expat:burn rate,wage #cf%%US #adjust #struggle

Posted on by tiger40490 rendered_on [ Thu, 6 Mar 2025 ] 22:17 UTC

This bpost is triggered by two young British expats in Singapore. I like their 2019 vblog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErLUHQcGMak. Their implicit reference point was UK, Europe, Aussie, US etc. It is the PFF aspect of a typical unmarried[2] “Caucasian expat perspective“. This perspective had profound influence on me during my formative years, for 10Y+ after I came to SG as a teenager.

  • — rental .. named as the biggest expense for expats like them
  • Some young unmarried expats actually don’t mind sharing a condo apartment. Remember Newport.
  • To the bloggers, buying (min 1000k) was unrealistic. However, I’m sure many expats do buy in Singapore
  • — transport
  • public transport is very clean, punctual, reliable and well-priced. I agree, based on my U.S. experience.
  • taxi was (in 2019) much cheaper than UK, Australia and US. (Car ownership .. far more expensive than in the reference countries)
  • — food .. “reasonably priced”
  • One of the two actually eats hawker food regarularly, and he said “If I eat at hawker centers (not food court) 3 meals a day, then perhpas $10/day”. I think he was truthful, but I would say $10/day is too low for most professionals in Singapore, because these individuals would desire more fancy meals.
  • Pasta (western food), imported ice-cream, alcohol (controlled) are way too expensive in Singapore. Similarly, I was ued to baby carrots from the U.S. but they are pricey in SG becuase .. imported!
  • — medical .. no free medical (like the British NHS), even for A&E. The bloggers relied on company medical benefits which usually have annual limits. Subsidized healthcare is only available to citizens and PRs
  • — workout .. was considered essential, by the British bloggers!
  • Workout classes (including yoga) .. more expensive in SG than other cities.
  • .. lesson: adjust your routine; favor random free classes or solo
  • Condos usually have “basic” gyms, not effective for many users. Reminds me of the free windowless gym in TheGotham @JC.
  • .. lesson: adjust your routine; favor jogging, swimming, workout corners

Caucasian expats are rarely seen living in HDB estates, but more common at a hawker centers and MRT.

[2] childcare .. including education, enrichment .. would be a huge component.

— lifestyle adjustments .. (I know first hand that adjustments are stressful and can be very hard.) Expats tend to have problems living like the locals (They don’t choose HDB). As a result, their burn rate is much higher. I think some of them lived like ordinary middle-class (even working class!) people in their home country, but 摇身一变 (suddenly became) “expat” when relocating to Singapore.

Q: how does their lifestyle differ from my conserver/minimalist U.S. lifestyle as a “bachelor” ?
A: breakdown analysis (very easy and insightful): #1 difference is rental — I paid $600 while others were paying 1k-2k. #2 is car/taxi
A: Caucasian expats live at a higher standard than local Singaporeans, but I aim to live way below my WSt peers

— 摇身一变 .. is a deep-rooted racial stereotype and racial inferiority (against our own race). We think those Caucasian expats are superior largely based on 1) skin color, accent 2) personal spending.

We also believe their income is much higher than average, but usually based on imagination and hearsay only.

— (livelihood) struggles .. the two young bloggers pointed out a misperception — Contrary to the implicit assumption of Singaporeans, NOT all Brits are well off. Many endure livelihood struggles in Britain.

Same can be said about Singapore… see my Jun 2022 chat with R.Teo.

==== expat salary in SG .. (not only unmarried European expats) This section is arguably unrelated to the original theme (burn rate) of this blogpost, but is a fundamental part of my long-standing perception of Caucasian expats.

I have long assumed that many expats earn much higher in SG than their home country. Such a highly qualified individual has choices at home and abroad. She probably prefers home given an extended family, a bigger support network, a more familiar environment. She would consider overseas positions iFF financially superior.

There are exceptions. Some may face higher burn rate at home, and don’t mind a pay cut coming to SG.

In 2014, Bertrand (OC) said his French friends’ salary in France was “definitely” lower than he was earning in Singapore, as a junior VP.

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/government-economy/singapore-top-venue-for-expats-seeking-better-life-career-and-pay-survey is a 2016 survey. HSBC Expat Explorer is the largest and one of the longest-running surveys of expats, with 26,871 respondents from 190 countries (including 533 from Singapore), 62% of the 533 saying they enjoyed higher earnings after moving to Singapore.

I would guess many of the 533 expats are Indian/Filippino/Malaysian, English-educated professionals in their home countries, and others are non-English speakers from China, Eastern Europe or Middle-east.

In this 2016 survey, the average annual income for expats in Singapore was S$190,000, higher than the global average of S$133,000, while nearly a quarter earn more than S$273,000 – more than twice as many as the global expat average of 11 per cent.