefits? How is it Max never ask the foreigners these hard questions?
20k for an experienced professional in say, IT or Banking or Life Sciences isn't that much to be honest. Plenty of Singaporeans in those industries make a lot more that that. A 'normal' expat isn't paid all that much these days. In fact, it can be less than many locals in MNCs
Sorry but not to discriminate, but based on my 20+ years of working experience, expats taking back 20+k they will feel like they totally earned it. A Singaporean working under them with a 3-4 salary will be doing all the work under a 20k expat, and the expat will get the credit with great speeches of generic, non problem solving directions that make you turn round and round. Companies willing to pay such high overheads and the problem to make it profitable will be the middle management, mostly Singaporeans, to make good P&L. Seen it too too many times. They can articulate very well as if they are subject experts, but break down their speeches and you will find none of them will address the real issue but just roti prata the issue till it becomes a thosai. Sorry I am sure there are capable expats that deserve their 20+k salary, but yet to see one.
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Watch next: a Crazy Story of Becoming a Self-Made Multi-Millionaire in Singapore -> ruclips.net/video/Rdo9SsFo_e8/видео.html
If you are an upper middle class or rich in europe you will be poor in Singapore. My sister married a Junior doctor in the NHS. She divorced him without a single alimony or settlement (that's because they didn't have any kids together). She had enough with it, living like a extermly poor and budgeting everything. She finally gathered enough courage and told him in his face, I'll do better as a beggar in Singapore.
“All the Singaporeans I know own a car.” It’s the same analogy that “all the foreigners I know are wealthy in Singapore” 😅
lol
I don't own a car not even a bicycle.🤭🙃
She said, "I don't own a car" not "we don't own a car." Since she is a linguist, not sure whether it is word play, obscuring the fact that her husband drives.
btw the word "own" is wrongly used in SG because SG is the only country with COE, if you don't have that piece of COE paper then you can't drive, so the correct word should be "lease".
@@uwet.8826 the husband doesn’t own (or lease) a car either. Trust me. If he did, I would know. He does have a Singaporean drivers license, though. A boy can dream 😂
Anna is so real, love watching her interview. Tks Max ☺️
I really like Ana. She makes some excellent observations about Singapore, but above all, she is also very understanding and accepting of different cultures. She is absolutely right that a good cure to extreme nationalism and jingoism is to experience other cultures and environments, and the good thing is that a good chunk of Singaporeans are fairly well travelled, so rowdy nationalism isn't as bad here as it is in say, America.
On the subject of Singaporeans being "civilised" about replying promptly to emails, I don't necessarily think it's about respect, but rather that Singaporeans do not like to waste time. Singapore is one of, if not the most efficiently run country in the world. People are accustomed to things getting done quickly. And Singaporeans are also amongst the fastest walkers in the world. This is all manifested even in language and culture, where Singlish is spoken to get straight to the point. The biggest contradiction of course, is that many Singaporeans also don't mind long queues to get their craved food! But that's the kiasu culture for you.
I hope Ana and her family continues to stay in Singapore because we could really use more people like her. And yes, everyone's feeling the pain of the rising cost of living. Here's hoping it gets better in the future!
Thank you so much for your kind words, A!
Kiasu and Kancheong culture is part of the Singapore experience.
Even their escalators are faster. I felt like gonna fall down.
i like Ana a lot. Her responses are honest yet never condescending. Id be sad if Singapore becomes so expensive that people like her are compelled to go elsewhere. Thanks, Max, for this video!
When we arrived in Singapore back in 2011, I was determined never to have a car, because it (already !) was horribly expensive. After 4-5 months of dealing with taxis, reasonably good, efficient and affordable as they were, and with a toddler and associated kit, we decided to buy a car. It was a 4-years old Ford Mondeo, that cost the same as a new Porsche Cayenne in the US, but it was a life-changer. Back in the day, one could finance the whole purchase, there was no minimum down-payment, and the company selling the car included 24/7 service, which was totally great. Upon leaving Singapore, I sold the car for a bit more money than I still needed to pay to the bank, which I found amazing.
My experience of driving a car in Singapore for 5 years was truly excellent. Little traffic, hassle-free, no concern whatsoever. Obviously, having guaranteed parking at home and at my workplace helped a lot. It was fun to take the car to Malaysia on a few occasions, if only for the thrill of speeding up on the motorway, something quite unthinkable in Singapore.
If I were to return to living and working in Singapore, I doubt that I would buy a car again. Honestly, status and showing off aside, MRT, Bus and Grab are all one needs for mobility. Car-owning has simply become unreasonable and I find it impossible to justify to pay that much for the privilege. Actually, as a resident in Bangkok, and although car-owning it a lot less expensive than in Singapore, I think the same here. The ability to drive away from Bangkok for a weekend or so might temper that statement, but in Singapore, that option is pretty much non-existent.
Singaporean strangers like to chat people up. They are harmless. The danger is they keep irritating you and tries to get to know you when you have absolutely no time for them. Duh ~.
Rich mentality... and Thailand.... you realize Thailand, Vietnam travel by motorcycle with themselves and kids. Thus you could own your own transportation.
@@sagepirotess6312 Apparently, not everybody in Thailand travels by motorbikes. My neighbourhood in Bangkok looks a lot like Singapore, with glitzy shopping malls and 5* hotels. And the car park of my condo is full of Porsches and Mercedes. There is even a Ferrari or two.
@@jpbweb2023 and that's fine. People living within their means... but this individual cant adjust her lifestyle or location and toys with the income she produces.
@@sagepirotess6312 Indeed. As I understand the situation, Ana still can afford the lifestyle she had chosen for her family, but she is voicing concern about how unsustainable that choice might become. At some point, she and others in a similar situation may have to downsize or localise, or leave. It is a sad state of affairs when one is effectively priced out of a lifestyle that once used to be affordable but stopped being so.
I think a lot of Singaporeans don't understand the difference between an expat package foreigner (these are always sent from some multinational as part of a rotation or to handle a branch) and a foreigner who's taken up work here due to the relatively high salaries (typically this is the sort who then talks about PR). In the general "west", This would be considered to be an immigrant.
One reason, particularly why Singaporeans think expats are drawing ridiculous salaries is because this was true in the past. Every Caucasian (white) foreigner really was on an expat package. And they were always from Western Europe, the US or Australia.
This isnt true today. While they're "white", Spanish and Portuguese economies have not been able to sustain high salaries. For them, their golden age has long passed in the 18th century.
And you'd be aware of the salaries in Russia and Eastern Europe which are incomparable to those in Central and Western Europe.
Its just that the locals aren't aware.
The expat packages are pretty much gone
There are also wealthy expats coming from south america, eastern europe or southern europe.
@@MaxChernov At one time, the packages matched or exceeded the packages the expats were getting back in their home countries (or were somewhat higher as they were posted here due to "hardship".)
But these days a local package about matches what someone in Western Europe (excluding Switzerland Norway) would earn anyway and what hardship is there to speak about a posting to Singapore.
For a majority of Caucasian (white) foreigners, it is a case of economic (oft temporary) migration Vs a company posting to a far flung undeveloped part of the world.
Just that most Singaporeans are not aware of it
Do you not consider spanish and portuguese as white?
@@Yalbou well, being a local here, I find it odd to refer to someone by their skin tone. I am aware that the Spanish and Portuguese refer to themselves as "White" (Blanco/Branco) though. After all I studied Spanish till an intermediate level and can communicate in it.
I prefer the term "Caucasian" though so yes, they would fall under that umbrella. But then again, so do some Latinos. Most Singaporeans won't know the difference.
I'm local and do not own a car. Be thankful that you have relatively better earnings than most Singaporeans living in public housing.
What Ana said is true about language in Singapore being efficient. Whenever I write a paper, my management would want to cut as many words as possible, from 40 pages to 15 pages. Put in bullet points to go straight to the point. Use simple words and best to use flowchat to represent. It makes you put yourself in other people's shoes because they have to read it. Time is money.
A working words straight to the point not a love words that needs to be flowery.Ooops!
In SG, one thing people despise is time wasting, although wasting time in queuing is alright.
@@contrarian2496 that is so true 😆
Sounds really cool.
@@kamariahabdrahim6963 salaries should go down just like prices should go down .
More efficient means of production, cheaper goods .
Great interview and (non granted) analysis of efficiency of singapore.
The truth is that neither my local nor foreigner friends have much money left over after paying monthly expenses.
Local pay CPF which goes towards paying off the loan for a BTO flat, often in areas some distance away from malls etc, so you need car.
Foreigners don't pay CPF but instead high rent, flight tickets home and international school tuition, and you can't save much money renting an HDB.
We are all working hard, let's have some empathy and be kind to each other.
Foreigners have to pay income tax as well and they don't have CPF to fall back on.
Foreigners who are PR have to pay CPF. Also keep in mind CPF is forced savings, it is still your own money. So even if you pay CPF you don't lose the money. In other countries you pay the equivalent usually through social security but the money is not yours to claim back. If you pay 1000 per month in Singapore you get 1000 back. In the UK you pay 1000 and you get the same back as the guy who paid 100 or even the guy who paid nothing.
@@pollythedog4914 It's practically impossible for a European to get PR these days. Haven't heard of anyone obtaining it. You can get your CPF money back once you leave the country, but it's fairly useless before that. You can buy a resale HDB but only if both in the couple obtain PR. Otherwise only resale EC.
@@michaelfritzell9352 thanks for sharing. It’s tough for everyone i guess
Move to Vietnam, Taiwan or Korea. I saved enough over a few years to build a house. Fk rent.
Very much appreciated on the part you voiced out about ‘using English with service staff’
Whether you are rich, poor, local or foreigner…People from different income levels/social classes have different type of struggles. We can never understand each other unless we experience it.
There are different social classes among Singaporeans too.
There are foreign parents whose children are left in their home country because their salary is not enough to bring the family members, or they simply cannot afford to live together here. For them, living together with their kids is a luxury.
I am a Singapore PR who came to Singapore nearly 30years ago. My family’s monthly income was less than S$2,500 for many years. Making ends need for four of us as a foreign family was never easy. My mum never had a chance to go back to her hometown until her parents passed away as we could not afford to pay the plane ticket. However, I must admit that I have benefited from being a foreigner (e.g. being able to speak a foreign language like a native speaker, etc.) and I am aware that many Singaporeans feel that it is unfair for a person like me to have a decent job because I skipped the competition which most Singaporean would need to go through.
We all know that there are times we want to complain about our circumstances, and we all know that everyone has their own issues. It is always good to know different perspectives, but I wish some of your videos have shown a little more respect to those who are less privileged. You choose to be here and you have a choice to live elsewhere, or in a different way.
Well said
Do enlighten me, how we skipped the competition that most Singaporeans go through?
When u earn more. U can have a choice of spending less.. and keep to basic. However if u are poorer. U don't have a chose of spending less. That simple fact.
Tell that to people called those who’s struggling lazy and unambitious. They judge others because they don’t experience the struggle
This lady I has a lot of depth and is very nuanced. Appreciation from an Indian 🙏
I have stayed in Singapore in 2018 and really enjoyed the food there
Singapore's leadership knew from day one that its survival depends on being globalized and open to the world. Although there are anti-foreigner sentiments in the grassroot, the truth is that every job in Singapore depends on investment or trade with the outside.
Well, she does know the rich Singaporeans. Most Singaporeans I know (including me) do not own any car.
All my teachers in my old secondary school have a car. Their wages are 2000 to 5000 sgd a month. Sure, car morgages are crazy but it's still doable.
But owning cars in Singapore is just stupid anyway. You can just use MRT, and if you want to pamper yourself, just use Grab.
@@limitlesssky3050 its a mega depreciating asset that uses itself up in 10 years.
@@lucyfiniarel2347 cars should never be seen as assets. Rich people don't care about cars,watches being an asset. Its a luxury. Fruits of their labour.
So many of us do own cars including HDB dwellers. It might not be brand new but it's not that unaffordable
all the singaporeans you know owns a car? the waitresses, nurses, technicians, electricians, clerks, school teachers, army soldiers?????? you live in a condo, kids go to private schools ($30k a year) while 90 percent of singaporeans live in govt houses and public schools.... you are poor?
By EU standard, lol. Not local Singaporean standard.
I really enjoy watching your Interviews Max. Thank u
I love love Ana, she is so TO TH POINT
Those who own cars not necessarily rich, they have car loans to pay😂
Car is the not the real rich. Decent home yes
@M2 you probably full cash but majority take up loans.
Actually true once you have a car most of us are repaying every month. It is extremely expensive anywhere from 1.4k and above before ERP/PARKING/SEASON PARKING/ ROAD TAX / INSURANCE / SERVICING thats very expensive
@M2 yeah, for cars just buy in full cash, why loan. Unless cashflow problem 😅
@@HiHi-vs2tk majority shouldnt buy cars.
Such well spoken and expressed views. Impressed!
Ana is a true Linguist. Loved the story. Thank you Max.
After watching several interviews, I would say Bruce Willis is my favourite male interviewee and Ana is my favourite female interviewee. She is here for 6 years and already understands and appreciate Singapore more than many Singaporeans.
The housing market is totally ridiculous, hopefully the cooling measures can do something and ultimately, Fed's decision on their interest rate plan will be the main factor affecting everyone globally.
Bruce Willis 😂
very real and down to earth person~ we truly welcome you.
Thanks, Tan! 💕
Wow enjoy like anything , she is too good and more informative 😅
You are right about speaking Singlish is to exclude 'outsiders'. But then every society and culture has it.
Singapore accent need to change. Maybe Singlish make it hard to have better accent.
very enjoyable interview. cracked up at the 'Wednesday can!'
Since Uber arrived in SG many years ago and later with Grab, etc, don’t need a car anymore. 😅😅😅
You are staying in a private house and not a HDB. You are relatively more wealthy than most in SG.
A HDB flat is big and well renovated. Public housing is pretty good compared to many other countries.
It's probably rented, like most expats do. Hence majority of locals who own a HDB is still probably richer.
She one of your best interviewees, Max.
Such a candid interview well done
the clouds in the background are very nice
Ana's home's balcony and the view from there is super naise hehe
Singapore is enriched by people like you. All the best!!
awww thank you so much!
Really interesting interview! I think the rising cost of living is indeed a big concern even to locals. I just wonder whether inflation is hitting the rest of the world equally hard?
I saw another (great) video with Ana. She's a great guest, super articulate but with Singlish efficiency, even in English. And funny! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I'm loving Ana more and more after each interview. She has such a lovely personality and it really shows.
Now firstly, I regret to say that some people (in Singapore) are just xenophobic and they are incorrigible. I would like to apologize on their behalf.
Secondly, Singlish is exactly what she described it - a language that is meant to be efficient. For example, your group of friends and you are in a conundrum and you wanted to ask if anyone had any idea on how to get out of it:
English: "Does anyone have any idea what we should do next? This will end very badly for us if we can't think of a way out of this situation.""
Singlish: "How ah? Die lah like this."
See the difference? Both conveys the gravity of the situation, but with different amount of words used.
Lastly, I would think that when someone speaks to you in Singlish, they are treating you as ""one of us". Personally, I would speak in proper English (grammar/syntax) to a foreigner who speaks English to me. But if said foreigner becomes someone I interact with on a regular basis, I would inadvertently pepper my English with Singlish words. Although I'm not quite sure what is meant by "deep Singlish". Perhaps you could elaborate on that?
I am a Singaporean Malay, and as with most people born and raised here, I was exposed to different cultures, languages and dialects growing up. As a result, I speak English and Malay fluently, understand and speak a little bit of Mandarin and am able to pepper my sentences with Hokkien words as I'd like. I love that Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and languages and would never want that to change. I cannot imagine myself living in a country where the population is homogeneous.
Bodek orang putih?
@@rosalynnchow5057 Chinese people never have humility. Just like the Nazis, Chinese people are from a superior race according to the CCP
Lovely interview! thanks! =D
Your rent will be more expensive when you choose to live near CBD. Can tell that Ana lived quite near to Frasers Suites. Sure expensive la.
Many locals don't own cars too.
This interview touches on very interesting topics... Life in Singapore is getting exorbitantly expensive for foreigners mostly due to rental price increases and school fees going through the roof... many foreigners choose to leave which will change this trend dramatically but this trend will only be noticed once it's too late to reverse... It's already noticeable in the rental market... the crazy asks of LL for 80% increases are gone and they will gladly settle on +25% now... within 6 months with less foreigners around, who knows where the market will settle. Do not consider the past 12 months to be a reflection of what the future holds... Complacency amongst landlords and estate agents is rife but this will very quickly change if there are too few foreigners to fill the ever growing demand of properties bought only to rent out to expats... And that rate of change is already happening...
I believe if foreigners apply to become a Permanent Resident and join the local community, they will experience a whole different dimension. Then they can buy HDB flats, enrol their children into the local schools and join activities organized by People's Association. There is a vast difference in costs.
The pros and cons.Some singaporeans will love it.They will have more opportunities getting job vacant by foreigners.
I think you do not know how many foreigners came into Singapore this year. Just on nurses alone, the government is going to employ at least 4,000 before end of 2023 with majority from overseas. There are foreigners who left, but our total population compared to 2022 at least ballooned by 600-700k.
@@angmatthew it would be great if you could share your source for this statistic you use ... you are suggesting the population of Singapore grew by more than 12-14% in one year. That would be an unprecedented growth... care to substantiate it ? You won't be able to, mind you, because it's a complete lie.
Rental prices has gone up worldwide. In Sg, things are expensive but you get better wages for sure.
One day come to Indonesia and traveling in bandung city. Usually by car 4 hours arrive to bandung city. But with high speed railway 350 km/hours only 45 minuts from jakarta city. Amazing, the first in southeast. Open to public 18 august 2023.i will be there. Don.t miss it guys
Great video, and I really love the interview's questions and answers.❤ Both made very valid points. Regarding the reason why Singaporeans get a car, its not because they are rich. Rather, they are materialistic wants(i.e., more convenient especially when you have a family,etc.). On average, SG salaries are $4.5k/Mth (Bef CPF deductions), and servicing a car loan + car expenses would put you back $2k/month. Adding on your personal expense, less having a family or owning/renting a house , is $1k. Nett, you would get 4.5k - 20% CPF - $2K =$1.1k savings per month. If you add in the cost of housing/rental. I would say that you'd have almost zero savings. Once you lose your job, everything might go south. Thus, the pressure is on, 24 hours a day. Furthermore, most locals I know take public transport because cars/hailing are too expensive.
Next, the reason why locals may see expats as well to do individuals is because we are expats ourselves abroad. Usually, only if it makes sense for the company to afford your negotiated living expenses abroad, they would send you here. The taxes are way higher in the western hemispheres as compared to SG. But the salaries expats are receiving here are the same as those they receive back home, plus 1 x of their salary as stipend + lodging is covered. They would then have to just pay for their expenses here, food, transport, etc, which are honestly way way cheaper here than in the West. Hence, nett liquid savings in hand would be significantly more than local individuals. Education is more expensive, but taxes are a magnitude less here.
A good measure of the cost of living, personally, would be comparing the ratio of $average/meal : $Salary/month. Because I think there's always going to be a cheaper alternative (Home, food, school, etc) but what are you comfortable with ? Especially when one leaves their country for another. Public housing ranges from $200k (Price of a car 😂) to $1.2mil.
Sorry for the long comment 😂but the content really caught my attention. I love it, and I just wanted for others to hear from the side of a Singaporean.
For the singlish part, I think locals just prefers everything fast, and that's it. Locals replied the interviewee's email is because they are afraid of complaints
Thanks Max for showing real life and problems in Singapore!! Some channels only tell the good side of things...ljke Nomad Capitalist block 🚫 your posts if you say anything bad about Singapore, or Serbia, or good about the US.
great interview!
Even living in USA cost or rents have doubled in last 3-4 years but wages did not double. Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world. If she is a working nomad would be better live in Thailand.
Im into my 9th months in my new job n one of my colleague doesn't acknowledge email which really turn me off...its basic courtesy
Europe is going through the same thing. Here in the Netherlands the middle class, which used to be quite comfy are now struggling to come by. Young people just starting with work can't find a home at all.
Her English is extremely good. Probably better than many native speakers in the UK.
Singaporean eat at hawker centres , use public transportation. We can live simply
Nah... Plenty of rich and big spending Singaporeans.
Plenty of ang mo's on the MRT as I observe. Not so many in the hawker centres maybe, but I think they're more likely than the Singaporeans to be cooking and eating at home - living simply.
@@kingbolo4579 think they're more likely than the Singaporeans to be cooking and eating at home - living simply. Don't be a clown, they cannot adapt to the food simply
@@macrick ??? Westerners eat Singaporean food just fine. Even frog porridge or pig organ soup.
Different priorities in weightage. Majority Singaporeans will never spend the kind of money regular expats pay for housing as a proportion of their pay. Even more so for rentals. Same for meals and drinks.
Most Singaporeans own HDB or stay with relatives?
Ya but many locals will spend a large portion of their salary to own and maintain a car.
My relatives from Singapore are planning to buy a house in Malaysia. Their apartment rents are getting more expensive.
@@MaxChernov well, not necessarily but HDB is an option for them. You will hardly find a local household earning less than 12 to 15k at a bare minimum living in a condo. But you find many expats paying 5k or more for housing on a 15k salary. Different priorities.
@@zenweaver those are the Yaya ones... Most probably the younger lots. Although to be fair, many need cars to drive around their elderly parents or relatives.
One good efficient example of Singlish in the beverage business, such as "kog-" which evolved from Malay "k=Kopi" which means coffee, Hokkien "O" which means dark, Hokkien "g=Gao" which means strong, and "-" an indicator for Cantonese "Siew dai" which means less sugar. It's a daily thing...
Damn, that view from the balcony must be beautiful!
And then they complain that SG becomes so expensive 😂
Let's be honest, most foreigners working here are on "expat package". Expat rates are pretty high, atleast 3 times the rate a Singaporean employed in a similar position draws. Some expat packages even includes accomodation. Expat salary, is probably more than sufficient for an average middle-income working class family, covering daily expenses, utilities, and kids' expenses.
I once read a report about an expat complaining that his SGD20,000 salary isn't enough. The article then deep dives in him and his family's lifestyle. They stay in a condo (condo rentals are atleast $4,000 or more), kids attends international school, they buy grocery from Marketplace-grade grocery stores, and buys very specific stuff flown in from the region they originated from.
I don't find Ana's experience convincing. For all we know, she and her family might be earning the same and having the same lifestyle as the expat I mentioned above. This video did not really set the context of Ana's story for her to justify her claims. There are definitely cheaper alternatives to basic things like food, groceries, daily necessities, transport. If you have to live off the way you lived back at your home country, you're gonna be so financially exhausted here. I have American and British ex-colleagues who chose to rent a HDB, eat the food we eat, take the transport we take and they are living well.
Ana is great, we love her and would like to ask for more videos with her😊
Awwww ❤❤
Great interview
Freelancers can get gov age pensions in Australia and New Zealand. For Australia gov age pension, you need to pass assets tests. For NZ gov age pensions, maybe no such test, neither working history requirements. Both need perment residents or citizens who have lived in these countries for certain years.
Been in Australia for 19 years and a citizen now and I am 61 yrs old. Government pension here is 65 and if you don't own your property or don't have saving for old age pension is not enough. Renting here is paid weekly and owning a house is expensive unlike in US a simple apartment here can buy you a level house in US. My sister is a US citizen has a house in Florida 3br good area cost only $250k while here it can never afford you an apartment. The medical here is not free as many thought. It can be free if you wait for a schedule in weeks or months and you go to GP ( some are free bulk billed but now it's being phased our ) and you are referred to specialist and you pay. I had first hand experience when I had a rush surgery for brain tumor we cannot wait for a schedule as my case is a ticking bomb. We had to pay. People here who wanted to be looked after medically have private health insurance. The notion that is free that's not all true.
In saying Australia is a safe place to live. I live in a beach part of Queensland you live like a tourist everyday but you have to work or you have to be well off not to worry.
Not only Singapore, everywhere on Earth is damn expensive...it's living nightmare.
Not really, some places are still more affordable than others and you can have better "things" for your bucks!. Singapore is definitely not one of them. :(
It is truely different from last time. When I cam to Singapore in 2008... some of the rentals like 1000 and now you have to pay 2500+ for the same house. Cars have always been expensive.
I think it's important to state the type of housing you're renting, the location, and also size of the rental place. For cars, it's a luxury to have cars in Singapore.
Thank u for voicing our miseries. Our government seems to play-pretend that covid is over, things go back to normal, but the fact is costs and prices, even GST, are rising except our salaries.
Your gov have other interests in mind unfortunately like attracting foreigners with money (mostly china people, they are the biggest spenders in properties and prices went up many fold, inflation isn't the only culprit!). And locals are now struggling; it's sad but a reality, economical interests against well being of its citizen.
Welcome to Singapore. I hope the rent inflation you're experiencing subsides along with interest rates. These cycles happen and things always get better over time ❤
Speaking singlish so others don’t understand. There’s this story (not sure how true) that US airforce & SG airforce were having joint training & mock battles.
Some how the Americans could hear what the Sporeans were saying so they switched to Singlish & won. 😂
I think it was a skit from Mr. Brown lol
They switched to hokkien which is a chinese dialect. Not Singlish la but maybe thats another rendition of the joke.
@@franklee8032a
That's true.The beauty of singlish.🤭
Curious to know about freelancing jobs in Singapore? Can someone on DP earn with freelancing or we need to have some other kind of work pass?
Depends how you live your life: International schools, expensive condo (owned or rent), expensive food, etc all add up to the high cost.
If you can afford it, great!
If you can't afford it, make adjustments loh
She is very well educated for Spaniard. I am impressed.
Ana Pleite, shattering stereotypes since age 3. I will take your comment as a compliment -and add it to my cv.
@@anapleite8112 lol this “compliment” cracked me up 😂
I might seen Ana somewhere in Singapore before, she look very familiar. Perhaps in Valencia 2003' Wow that is 20 years ago"!
2003? No, no, that’s impossible. I wasn’t born yet 😜
@@anapleite8112 Just kidding, definitely not in Valencia. Must be somewhere in Singapore. 🤗
@@anapleite8112 Hahaha😅😅
My salary is only 1500 before CPF. Do you think its fair ?
U have hit upon the very issue that the normal man in the street is facing, we have seen our salaries stagnate whilst cost of living goes through the ceiling. Why are car prices through the roof? Cause the rich foreigners have no qualms paying for higher COE’s . The higher prices for COE’s are market driven & COE’s are a finite resource so higher bids get the COE’s pushing up the prices to such an extent that the man in the street can’t afford a car for his family. The old joys of driving up North with the family for a break has become an impossible dream for d man in d street! As for this lady, maybe look at down grading to a HDB unit instead.
There are different methods of "living comfortably" in countries, hence, it would always be best to mix and talk to locals who have lived in that particular country for more than 40 years, and who have been adapting to how the country has evolved over the years. And please do not risk leaving your phone on the table.😊 by the way great video!
Why don't you live in Medini second crossing ? My condo is on sale. I was thinking to work in Singapore and live in Johor. My husband will only pay 18% tax and I pay 10%. In the UK, he pays 40% to 45% tax and I pay 32% tax as low earning.
Singapore has to buy a few inhabitat islands to expand their land.
In Singapore, everything is going up except our salaries which this country very expensive to live in. Some well known companies dun even pay much.
Does freelancer from 4 different countries, lives in singapore, contribute tax to singapore gov?
house in JB work in Singapore...the best...
PRs can buy 2nd hand HDB and the kids can attend local schools (albeit based on availability of spaces). The Malaysians, Chinese, Indians PRs etc. made full use of the privileges. If PR you are expected to contribute to CPF which can be used to pay for HDB instalments. Ana certainly has been Singaporeanised which complaining is a trait of.
conversation between max, an entrepreneur and youtuber, and anna, a professional linguist from spain who has been living in singapore for six years. they discuss stereotypes about wealthy foreigners, the rising cost of living in singapore, and the unique aspects of singlish, the local language. anna shares her perspective as a privileged individual, explaining how the increasing expenses in singapore have made it more challenging to maintain a certain standard of living. she mentions that salaries are not increasing while costs like school fees and maintenance fees are rising. as a freelancer, she faces difficulties in charging clients more due to the perception that times are hard for everyone. anna also emphasizes the importance of saving for retirement as a freelancer and the challenges faced by many families in singapore due to the rising rental prices. max adds that if someone negotiated their salary four years ago, they can't expect the same standard of living now. they discuss misconceptions about foreigners being super wealthy, noting that foreigners often face higher costs for certain services compared to citizens. they also mention the affordability of cars, which many singaporeans can afford but foreigners may find challenging. anna highlights that living abroad changes one's perspective and helps counter nationalistic and extremist ideologies. she praises singapore's efficiency, safety, and open attitude, contrasting it with her experiences in other countries. anna appreciates singlish for its efficiency in everyday communication but believes it has limitations when expressing complex ideas. she commends proper english in singapore, finding it clear and understandable compared to legal language in other countries
Thats the secret of SG a lot of Foreigners stays and tend to live there. But now a lot is going home/away too.
Very clever conversation
On the point of how we express "Deep Regret" or "Had we know that.....", she got it all correct ! Singaporeans do have a singlish for that. Its called " WALAO EH" 😂
She speaks as Europe was a one huge country. That is wrong. If Spain is not safe, it does not mean the whole Europe is unsafe.
As an expat, knowing your salary is not going up. Guess what.....you could consider shifting to a HDB flat. Staying with the locals will certainly enable you to be more acquainted with the local culture and understanding how common Singaporean live and work.
The rise in rental of HDB will certainly not be on par with the condo rental rate you are paying, though you lose the benefit of amenities such as pool, security guard 24/7 etc....
I would vouch as a Singaporean that we are swallow bunch of people and would take loans to buy $200k car and $2m condo. Having a miserable life paying the loans and work into the graves.
Many buy condo as an investment though. You do not lose your monthly payments for the condo unless you never sell it away. Like a place to put your money instead of the bank.
recession will teach those people who max out their loans a lesson, history always repeats itself
The 2023 avg salary in Singapore is $8400 a month? Seems quite high
That isn't real income lmfao. Looks like someone didn't pay attention in school. Subtract that with all other monthly expenses. It will never be enough.
What Singapore offers you - convenience, good bizs environment, safe country, good transportation system, strong currencies, multi-cultured society etc etc.... is Worth it. Period.
Calimocho = a mix of the cheapest red wine available + cola. A hangover inducing machine for students and blue collar workers alike.
Yes yes, that's why "umbrage" became a trending word when SPH CEO used it 🤣 I like my country's humour when it comes to things like these, when someone goes out of their zone and uses a word we don't often/hardly use. Though it meant no harm, also I believe many of us learnt a new word back then 🤣
Bus & mRT srvices are 90% productivities, no much road to drive small area.
"I don't know who can afford those prices", those people that are richer than you. As you are using your perspective to judge a price at a high or low based on your own income and you came out with a conclusion that it's not affordable. Plenty of people that complaining expensive but still everywhere a condo sale goes off there will be long queues that are actual buyers.
I arrived in Singapore only month ago and surprised at risingg cost and miss Anna makes many valid points. However, I do think life is not easy for Singaporeans as well. This is story world over due wars and inflation. When I am looking at my pay and rent and what I will save here, I am worried. However, its equivalent back home would be same story unless I owned a home which would save rent. This is true for Singapore as well, people have their homes so they save a part of income which expats cant. Its true everywhere honestly.
Some of the car owners need car for their job , the car increased their income. Its a necessity. Others want a car simply because of social status or convenience . You could have downgrade to a hdb room and own a car but i doubt so.
Don't worry. Even the locals nowadays wanna be like you. Earn the monies in Singapore, retire elsewhere in our 60s. Next year GST is 9%, by 2040, it will be like 12% at least. We want our monies to last as much as possible as well.
I think there are freaks here too lol and while it's safe, it's better not to take it for granted. Kidnapping is unlikely to happen but creepy people exist everywhere.
"In 2023 the average salary in Singapore is about SGD 8,450". Wow is this true? Congrats to each and every worker in SG. During my time working in a manufacturing company in Yishun my monthly salary is SGD 2500 as a Maintenance Associate.
renting is a big cost. can consider hdb rental to lower monthly expenses. condo landlords are ripping ppl off.
Anna can always consider renting HDB, why insist on private condos in prime location? Even for private condos, there are more affordable ones, albeit further from city center, and most likely China/Indian/Pinoy enclaves. Could it be that HDBs and heartland condos are beneath her?
Don't buy a car in Singapore, don't use public transport!😂
I was there in Singapore in 2000. Everytime our family of four people travel we used to take taxis. It is faster, cheaper . I was in Clementi, was working in Jurong. First one has to ride a bus to mrt(metro), mrt to Jurong and last leg company vechile.It took 90 to 100 minutes factoring connections. One day, I hailed a taxi from residence to work spot. It took me just 12 min. and 10 sing $, whereas bus/mrt/bus would cost around 8 Sing $. Afterwards it is always taxi!😂
Taxi fares have gone up a lot since then!
I don’t own a car for practical reasons. Can i afford one? Japanese or Korean boleh lah. BMW forget it. But the parking situation in malls & even some office buildings is crazy. Can’t find a lot and when you do, the parking fees are 🙄
Owning a car in sg is a financial mistake and a huge liability. Take taxi everyday if you want you will still be better off
@@leguezennecx Its cheaper to grab or take taxi but when you’re in a rush & its raining & its peak period & no one wants to pick you up, you wish you have a car.
Ana...i'm x S'porean...(i feel your PAIN...coz i've been thru....it...Anyway You Decide to be there n Work....n SAVE for your Retirrment Age...)...Save...n Migrate Out...is the BEST OPTION..
Totally! My mum passed on two recurring ideas: 1.) invest in education and 2.) save for retirement. Now it’s just embedded in my DNA. I just can’t help it.
@@anapleite8112 Invest in education after 25 then what lah? Study study study and you still struggle. I can guarantee you all those fancy degrees mean nothing in the end when everything they teach at local universities (NUS,NTU,Poly) or even international universities. You can never get out of slavery unless you start your own business. That is the truth.
Totally Agree...but with Education...at Least u CAN use it...when things Don't go as PLAN...
I just read the heading that says your salary is not going up…many locals don’t even have a salary, so be grateful and take it as a tax to the people for earning a good living here….
We have Singnese too. My frds and I spoke to each other while we were sent to INTEL fab for a project in China, Dalian. Our Chinese counterparts does not understand what were we talking about in Mandarian. =P
I think it's because the accent it too different. Most Singaporeans can't understand the Northern Chinese too.
How much is her or her monthly household income? It is at least SGD20k or more right? And what are the expat benefits? How is it Max never ask the foreigners these hard questions?
bc asking for someone's household income is a VERY personal question, he might have asked but prob not polite to share to public
20k for an experienced professional in say, IT or Banking or Life Sciences isn't that much to be honest. Plenty of Singaporeans in those industries make a lot more that that. A 'normal' expat isn't paid all that much these days. In fact, it can be less than many locals in MNCs
@@k.k.c8670 Plenty? you mean all 20 of us?
Sorry but not to discriminate, but based on my 20+ years of working experience, expats taking back 20+k they will feel like they totally earned it. A Singaporean working under them with a 3-4 salary will be doing all the work under a 20k expat, and the expat will get the credit with great speeches of generic, non problem solving directions that make you turn round and round. Companies willing to pay such high overheads and the problem to make it profitable will be the middle management, mostly Singaporeans, to make good P&L.
Seen it too too many times. They can articulate very well as if they are subject experts, but break down their speeches and you will find none of them will address the real issue but just roti prata the issue till it becomes a thosai.
Sorry I am sure there are capable expats that deserve their 20+k salary, but yet to see one.
@@cliveng3918 what industry you are in?