Is $S55k enough to survive in SG?

Got a job offer to work at an academic institute in SG and they’re offering 55k ANNUALLY plus medical. I’m from London so will have to relocate but they aren’t giving any relocation package or even paying for my flights.

So I worked out 55k after tax each month is around 3.5k – is this enough to survive? I’m hoping to live in somewhere like jurong east/west and I’ve been looking at some apartments for rent around 1.5k

Anyways do u guys think this is enough money to survive? I don’t go out much but obvs i wana do some fun activities from time to time

Please any advice would be much appreciated 🙂

Netizen’s comments

S$55k after taxes is not S$3.5k a month. Assuming you have no other tax deductibles, or additional taxes, total annual taxes for that salary is just S$1,530 which leaves you with S$53,470 annually or around S$4,455.83 per month.

Not sure if you need to pay for taxes in the UK too though so maybe that’s why you arrived at a much lower monthly takehome pay.

I’d say if you’re going to move here from London, 55k is a small package. Rent at S$1.5k is just a room on a flat you share with others as rent is crazy expensive at the moment. You can get by with maybe a budget of S$30 on average per day which is roughly S$1K a month for everyday needs. Not too much on the cheap end for lifestyle but also not as lavish (especially if you plan on drinking beers and smoking).

The rental rates do not include internet and utilities. That shouldn’t amount to more than S$40 a month if you are sharing the flat. Mobile network can be around S$20 a month.

That leaves you with around S$1.1k (from your calculated S$3.5k, so higher if you don’t have to pay UK taxes) to spend on wants and of course to save up. Not sure if that’s worth it for you to move here as I have no idea about what you can get in London.

Anyway, that’s from my personal account of my experience moving here so it would greatly vary. Hope it helps somehow.