The Straits Times published an article today referencing a survey which claimed Singapore to be the top Asian city for expats. And that got is thinking, because it’s true, Singapore is a pretty darn good place to live. Some say we’ve cheated by living in Singapore for our first overseas experience, and others say we’ve landed in the McDonalds of Southeast Asia. Either way, we’ve been enjoying our experience immensely, and here are 5 reasons on why we’re loving life in Singapore so far!
1. It’s hot!
Let’s face it. Winter in Canada sucks. A lot of people complain about the heat here, but we’d take this over -30 degrees any day of the week. Not to mention, there’s no shovelling the snow, driving on ice, or layering up to go outside. Oh, and the humidity here does wonders for your skin!
2. Every evening and weekend feels like a vacation!
When we get home from work, and the toughest decision is if we should go for a swim, play some tennis, walk to Starbucks for an iced latte, or cuddle up to a movie if it happens to be raining, it’s pretty hard not to feel good about life. And, when weekends are filled with visiting friends, having BBQ’s, more pool time, and maybe a little shopping, we have to pinch ourselves to see if our lives are a dream. Everyday a vacation? AWESOME!
3. We’re fitter and healthier!
Back in Canada, we tried our best to get to the gym 3-4 days per week. However, here in Singapore there doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by that we’re not doing something active. We found ourselves often making excuses at home not to workout, largely related to it being “too cold”. Here in Singapore though, we’re running, swimming, playing tennis, weight lifting, dragon boating, golfing, playing volleyball, and walking. Oh, and Thomas is even eating vegetables!
4. We’ve been able to save a lot of money!
It’s true, Singapore is a ridiculously expensive place to live. However, when you don’t have a car, your housing is paid for out of your “allowance”, and taxes are a mere 7-8%, it’d be hard NOT to save money! Of course, not having kids helps too, and having a strict budget has kept Katherine’s shopping under control. There are also about a handful of budget airlines that fly out of Singapore, so travel is cheap, which we like!
5. The travelling is endless!
Travelling through Southeast Asia is a dream for so many people, yet living in Singapore has allowed us weekend trips (or longer) to places we’d need at least 3-4 weeks holiday for if we lived back in Canada. Thailand, Bali, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Borneo, Philippines, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka are all just a hop, skip, and a jump away. So, when work is getting crazy, or the rain seems endless, AirAsia.com is the first place we hit up to look for some crazy cheap fare. We’ve flown to Cambodia for $6, Phuket for $21, Kuala Lumpur for $0, and Bali for $60. You’ve gotta admit, deals like that are pretty hard to beat!
Have you ever lived abroad? What were/are your favourite parts of the experience?
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