Considering Singapore

[Canuck_mum]

Hello All!
Love reading all the helpful suggestion/remarks...I have a question of my own:
My husband has his Bachelor's degree, 13 years of management experience with a large company and is now working on his APMCP (post-graduate designation)which means we'll be moving to South East Asia sometime next year. I've been doing some research and have narrowed our choices of places to live to either Singapore or Malaysia (both have pros and cons). What kind of salary should we (he) be expecting? We're a family of three (11 month old girl), and if truth be told, I'm REALLY looking forward to the opportunity of raising my daughter myself instead of seeing her 1-1/2 hours/day if I'm lucky! At the moment, our combined income is just over $90K Canadian (we live in Vancouver, Canada), but with our taxes etc, saving $ is extremely difficult. How does S'pore compare with Malaysia in terms of quality of life, money, services, etc?
Any insight would be very appreciated!  

[This message has been edited by Canuck_mum (edited 06-03-2002).]

[hint]

There are more Malaysian's working in Singapore than the other way around.

I guess the money is better (1 Singapore Dollar = 2.1 Malaysian ringgit), its slightly more cosmopolitan, hence range of services are better.  However, many will argue about the quality of life.  Malaysia, being an actual country has lush green jungles, wide open spaces and (according to the tourist ads) lots of exotic things to do.

Safety wise, its about the same although I think the Singapore army and airforce are world class, and the island is the only place in this part of the world that serves as a US naval base.  Come to think of it, this may be a bad thing too...

[LuckyB]

Your best bet might be to find a similar site to this one in Malaysia to get an expat perspective on living there.  I am sure that they have an expat organization which could help you, try doing an internet search.  I did find one some time back, but have since lost the link.  As a fellow Canadian, I can tell you that it can feel a bit claustrophobic here in Singapore after being used to the space in Canada...which you would feel less in Malaysia.  You should also consider cost of living... your dollar (if getting paid in USD/CAD) will go farther in Malaysia than here, but need to check tax status to be entirely sure.  In terms of convenience... Singapore probably wins.  Although KL and surrounding area seem to offer the same convenience in terms of groceries/lifestyle (for when you crave Mickey D's!)...Hope this helps.

[deleted?]

I think my last post was deleted, not sure if I was too blunt or what, but my main points were: (personal opinion)

Singapore is easier to live in because:
·   It is more western, in that things are far more familiar, everything from the language to the food you can buy in shops.
·   It would be easier (I feel) to get about Singapore with a child (in both Malaysia and Singapore there is this thing where a foot path will just end and if you are pushing a pusher about you will get very stuck
·   Singapore seems cleaner. (I am talking smell as well and litter) when ever I am in Malaysia I get the feeling the sewer is over flowing-you get a similar smell here but not so much.
·   The airport in Singapore is really easy and quick to get to (in KL it takes forever)
There is possibly more choice in International Schools in Singapore.

[Canuck_mum]

Great points! Thank you all for your insights! As far as expat packages and salaries go, what should we be expecting, roughly?

[g]

Are your options restricted to SE Asia?  Or can you consider Australia too?

[Canuck_mum]

I'm sorry, I should have specified that the APMCP stand for Asia Pacific Management Co-operative Program, therefore we are restricted to Asia for at least one year.

[SAFE]

In terms of safety, Singapore is, what I feel, the safest country that I have ever visited - more so that all Aussie cities and numerous other american and european countries.

[maybe not]

I wouldn't agree with the last post, you get the feeling it is safe, but i think a lot of stuff isn't reported, so it is hard to tell.

[Aussie2]

I agree with maybe not, I hear that a lot of things that happen here, we only hear what they want us to hear, but agree, you always feel very safe here.

[Clover]

Safety aside, I think you'd keep more of the money you make if you lived in Malaysia. And the expat packages are probably better there. But then again, I'm no expert.