Singapore or UK...

[springling]

Hello!

We have been given a great opportunity to move to Singapore next year but with 3 young children aged 1, 4 and 5 and elderly parents in the UK we are hesitating on whether or not to make this move. We are a very outdoorsy family and are worried how city life on a small island will be. Any experiences positive or negative would be great. Also, do most expats tend to stay just a couple of years or do many make it their permanent home?

Thanks all!

A lot of people do stay in Sing for several years or even decades. You can get PR but not citizenship unless you give up any other citizenships ( can’t have dual nationality). However, you’re right that it is small and even though there are great regional travel opportunities, it can get a bit claustrophobic. It’s also v hot year round which can be a bit limiting. Make sure you really add up the package vs costs as rents in Singapore have gone up a lot since 2020 as they had an influx of people from HK. It is just also generally an expensive place. Afaik it’s also not possible to use the gov schools so you need to be able to afford international school fees. The one area you’ll save on is childcare but you need to be comfortable with having someone living with you.

If by outdoorsy you mean hiking, sailing, paddle sports etc HK might be a better bet. It’s bigger, has seasons and has proper beaches and huge country parks.

I think it'll be a great opportunity, even if you end up only staying for a few years. Singapore itself can be quite boring once you get over the initial dazzle, but it is a great base from which to explore the rest of Asia. For instance Bali is less than a 3 hours flight away.

You do need to work out your costs though. With 3 kids you'll probably need a 3 bedder as a minimum and rents would run upwards of $7000. International school fees are around $30k per year per child, possibly cheaper for preschool.