Singapore

Singapore is one of the developed countries in Asia and it is located close to Malaysia. Besides being a leader in the economy and also trade and business sector, this country also has an excellent education system. That is why there are many students who want to pursue their education in Singapore. Some other people also think that this country offers good career opportunities for those who have graduated. If you are one of many people who are interested in pursuing your education in this country, it is time for you to know the Cost of living in Singapore so that you can prepare yourselves!

Your biggest expense as an overseas student is going to come from the accommodation expense. Singapore has a lot of options for the accommodation, but commonly it is quite expensive as this country does not have any rented rooms like in Malaysia. However, do not worry! Here are some of the accommodation options that you can choose if you are planning to study abroad.

HDB Flat

If you want to live in a private but not too expensive accommodation, you can choose HDB flat. HDB stands for House & Developing Board which is the government agency that deals with the public housing of Singaporeans. Since this public housing is managed by the government, the rent price is much cheaper than a private apartment or condominium which is around 2200-3000 dollars which is around MYR 7000-10,000.

Paying Guest

Paying guests is a room rental system in which they only rent one particular room in someone’s private apartment or HDB flat. You can use paying guests if you are on a budget as you only need to pay approximately 500-1800 dollars or MYR1600-5700 depending on the place that you rent, so it will definitely save you lots of money. However, if you choose to be a paying guest, you need to make sure that you know the person that you are going to live with before deciding to be his/her paying guest.

Students Dormitory

The most affordable and most practical accommodation for freshman students is definitely the students’ dormitory. Campus dormitory fee is usually paid all-in, it includes everything so the students do not have to pay additional fees for electricity, water, and other things. Other than that, students’ dormitories are located around campus, so you do not have to spend more money on transport. This way you will save more on your cost of living in Singapore.

Meals

Meals expense actually varies depending on someone’s dietary habit. Therefore, the cost of living in Singapore will be different based on your meal choices as well. If you have spare time to cook for yourselves, it will definitely help in saving lots of money. If you cook, your average spending is around MY600-900. However, if you are not able to cook or if you do not have time to do that and choose to eat out, you will probably spend around MYR1500-1800 for a month.

Transportation

Singapore has an excellent transportation system and it is easily accessible from anywhere. So basically you can save up a lot of money from using public transport. If you decide to use public transportation for your daily commute then it will be better If you get the one-month subscription for around MYR450. However, if you only take the public transportation occasionally, it costs around MYR4.50 for a one-way trip using MRT. Every decision you make will make a change in the cost of living in Singapore.

Other Expenses

For accommodation which usually does not include electricity, water, gas, and internet expenses, you will get bills that have to be paid monthly. For these kinds of expenses, you probably have to spend around MYR600-900 and the phone bill costs around MYR30-100 for a monthly subscription.

You need to also set aside some of the money for other recreational activities like going to the cinema, karaoke, or theme park. In Singapore, watching a movie in the theatre costs around 8.5-13.4 dollars, which is MYR26-42. Price is the same as spending time in karaoke for 1 hour.

Of course these are some entertainments that you might have in Singapore. In this care the cost of living in Singapore will vary based on the amount of times you go out as well.

Cost of living in Singapore for Overseas Students.