where to live in Singapore?

ditulis oleh : Jomblo Terhormat 10 Oktober 2013
a lot of discussion on Facebook this morning about how ( or where) expats can find "the better place to live in Singapore" made me re think what it was like when we first came here five years ago..... first of all, there is NO 'better place' for everyone to live.



everyone is very different with very different needs and wants.

IF you are in the process of moving here or just 'thinking' about a possible move, then you are obviously wondering where you may end up living....

and you - as in the family unit - will learn that Singapore is a small, heavily urbanised, island city-state in Southeast Asia, located at the southern tip of the Malayan Peninsula between Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore has a total land area of 778 km² and 193 km of coastline. It is separated from Indonesia by the Singapore Strait and from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor. 

Singapore is not large by any stretch of the imagination. It is about 25km running north-south and 48.2km running east-west.

Singapore has reclaimed land with earth obtained from its own hills, the seabed, and neighbouring countries. As a result, Singapore's land area has grown from 581.5 km² in the 1960s to 710.2 km² today, and may grow by another 100 km² by 2033.

OK, so now you have an idea where Singapore is in relation to other surrounding countries and you now know the size of the island. But where to live is THE question!
You will need to ask yourself a lot of questions, so get out the notepad and pen.

If you have children, where are they going to attend school?

what school, secondary level, primary, nursery school or even university?

would you feel more comfortable to live "where all the expats live"?
or would you prefer to live "in the heartlands' to experience more of the local culture?

where will the 'bread winner' be working?

in most cases it will be the husband that is working and so you - as a family unit -  need to find somewhere to live that will be within easy access to his workplace.

You will need a Property Agent. Get one as soon as possible and stay with that one only IF you get on well with them and they KNOW what you are looking for.  Every agent here uses the same database of properties.... so it comes down to personal preference as to who to use. Give them a list of your priorities and make sure they understand your needs and your budget. Please feel free to CONTACT ME if you would like the name of the property agent we used for this apartment. She was very helpful.

Will you have a vehicle?

some do, many do not.

if you are in the latter category ..... do not fear!  You will be able to get around Singapore quite easily via public transport. In fact probably far better than you did in your own 'home country' wherever that may be.  Public transport in Singapore is quick and easy to get elsewhere within the island, even more so now that the new Circle Line is opening this weekend!

BUT ... as seen in the above map, you would not choose to live near Changi Village (the red arrow on the right) if the bread winner is working at the IBP (International Business Park) in Jurong (the red arrow on the left) for example. You can do it by train, though it will take one hour and 10 mins on the MRT. (train)

If you are coming to Singapore due to work, locate where the workplace is on the map of Singapore.  From that point, take each of the main roads or train line out by about "20 minutes"... of course this is probably going to depend on the scale of the map you are using!

If you are looking at the map according to the MRT (rail lines) then it is approx three to four minutes between each station. That might give you a better idea!

Look at Jurong East MRT (station) on the map above, which will be the one at the end of the red line (the North-South Line) on the left of the map ..... it will take approx 15 mins to get to Kranji MRT heading north or approx 15 mins to get to Queenstown MRT on the green line heading south/east.

From Juong East MRT it takes about 35 mins to get Orchard MRT with one 'train change'.

This will help you plan where to live by to traveling to work using the MRT.

When we had to move from Bukit Batok last January. I used the same principle ... where to live that would be easy for John to get to work at Jurong?  We needed to live somewhere cheaper and the Pasir Panjang Road area seemed to fit that bill. I looked at the map and anywhere along the MRT lines was going to be expensive, so checked all the bus routes coming away from where he works.... there were at least 8 bus routes that I could "follow".  As I "followed" each bus route I made note of the condo's to check. I found one on Pasir Panjang Road with a bus stop right outside the door that will take him to work with 20 minutes!

I am not saying how we did it will work for you ...... but it maybe a  way of starting to consider "where to live". Add in where the children are to go to school, what you can afford, where you need to shop etc.You may not be living in a condo, you may decide to live in a 'landed house' or a HDB (Housing Development Board) apartment. There is a lot to consider and it usually will come down tp what you can afford or what is convenient for work, school or shopping.

Cheaper will give you less convenient places to live as in shopping, schools, transport etc. But you - as in the family unit - need to work out your own priority. Some expats get the whole 'package deal' complete with car, accommodation, schooling etc, so really have no 'need' to worry about costs!

But there are others that do - or will - need to weigh up the costs in relation to convenience.

I do most of my shopping on-line so do not worry too much that I am a long way from a supermarket. If I do go shopping and end up carrying far too much back, then it is 'convenient' to grab a cab. Cabs here are not expensive and it costs me usually $4.00SGD to go from the supermarket to home.

Most stores do a home delivery of large items too.

Public transport in Singapore is safe, clean and easy to use, be it to work, school or going out of an evening. The two following images will show you 1, at a bus interchange and 2, on a bus.

Read More : http://leonefabre.blogspot.com/2011/10/where-to-live-in-singapore.html

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