S’pore Expat’s Monthly Expenditure Is S$5K, She Breaks Down Costs In Viral TikTok Video

Singapore Expat Pays S$30 For Gym & S$1,200 For Rent

Singapore is often touted as one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, and rising inflation this year hasn’t helped matters.

So when a Singapore expat, who works as a software engineer, shared her monthly expenses for living here, people were very surprised at how much she was paying.

Pleasantly surprised, actually.

Singapore expat shares she spends S$1,200 on rent

Amandine, who has been in Singapore for three years, recently shared a video documenting her monthly living expenses on TikTok.

According to the 25-year-old, she pays between S$1,250 to S$1,500 in rent as she shares a bedroom with her boyfriend. They also have one other flatmate who stays in the common room of the same unit.

Though the rent seems quite reasonable for a well-located room – it’s in central Singapore – Amandine clarified that the amount is actually S$2,900, but she splits it with her boyfriend.

Another surprisingly low expense is her gym membership price — it costs just S$30 as her company has a special discount with the gym.

Amandine also revealed that she’s an avid foodie and can spend S$800 monthly on food.

She told MS News that she enjoys mala tang and that she’ll usually go to her nearby hawker centre to find new dishes to try out.

She also visits restaurants on weekends.

Meanwhile, transport and Chinese lessons each set her back S$200 a month.

Although she spends about S$3,000 monthly, Amandine shared with MS News that she feels she’s “thriving” rather than merely surviving, despite the rising living costs here.

With her salary, she would only be able to afford a small apartment in Paris but has a nice room with great amenities here.

“I guess I’m able to have a good balance and my hobbies are not expensive,” she said.

Amandine is even able to put about S$2,000 into investments and savings.

Commenters impressed by rent and gym prices

Many comments appeared surprised at her relatively low rent and gym costs, with some even expressing their envy.

In fact, Amandine even shared that the rent used to be just S$800 monthly.

As for the gym, she gets a corporate rate thanks to her company.

Addressing comments about her food expenses, which some found pretty high, Amandine said she also eats economical rice when she can.

It’s perhaps a sign of the times that so many people are shocked by her rent, with some saying that they’re paying more for a smaller place.

You can find out more about her expat life in Singapore via her YouTube channel here.

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Featured images adapted from @new_to_singapore on TikTok.