Think twice

[Another one]

The reason the OP said "Caucasian" expats is because expats from other parts of Asia/the world tend to put their kids into local schools and are often (though not always) more prepared to live in HDB apartments. Western expats are not used to living in squashy apartments or having their children educated in hot-house schools. Most of these people are Caucasian, aren't they? How is this racist?

You have no idea how many non-Caucasian expats send their kids to International schools or live in posh condos... Your statements reflect complete ignorance of the world around you and sweeping generalization about non-Caucasians... That my friend is the precise definition of racism...

[and I beg to differ]

but most expats coming from the UK do NOT come from properties with a square footage of much more than 1500 sq ft !  New housing in the UK is small, squishy and very very cramped for space.

Most properties they come to here are far and away superior to back home.

[Experience?!]

I love the way locals judge on things they know fck all about. Let's see, Singapore is a tiny dot island with toy town apartment for living to conserve space. Most expats come from countries that have the space to offer far superior living standards. Try telling the average American they have to live in 1500sq ft and they'd laugh in your face. Get real. Expats are here for the money and a bit of experience. They're not here for the luxury lifestyle, housing or bountiful offerings of nature. Or for stifling weather, which makes anything outdoors - other than swimming - a major trauma. Other Asians may like S'pore cos the gov promises to keep their (mostly illegal) millions safe. Otherwise why would they come?

I hope loads of expats do leave due to the cost increases. Maybe that would wake a few of the delusional locals up from their superiority complex. 

[Money to live?]

How much money exactly is required for expats 'to live the life'? Reasonable housing, int'l school fees, transportation and living costs for a family of four can now easily top $15K a month net of tax. Expats (shock, horror) also need to save a bit of cash too. So let's say $20K a month? How many positions are paying this kind of salary? Go and ask some recruiters. Talk about ignorance!

The other option if expats don't have this level of comp to 'live the life' is to of course live in HDBs, send their children to the local schools (that give priority to SIngapore kids so which school does that leave for expats?) and minimize expenses. In this case I think 99% of expats would simply prefer to decline the posting and stay in their home locations! Of course, this is very difficult for locals to accept because HDB housing and local schools are the 'best in the world'.

[Vulcanl]

The original post was pretty stupid but the ensuing discussion has been fascinating.  I think that 'keep it up' has touched on the key fundamental issue.

I am an American (from New York City) living here in SG with my Singaporean Wife and 2 children. We returned to Asia because without question there will be more opportunities to be prosperous here compared to the West for the next several decades, at least.

We 'Westerners' tend to view the World from our lofty perch and make judgments about how other people live.  Let us not forget, what is happening now is a reversion of power back to Asia from the West.  Prior to the current run it was Asia that had highly developed civilizations that had been in place for thousands of years.

As for Singapore, it happens to be a successful oasis surrounded by unabated third World conditions that do not appear to be on the cusp of any change.  As a result this place will continue to thrive and prosper along with the region.

[FerrisWheelAgain]

Forgot to mention that the Ferris wheel is going to close down after suicidal property developers jump from it following the imminent property crash... which leaves uf with IR for survival.

[to Money to Live]

$20k per month doesn't come close to our or our peers "expat package".   This isn't a pissing contest, just a fact that proves you don't know what you are talking about!

This may be the level that an expat choses for a "local" hire contract - and it would enable you to live A life  - but not THE one!

This would not be enough to enable you to earn enough in 2-3 years and build any savings worth taking back.  It would just about cover your living costs in an expat lifestyle.

[Consider]

If you even considered coming for less than 30K per month, I would say you are off your rocker!

And no, people don't come here for the housing!  How is it then that they are all complaining about their housing costs going up and instead of moving to somewhere smaller or outside the city, they pay from their own pockets?  How sad is that?

Yes I agree, most Americans would laugh in your face, well that is the 20% of them that are above the poverty line of course.

But for the Brits, not many of them live in large houses, they may think they are, but compared to here, America and Australia, they are toy houses.

[don't understand]

Why do you all keep thinking that Singapore is a cherry plum expat posting? What makes you think that it's a great easy place to live in?

Would you expect the same if you got posted to Sri Lanka, Nepal or Zimbabwe?

[PeoplePlease!]

Lets face it, it is about the money! I've seen these kinds of arguments presented in convoluted ways designed to hide their fallaciousness.

[Not A Penny Less]

To live "The Life", you need a minimum of 50K a month. End of story. At 40K you cannot save much. At 30k, you are having to subsidise from savings or credit. At 20k you are on a local package and struggling to eke out an expat lifestyle. (If you have no kids and are single ignore this, goes without saying). In a ideal World, 75K a month, which is a CEO's remuneration. We can't all be CEOs, however.

[Brit]

Most Europeans (Not just British) are not used to living in huge properties.  We are living in more spacious accomodation  than we would in the  UK.  However, in  the Uk, our house would have history and charm.  I'd prefer that to the spacious concrete monstrosity we live in now.  Many Australian and US houses have the space but have no stlye.  Most Europeans would take style over space.

[Alice in Wonderland.]

Most Europeans (Not just British) are not used to living in huge properties.  We are living in more spacious accomodation  than we would in the  UK.  However, in  the Uk, our house would have history and charm.  I'd prefer that to the spacious concrete monstrosity we live in now. 

You mean houses with separate hot and cold water taps - you either get frozen or scalded to hell. that's my pet peeve about the UK - really symbolic of the sad state of that country. I lived there for more than 12 years, so I know what I am talking about.

[thinks is good]

Most Europeans (Not just British) are not used to living in huge properties.  We are living in more spacious accomodation  than we would in the  UK.  However, in  the Uk, our house would have history and charm.  I'd prefer that to the spacious concrete monstrosity we live in now.  Many Australian and US houses have the space but have no stlye.  Most Europeans would take style over space.

style is what you make of it. some people have got no imagination at all.

[londonlass]

Hmmmm -  Alice in Wonderland - if you really were in the UK for 12 years did it not occur to you to actually replace the taps wth a mixer faucet?  Stop being so frigging precious.

Anyway, until coming to Singapore I'd lived in UK for most of my life and most bathrooms I've been in during the past 10-15 years have mixer taps.

Of course there are plenty of negative things about the UK but that goes for every single place on earth.  There may even be people who don't like living in the large houses of American suburbia as it's such a car-dependent existence.  I quite enjoyed being able to walk from my pretty, Victorian house in Wimbledon to the high street or to the common or to the station to catch a train into central London for plays, concerts, museums etc.  There are pros and cons to every place.

I like the places I used to live, I like where I live now and I'll probably like the places I live in the future.  You simply need to focus on the positive aspects of the place and change/ignore the negative.

I appreciate that this board is a useful place to vent but, honestly, using sanitary-ware to symbolise the state of a country is just too much!