Insurance and medical expenses will normally depend on your policy and coverage. At an average, this is about S$100-S$200 per month. Your medical insurance for hospitalization should best be paid from your Medisave account, and bought with NTUC. A package that combines term insurance and illness coverage is cheaper. An average annual premium medical insurance for an expatriate is about 1,000 Euro. A typical doctor’s consultation fee, for a general practitioner, is S$40.

Monthly gas/water/electricity bill may range from a low of S$200 to a high of S$280 a month, if you leave the air-conditioning running. Gas cost is S$15.23 per unit. Electricity charges S$16.35 per kWh. Water costs S$1.52 per cubic meter.

Mobile phone subscription costs anywhere between S$150 to S$400 per month. Monthly 1500 kbps wireless internet ADSL subscription is S$70.

Cable TV can be availed from Starhub for as low as S$25.68 (any 3 groups) to a moderate high of S$35.31 (all 6 groups). Your TV should have a PAL system, and your home should have a cable-ready connection. A deposit of S$250 is required of foreigners. StarHub’s offering for Digital TV has improved the choices for programs. The company’s Demand TV offers a choice of 10 movies at any given time for S$4.50 per movie. You need a digital set-up box to use this service.

A typical PC sells at S$1,500, while a regular laptop at S$3,500. A TV set comes at S$800, a DVD player at S$700, a HiFi stereo system at S$350, and a music CD at S$20. A movie ticket sells for S$6-S$7, while an hour at an internet café charges S$6.

Monthly subscriptions to magazines, newspapers, and cable TV can bring about a total gross of between S$150 to S$200. Forms of entertainment such as movies and shows can easily cost as much as S$300 a month. Club membership ranges from S$1,500 to S$4,000 for annual non-transferable membership.

By and large, the cost of living in Singapore is kinder to those who know how to manage their financial resources, and keep the job regularly paying. Choices abound in Singapore. An expatriate family would do well to take the wisest options. A foreign banker, his teacher wife, and their two young children are actually able to live in Singapore for only a monthly family budget of S$2,000 (pre-recession). An expatriate who makes S$5,200 a month is already assured of more than enough reserves (pre-recession). The trick is to be fully aware of where your money goes and to live below your means.

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Via XpatXperience