Moving to Singapore? Housing/Utility/Transport/Cost of Living etc!

ppl in the expat forum are telling me that it is difficult to get a condo within SGD2000 and that hdbs are not a great idea that they are not well maintained badly and old.

I am getting really worried reading the expat forum.

my reservation about hdb is that they will not have a gym or pool and i am looking forward to exercising my post pregnancy flab away


how expensive are the gym , club ,pool memberships in Singapore ?

 

Dear Psyche,

I have many friends living in hdbs. I don't think that is fully true. You look out for new hdbs.
Condos definitely offer facilities which are not available in Hdbs.
I am not sure about private gyms in singapore.
Walking path in Hdbs are well maintained and neat.

Talk to your agent first and you will get some idea.

 

Hi Kamala


Great to hear hdbs are not so horrible.

what are the areas that will get us an hdb within 1700 close to Cecil ?

what are the recreational facilities that hdbs have ?

which agents are trustworthy ?


Thanks for your quick responses

 

Hi kamala and syche,

kamala your input is gr8 really. thks for your suggestions. even i want such a place where there r our indian kids, so that my kids need some company. As here in saudi they dont have anyone to play now now they are expecting that in singp.my elder son is in 7th and younger one in 4th. so being boys you can estimate them i think.hahaha.kamala do u have any idea of yuvabharathi school , how is it and any other information. i can to know that from june 4th to 5th july the school has holidays is it soo. we r planning by end of june. will the admission go on in holidays too r not pls share dear.tons of thks for your valuable time.

Hi syche,


Why are you worried soo much dear, sing is a comfortable place to my knowledge. even iam looking for hdb flats i had gone through net search and seen gud ones in gud areas tooo. so dont be worried you will get easily. when are u moving there, as we r planning in june end. so let us be in contact like this so that we will have a company. fro which part of india you are.

byee both of you and takecare.

 

Dear Psyche,

there are no facilities in hdbs.These are govt. built flats but spacious when compared to condos.
You will get good hdbs in this range any where.
I do not any agent. you can go through your husband office contacts.

Dear Madhumathi,

Here for indian schools, they follow apr- mar pattern.
new classes start in apr immediately after the march exams.
June will be vacation time (1 month).
I don't think , admission will be a problem in june. Yuvabharthi is a new school so don't know much about it.
I think it is in jurong. You will face difficulties in selecting the area for your residence.Changi business park is in one end and jurong at the other end.

 

Moving from USA to Singapore in June 2010

Hi,
We (Me, my husband & our 2.5 year son) are moving to Singapore in first week of June 2010. My husband's office is in Upper Changi North.

We would like to know following things from you guys who are already in Singapore or been in Singapore.

1)We are looking for apartments in Tampines, Pasir Ris, Semei area, any recommended apartments in these areas.
2) Good preschools in above mentioned areas.
3) What all recommended things we should get from USA which are not available or very costly in Singapore.
4) Is it possible to book apartment from USA before moving ?
5) Any recommended/trusted shipping company / mover from USA.

Any help on above topics is appreciated.

Thank you all.

Note: The topic has been already discussed extensively in the already existing thread, hence it will be merged with that thread soon. Thank you for understanding.

 

Re: Moving from USA to Singapore in June 2010

Lucky you! I visited my SIl recently in singapore and just loooooved it there!

I'd take a whole bunch of kids clothes from carters - it's very expensive there compared to here in the usa. also men's formal shirts are cheaper here. my sil also likes me to get clothes for her (from walmart) like nighties, t-shirts etc, just remember it's really really hot n really really humid so 100% cotton clothes are a must.

Take Dry fruits and raisins from costco if needed. also corelle dining sets are much cheaper here than over there. electronics you can't carry since the voltage is different.

you can get pretty much whatever you need for your house / daily needs at very reasonable costs from the mustapha store. I plan to make a return trip to singapore just to shop there!

 

Dear Kamala

Long time dear!

Thanks for the valuable inputs and ideas in addressing the concers of new residents.

Psyche and Madhu welcome to Singapore!

For queries regarding HDB, no worries, we have been living in HDB for 12 years now. The buidings are old or new depending on the age of the estate that you choose to rent. You can google HDB singapore for a wider view. If I werwe you I wont worry much abt the views in Expat forums since many of them who post there are caucasians or have never tried living in HDBs.

If you choose to rent a HDB,

1. Most of the estates have a sports complex...comprising of public pools, Gym and indoor courts as well as open tracks which are excellently maintatined.

2. Most of the new estates have multistoried covered car park and the parking charges are lesser than that you pay in a condo.

3. Same goes for the utility and service charges...but keep in mind that the condo maintainance will be excellent when compared to HDB for the price you pay.

4. No private security for HDB but then Sing is generally a safe place with Police patrolling cars more frequently throughout the night even into the estates. We have neighborhood policestations in the vicinity.

5. The rental is around 1800-2000 for HDB..this is when you rent a flat near all the amenities like public transports, schools, etc

6. Dont be so concered abt living so close to Cecil St. As Kamala has pointed out it is in the Central Buisiness district and the nearest residential areas will mainly have condos....with robust rent . If your employer is paying your rent, then choosing one in that area would be better. At the most it will take half an hour to 45 mins by MRT to the CBD from any corner area in Singapore. so no worries.
7. You can google JTC website for rental HDB flats.

All the best.

 

Re: Moving from USA to Singapore in June 2010

Thank you very much for your reply. we have started to make list of required items from here, your reply is big help.

 

Hi Abhising,

Thankyou very much for your kind information. yaa i have gone through the net for hdb, and i liked them. I am only looking for a place where indians stay and it should not be too far for school and hubby office. kids school is in jurongwest and office in changi bussiness park.I know that office in in east and school is in west , so please help the area selection or particular estate for me. where my kids can play freely and havesome friends around.

Please dear tell me the suitable area for me so that i can search flat easily. . which area do u stay.

sorry to bother you, earlier also i had posted for this information for you but there was no response. anyway thankyou once again.

byee n tc.