S’pore is 13th most expensive city

S’pore is 13th most expensive city
 
It is also the 5th costliest in Asia for expats: Mercer survey
 
By ARTHUR SIM
 
SINGAPORE is the world’s 13th most expensive city for expatriates, and the fifth most expensive in Asia.
 
According to Mercer’s Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2008, Singapore ranks above Sydney (15th), New York (22nd) and [...]

S’pore getting more expensive for expats: Mercer survey

S’pore getting more expensive for expats: Mercer survey
 
It moves up a spot in two categories - to No. 5 in Asia and No. 13 in the world
 
By Francis Chan
 
SINGAPORE is now the fifth most expensive Asian city for expatriates, up a notch from an earlier survey, human resources consultancy Mercer said yesterday.
 
The annual [...]

Where else can you buy your home in 5 years?

COST OF LIVING: SHELTER
 
Where else can you buy your home in 5 years?
 
I REFER to Tuesday’s letter by Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, ‘Singapore not necessarily costlier than Sweden”.
 
I too was surprised by the claim by Ms Heng Siew Cheng that it is cheaper (and better) to [...]

Fix resale levy as percentage of cash proceeds from sale

Fix resale levy as percentage of cash proceeds from sale
 
THE HDB requires home owners who sell their flat and buy another new one, to pay a $40,000 resale levy.
 
The rationale behind the levy is simple: To prevent second-time new flat buyers from benefiting equally with first-timers and so reducing the chances of first-timers getting a [...]

Soaring rents pushing PRs to buy flats

Soaring rents pushing PRs to buy flats 
They account for 20% of resale-flat purchases, say agents
 
PERMANENT residents (PRs) are flocking to buy Housing Board resale flats as high rents start to make ownership a more attractive option.
Sales to PRs have rocketed in the past two years, say property agents, and the keen army of [...]

Expat schools being offered vacant sites

Expat schools being offered vacant sites
 
I REFER to Mr Frankie Mao’s letter, ‘Let expat schools expand into vacant properties’ (June 11), which suggested that expatriate schools be allowed to use vacant school buildings as a temporary measure.
 
We thank Mr Mao for his suggestion and would like to clarify that this is already being done.
 
Several international [...]

It’s musical chairs for international schools

It’s musical chairs for international schools
 
WHEN the Canadian International School announced that it had secured a site in Jurong to house students from three of its campuses, a silent cheer went up from some other international schools.
They immediately began strategising expansion plans, including the possibility of taking over those campuses at Toh Tuck, Bukit [...]

Expatriate cost of living climbs

Expatriate cost of living climbs
 
LIVING costs for expatriates in Singapore have risen among the most over the past nine months, according to a survey.
 
ECA International’ s latest cost-of-living study shows Singapore climbing 17 places in the rankings to 114th spot. Within Asia, it is 13th on a list dominated by Japanese and Korean cities.
 
Human [...]

BNP to move all IT services to Singapore

BNP to move all IT services to Singapore
 
SINGAPORE‘S standing as a major financial centre has won another vote of approval - this time from BNP Paribas Private Bank.
The French bank is consolidating in Singapore its information technology (IT) support services from various parts of the world. It aims to have 120 staff members in [...]

Cost of living up for expats in S’pore

Cost of living up for expats in S’pore 
Republic up 17 places in global ranking due to higher inflation and stronger Singdollar
 
SINGAPORE has become a more expensive place for expatriates to live, but it is still cheaper than Hong Kong, even though the gap is closing with its long-time rival.
The Republic jumped 17 places [...]