[adahc]

I jut got a job offer in SG. and would to know...
1.The sufficient salary to live on in SG, equiivalent to 50000HKD way of life in HK.
2. If tax is cheaper and the rent is cheaper. How much approx. of tax % we expect to pay? Any allowance for a baby like HK?
3.Do you have any recommended area to live in? Estate agent you would recommend? and and points you want me to be aware of?
4.How many holiday should we ask for?
We are still unsure but would appreciate your advise...

[adahc]

Come on...any tips will do please.

[sunniefaith]

Just a word of caution, rents in Spore over the past few months have skyrocketed. You may just end up paying what you pay for rent in HK.

A good idea would be for you to take a weekend trip to Spore and have a look to see for yourself what's acceptable in your point of view. My quality of life may not be the same as yours. Areas where expats normally live, would be expensive, just like in HK. Holland Village, Bukit Timah are some of the places where expats live. Have a look at gohome.com.hk, there's a link for rentals there for Singapore and that can give you a ballmark on how much of rent you'll be expecting to pay.

[adahc]

Thanks a lot. I checked it out and it is very useful.

[sniffer]

Originally Posted by adahc

I jut got a job offer in SG. and would to know...
1.The sufficient salary to live on in SG, equiivalent to 50000HKD way of life in HK.
2. If tax is cheaper and the rent is cheaper. How much approx. of tax % we expect to pay? Any allowance for a baby like HK?
3.Do you have any recommended area to live in? Estate agent you would recommend? and and points you want me to be aware of?
4.How many holiday should we ask for?
We are still unsure but would appreciate your advise...

Hi,

My first question is, how much do you spend on rent here in HK?... then we would know the balance on what you spend outside of rent. Most of the apartments in SG are more spacious.

Tax, I believe is about 15% - I already forgot - and yes, you do get child/ren rebates. You can go to www.iras.gov.sg for details.

On the holidays - take note that Singapore has less public holidays than HK (11 vs 17 - somewhere around this figure) - so it's normal in Singapore to get 15 days annual leave, while in HK, 10 days annual leave is the starting point. One plus about Singapore is that if you have kids below 7, you can have childcare leave (2 days per year) on top of you annual leave.

Hope this helps.

[adahc]

Thanks a lot that's very useful.
we spend HKD15000 for rent in 2 bed flat in HK but we live in DB.I'm not sure if S'pore has the equivalent to DB or not, if so where? My husband doesn't mind commuting around 30 mins to work if it means that we have a good support system where we live.

[freeier]

tax for a 120k~150k SGD income shld be less than 13/12%.
and yes you do get breaks for kids and wife.

[adahc]

Any idea oof the area or village that similar to DB in HK?

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by adahc

Any idea oof the area or village that similar to DB in HK?

Honestly, I hardly think so. Maybe Sentosa Cove, not sure if it's up already but it'll be really expensive there. Condos in Spore are kinda expensive as majority of Sporeans live in public housing. HKD15,000 is roundabout SIN2700 or slight lesser, might really get you a smallish 2 bedder condo, about 800 square feet, plus, minus. Or a 3 bedder, 4 bedder or mansionette (double storey apartment) in public housing, more than 1000 square feet. Foreigners are allowed to rent public housing. I have to say, with SIN2700, it would be hard trying to get a condo in expat areas like Holland Village, Bukit Timah, East Coast or Orchard Road areas. However, I may be wrong, as I've not lived in Spore for about 18 months. My husband heads back every month for work and sometimes I tag along. I do find that increasingly, Spore is becoming more expensive.