The Land of Orchard Road, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

& Chinatown

Information  on Relocating to Singapore

• The capital city of Singapore is Singapore City with about 4.6  million people. The political centre is also in Singapore City where the President resides. Singapore is a Republic.

• Languages: There are four official languages – English (which is used in Singapore Government and in the education system), Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil. There are TV channels offering programs in all four languages. Cable TV is available and offers more options, but satellite TV is not locally available.

• Population: The population is about 4.4 million people - 76% are Chinese,  14% Malay, 7.9% Indian, 1.4% other.

• Expat areas: In general, expatriates live all over Singapore with the largest concentration probably around the Orchard Rd, Tanglin/Holland Rd area and Bukit Timah.

• Housing: The choice and price range of housing varies widely. There are attached and detached houses of various sizes with and without gardens and apartments within condominium complexes which have facilities such as pools, tennis courts, saunas etc.

• Cost of housing: Varies based on type of residence, location, and standard of renovation. Rent can be anywhere from $ 2500 for a small apartment in the city to $ 25,000 and more for a modern house in the suburbs. The local currency is the Singapore Dollar (S$) .

• Schools: There are over a dozen international schools in Singapore catering for most nationalities and language groups. These include: The Singapore American School offers education from pre-K to grade 12. The Tanglin Trust School offers a all grade levels based on the British school system, and the United World College of Southeast Asia follows an international curriculum based on the best of British, US, Canadian and Australian systems leading to the International Baccalaureate assessments. There is also a large Australian school, as well as French, German, Dutch, Japanese, Indian and Korean.

• Transportation: Good public transport facilities are provided in the main centers. Singapore has a good bus and metro system (MRT). Single use tickets are available at stations and on the buses or ‘electronic stored value’ passes (EX Link cards) that can be used on both buses and trains can be purchased. Taxis are very inexpensive, and widely available. Fares are metered, and drivers honest.

• Bank: The banks are generally open on Monday–Friday from 10.00 am – 3.00 pm. Saturdays 9.30 am – 13.00 pm. (some are open until 15.00 pm) Branches of certain major banks on Orchard Road open Sun 09.30-15.00.

• Shopping: Shopping is a Singaporean hobby and most shops are open every day from around 10.00 am – 10.00 pm.

• Climate: Tropical – you will not need winter woollies! Being so close to the equator temperatures do not vary much – ranging all year round from 23°C - 35°C (73°F - 95°F). Humidity is high (often over 80%). The rainy season runs from November to February, but heavy rain is not uncommon the rest of the year. Singapore does not suffer from hurricanes or typhoons.

• Culture: Singapore offers a number of museums, galleries, theaters, and a state of the art concert hall ( The Esplanade) overlooking the bay. Renowned international artists and musicians are increasingly adding Singapore to their itineraries. There are plentiful movie theatres, bowling alleys and other forms of entertainment.

• Public holidays:  January 1st-New Year’s Day; January/February-Hari Raya Haji (Feast of the Sacrifice-date varies); January/February-Chinese New Year (dates vary); March/April-Good Friday (date varies); May 1 st -Labour Day; May/June-Vesak (Birth of Buddha-date varies); August 9th-National Day; November-Diwali (date varies);  November-Hari Raya Puasa (End of Ramadan-dates vary); December 25th-Christmas. Note: (a) Not all Muslim festivals listed above are national holidays, but all will affect Muslim businesses. (b) Hindu festivals are declared according to local astronomical observations and it is only possible to forecast the month of their occurrence.