- Joined
- Jul 16, 2008
- Messages
- 25,735
- Points
- 113
I just renewed my Singapore visa for 3 years. It’s a paradise here.
- 5-15% income tax for high income (100k to 500k). No capital gain tax, 9% sales tax, no-tipping culture.
- English speaking and top schools for our kids. Best medical system I've experienced.
- 26-32º all-year with warm rains. Can swim every day.
- Best food on earth (except Japan). So many Japanese restaurants/groceries!
- Extremely safe & affordable services like helpers, tutors, transport (grab, lalamove), etc. Everything has agents. World-class MRT and Airport.
2 years ago, I sold everything and moved to Singapore from Canada. I was paying over 150k in taxes every year (50%+). I had a huge house, a swimming pool, a small boat but could only enjoy most of them in the summer.
So Singapore has extremely expensive rent, comparable to SF. BUT the money we’re saving in taxes more than makes up for it. The more you make, the more you save. If you invest, you pay no tax on gains. Revolut, Wise and Moomoo are my go-to apps for transfers and investing. Starting a company and managing visa/accounting/paperwork is a breeze thanks to Sleek. The first year, I was shocked that I only had to pay 5k in taxes. LOL. No paperwork, bc taxes are pretty much auto-reporting. Log in, report, pay, done! ID using Singpass is crazy efficient. PayNow QR code scan & pay is frictionless.
Schools for foreigners are relaxed compared to local schools, and we found one that is extremely affordable (less than 15k a year). They have door-to-door bus services, which saves a lot of time for busy parents. Kids activities, ECA, daycares are widely available without the need to fight for availability (a huge issue we had in Quebec).
Medical is so so good. For stuff like dental, general sickness like fever, pains, chiro, it’s basically same-day or drop-in 15-min. They typically cost 50-100 SGD a visit without insur coverage. In Quebec, we were def fighting for an appointment, calling at multiple places, getting appointments in 1-3 days and costing 150 CAD. Yes, healthcare was free, but only if you’re okay waiting 20 hours in a hospital or days before getting an appointment EVEN for private ones. You won't find any at the public ones, just go to a hospital.
Food is cheaper (hawker centers) and higher quality (a LOT from Japan & Australia) than what we had in Canada. Don Don Donki is insane, but it’s not the only thing Japanese that we fell in love with, hard. Like Sushiro is so so good. Gyukaku, Ippudo, Sushitei, Ichiban Boshi, Daiso… Feels like Japanese things have grown 10x in the past 5 years. And they’re affordable! You can find Wagyu almost as easily as organic food. Japanese strawberries, Muscat from Korea, China, incredible salmons, teas. My kids are obsessed with salmon and mentai since moving to SG.
Furnitures are incredibly unique, tasteful and with high-quality materials like ceramic and wood. I was shocked at the quality for cheaper prices than Ikea! Amazon is still useful for international stuff, but for more unique items, Shopee and Lazada are amazing.
I can go on forever about Singapore. Lately, we started feeling like we already retired (living next to water, with palm trees, hot weather and amazing amenities), but we’re so full of energy and I’ve never worked so hard (as you’ve seen with Aura and DreamCut).
- 5-15% income tax for high income (100k to 500k). No capital gain tax, 9% sales tax, no-tipping culture.
- English speaking and top schools for our kids. Best medical system I've experienced.
- 26-32º all-year with warm rains. Can swim every day.
- Best food on earth (except Japan). So many Japanese restaurants/groceries!
- Extremely safe & affordable services like helpers, tutors, transport (grab, lalamove), etc. Everything has agents. World-class MRT and Airport.
2 years ago, I sold everything and moved to Singapore from Canada. I was paying over 150k in taxes every year (50%+). I had a huge house, a swimming pool, a small boat but could only enjoy most of them in the summer.
So Singapore has extremely expensive rent, comparable to SF. BUT the money we’re saving in taxes more than makes up for it. The more you make, the more you save. If you invest, you pay no tax on gains. Revolut, Wise and Moomoo are my go-to apps for transfers and investing. Starting a company and managing visa/accounting/paperwork is a breeze thanks to Sleek. The first year, I was shocked that I only had to pay 5k in taxes. LOL. No paperwork, bc taxes are pretty much auto-reporting. Log in, report, pay, done! ID using Singpass is crazy efficient. PayNow QR code scan & pay is frictionless.
Schools for foreigners are relaxed compared to local schools, and we found one that is extremely affordable (less than 15k a year). They have door-to-door bus services, which saves a lot of time for busy parents. Kids activities, ECA, daycares are widely available without the need to fight for availability (a huge issue we had in Quebec).
Medical is so so good. For stuff like dental, general sickness like fever, pains, chiro, it’s basically same-day or drop-in 15-min. They typically cost 50-100 SGD a visit without insur coverage. In Quebec, we were def fighting for an appointment, calling at multiple places, getting appointments in 1-3 days and costing 150 CAD. Yes, healthcare was free, but only if you’re okay waiting 20 hours in a hospital or days before getting an appointment EVEN for private ones. You won't find any at the public ones, just go to a hospital.
Food is cheaper (hawker centers) and higher quality (a LOT from Japan & Australia) than what we had in Canada. Don Don Donki is insane, but it’s not the only thing Japanese that we fell in love with, hard. Like Sushiro is so so good. Gyukaku, Ippudo, Sushitei, Ichiban Boshi, Daiso… Feels like Japanese things have grown 10x in the past 5 years. And they’re affordable! You can find Wagyu almost as easily as organic food. Japanese strawberries, Muscat from Korea, China, incredible salmons, teas. My kids are obsessed with salmon and mentai since moving to SG.
Furnitures are incredibly unique, tasteful and with high-quality materials like ceramic and wood. I was shocked at the quality for cheaper prices than Ikea! Amazon is still useful for international stuff, but for more unique items, Shopee and Lazada are amazing.
I can go on forever about Singapore. Lately, we started feeling like we already retired (living next to water, with palm trees, hot weather and amazing amenities), but we’re so full of energy and I’ve never worked so hard (as you’ve seen with Aura and DreamCut).
