Tag Archives: Rising Costs of Living

Of the Singaporeans in my company, I had the lowest salary but did the most hands on job of building the software. The rest, foreigners, earn more than me. There were only 2 other foreigners earning the same pay scale as me but as they no need to pay CPF, they get the full amount plus employer contribution in cash. There are female sinkies who are YOUNGER than me but earn at least 1k more than me.

Our public housing has arguably changed from being the cheapest public housing during our late former Prime Minister’s era, to the most expensive in the world – if measured by the price to wages ratio.

In an interview with the media, outgoing Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) would not moderate the unusual surge in Certificates of Entitlement (COE), which he expects to begin to fall from mid-2018. The COE quota for motor vehicles is usually determined by the number of cars scrapped or deregistered in the preceding quarter. Analysts have complained that the ups and downs seen recently in the car market causes too much uncertainty and is not good for car dealers.

According to the Straits Times news report “Bus, train fares to be cut by up to 1.9 per cent from December: Lui Tuck Yew” (Aug 3) – “Transport fares will be reduced by up to 1.9 per cent from December, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on Monday (Aug 3). He added that he would leave it to the Public Transport Council to work out the specific reductions, but expects “every commuter group” to pay lower fares.”

Yesterday I dropped by the medical hall at the mall in the HDB heartland to buy a small bottle of Watermelon Powder as it is, to me, the best remedy for a mouth ulcer. The cheerful elderly lady in the old shop said, "Three dollars."

According to the Straits Times news report “More patients choosing C-class wards for subsidies” (Jul 18) – “In 2000, 26 per cent of all public hospital patients opted for C class. Last year, 46 per cent did so.

If you noticed that you've been paying more for your polyclinic consultation trips, you are not alone. A recent news report shows that Singaporean adults are now paying more for their basic consultations ($11.90 for adults, max of $6.80 for children and senior citizens) as compared to last year. In data for last October, basic consultations for adults was between $11 and $11.30, while children and senior citizens paid $6.10 to $6.40 max.

The data assumes that your loan is an 80 per cent loan (i.e. 20 per cent downpayment) and 30 per cent of your income is used to pay off the monthly loan. This chart illustrates the amount of time it would take you to repay your resale HDB loan for any type of HDB flat.

Coffee shop franchises imo are no longer worth the price. Unlike say a starbucks, crew at least have some prep training. most franchise chinese base kopitiam, what kind of traning and QC did their uppers give to the basic staffers? How much attention do cooks pay to make sure nothing is wrong with your food rather than just going thru the motion?

Singapore is finding it harder to retain its title as the region's top medical tourism hub as patients eye cheaper options elsewhere while government support for the sector wanes, a new report has warned. It also noted that the challenges will only intensify as improved standards in neighbouring cities test the price premiums here, which are further exacerbated by a strong Singapore dollar.