Utilities ! Is singapore really that expensive???

[Wigman]

As a potential new arrival family of 4 living in a condo we are told utility cost can be $500-$800 / mth?

Seems really high and would stretch the budget.

What is a realistic utility cost range??

While I have your attention what options are there for car sharing / rental over car purchase.
How do Expats with out a car deal with day to day transiting and weekend touring, with young children, sub 10???

[Karena]

We live in a 3 bed condo and don't have the A/C on at night and our bill is usually $400-$600 per month. Our aircon isn't new so maybe that doesn't help.

[Games]

I have a 2500 sqft apartment with aircon running all day long in 2 rooms, and our bill rarely exceeeds $450. I think with a 3 bedroom apt, it will be around $300. However, if you have the a/c on all day long, it will certainly be double that.

[alanh70]

We are a family of 4 living in a 4 bedroom condo. Our average bill is S $ 400. We run the A/C part of the day and 4 hours at night (just to get to sleep). Above also includes the water charges of approx. S $ 40.

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[beeblebrox]

i tried to get around the place without a car for 6-8 weeks but had to give up on that idea eventually because of the kids. Using public transport [buses or the MRT - like the london tube] all the time when you've got small children in tow is no fun at all esp. when it rains...!
taxis are more convenient but are costly and hard to come by when it rains.

had to buy a car eventually [had to take out a f*****g 7 year loan for a 2nd hand car !!!]but i still use public transport for certain places in the city [where parking places are hard to come by] when i'm not with the kids.

[Tony]

Wigman
Sorry but $500 - $800 is about right for a 4+1 appartment. Water and gas are cheap but electricity is very expensive. The cost is the ac but unfortunately size of appartment and hours of use are not the main factor determining the cost.

Distance between compressor and outlet, number of vents per duct, age of the system, how well it was installed, whether it has been regularly maintained and luck combine to mean that one person can pay $300 a month and another $600 a month for same size rooms and same hours of use.

Do check the effectiveness of the system very carefully when viewing, particularly rooms at the end of a long duct run.

Ensure landlord remains responsible for repairs to the ac. Tenant normally pays the quarterly maintenance charge.

[gpr]

Yes we rent a car but we have 3 children all under 10 who need ferrying everyday to some activity or another. My hubby catches the MRT in the morning after I have dropped him at the station and a taxi home. Taxis are cheap here compared to OZ but not always available.

Our power bill is between $300-600 per month I don't know how the useage changes to that extreme!! We tend to not have the aircons on much but run an above ground pool filter.

[Rand]

Utilities also depend on where you live, I think. I rent a 3-bedroom condo up north with a monthly average bill of $250 or less. And I have an air-con 24/7 for my dog, and I often leave a light, or the radio/TV on while I'm work. Most dependable Realtors should give you a letter from the Power Company listing the past 6 months' bills for that place so you can get an idea of what it might cost you.

[choices]

Rand, you said "Utilities also depend on where you live, I think. "

Are you saying that the utility rates vary depending on locality?

I think there is only ONE rate for residential and ONE for commercial purposes for the whole of SG. I don't think it varies according to localities. Any corrections?

[Local Lady]

I guess many expats do not know that when your switch is on, the power is on, therefore the current is being charged. Take for example, if you leave your switch on your coffee maker even though you're not making coffee you're paying for the electricity. Likewise with all power points. The government did tell us to switch off when we're not using.

[expat1]

We live in a 5yo 3+1 condo, family of 5, run AC 24/7, although not in all rooms all the time, and our bill is about $250-300/mo.

Also 3 kids under 10 and no car.  School buses take kids to/from schools.  Bus stop outside our condo takes us to shopping, MRT, etc.  If not the bus, we grab a taxi.  After one year, still considering a car, but obviously we are in no rush.  I could take 2-3 taxis a day all over the island for a year and still end up paying less than 1/2 of the cost of a car.

[with youngsters]

with school going kids one may have to go for extra coaching for certain subjects like science, maths .... this can be expensive too.

[A Kidder]

Local lady- you are kidding right!!?  Sorry to say we double your estimate for a three bedroom but we are not conservative. They have a website from memory that states the electricity cost and is about 1 1/2 times the cost at home and considering you probably don't use an aircon at home it is an awful surprise when that bill comes.

[Bewildered]

We have a 3-bed 1200 sq ft condo. AC is brand new (5 units). Utilities bill typically SGD300 pm. This is with moderate AC use.

[Rob]

Local Lady...without being rude, I have to say that you are talking nonsense

All domestic electrical devices will have a power rating attached. For example an aircon unit/compressor might have a rating of 3kw - this means that at a voltage of 240v , it will draw a current of 12.5amps. When it is off, it draws no current and therefore uses no power. (P = VI)

Electricity consumption is measured in Units. One unit is 1 kWHour. ie if you run a 3KW rated device for 1 hour, it will consume 3 Units of electricity