COE is going up uppp ! and uppppp it goess !

I bought a used Toyota last year, it cost me 47k. Now, the price of my car is almost equivalent to the price of COE! Utter madness!

HDB pricing gone crazy, EC also like that, Condo is even worst...sigh! This is totally a let down.

Khorkar wrote:

I bought a used Toyota last year, it cost me 47k. Now, the price of my car is almost equivalent to the price of COE! Utter madness!

HDB pricing gone crazy, EC also like that, Condo is even worst...sigh! This is totally a let down.

i assume u din get the bonus u are lookin for......

most important is... Green fees dont go up! =P

Actually it has gone up.......but that's for only one s'pore club which I played at last month.
The increment was $10.

Khorkar wrote:

I bought a used Toyota last year, it cost me 47k. Now, the price of my car is almost equivalent to the price of COE! Utter madness!

HDB pricing gone crazy, EC also like that, Condo is even worst...sigh! This is totally a let down.

Exactly. Like someone mentioned earlier, with the costs of housing and transport going up, people have to take larger and longer-term loans to finance their choice to continue living in Singapore. Many people who have since experienced living overseas and compared the cost, quality and opportunity/social costs of living overseas have made a choice to move on to other pastures. Not necessarily greener, just different.

Take for example the Bishan HDB penthouse that has just sold for SGD900,000. That works out to around AED3 mil, which would buy me a freehold 4-bedroom villa (over 3000 sq ft built-up area, with large garden) in a private gated community here in Dubai.

That same amount could also be spent on

- a 2BR villa (built-up area of around 1,800 sq ft, with 60 sq m garden) in the same gated community - AED1.2mil
- a brand new BMW 740i (AED350,000)
- a new BMW Z4 convertible (AED200,000)
- 5 years membership at Jumeirah Golf Estates (approx AED150k for 5 years)
- 5 years membership at The Montgomerie Dubai (approx AED120k for 5 years)
- 5 years membership at The Els Club Dubai (approx AED100,000 for 5 years), with some change to spare

All of the above, for the price of a HDB

Total AED2.12mil, balance approx AED880,000 in cash, which would pay for a pretty damn good lifestyle here.

HDB flats are now in the region of approx 500,000 for a unit that has around 1,600 sq ft (5 room). That pays for the same 2-bedroom (with living room, kitchen, study, 2 car covered garage, 60 sq m garden) villa here.

Sadly, I wish I could call Singapore home, but I can't afford to

What's the hotline for Singapore immigration??? need to enquire about migration matters....

Actually, some time back, the company I work for was hiring in areas of IT and Marketing. Back then, I was still active in the VW-Audi forum, and I got a lot of people asking if it was safe to work in the Middle East, etc.

Back then, package was damn good, but everyone chose to listen to other people who have never been here, so now all suck thumb after the recession, and the company isn't hiring. However, there are still vacancies for middle management positions here in Dubai, and if you guys have headhunters with the right contacts, it's possible make the move over, even if it's just for a couple of years

Anyone got headhunter contacts for vacancies in Dubai? Pls let me know. Am actually thinking of looking for an overseas job. Too expensive to live in Singapore orede. I just view a 3-room flat in Bishan. Yes a THREE ROOM FLAT. And the seller is asking for SGD300k with SGD40k cash above valuation!!!!! All in all $340k. Cash to cough out excluding revo: $55k. All these for a 3-room flat.

SG prices are sky-rocketing like no bodies business. Just watch some talk show in CNA last nite. This property consultant was saying, 'its better for everyone that the housing prices keep going up, than housing prices go down'. Clearly he does not understand economics.

Try setting up a profile on Linkedin.com. I get quite a few inquiries coming in from Middle East through Linked in. As I am a pork and beer lover, however, I've been turning them away.

botak, what makes you think we don't get pork or beer here in Dubai?

Where do you think i get my piggy and beer fix from?

Easy to get a liquor licence, head to the MMI store and buy booze. As for pork, I know a few places that serve them. Even have braised chinese pork trotters

nientsu wrote:

Anyone got headhunter contacts for vacancies in Dubai? Pls let me know. Am actually thinking of looking for an overseas job. Too expensive to live in Singapore orede. I just view a 3-room flat in Bishan. Yes a THREE ROOM FLAT. And the seller is asking for SGD300k with SGD40k cash above valuation!!!!! All in all $340k. Cash to cough out excluding revo: $55k. All these for a 3-room flat.

SG prices are sky-rocketing like no bodies business. Just watch some talk show in CNA last nite. This property consultant was saying, 'its better for everyone that the housing prices keep going up, than housing prices go down'. Clearly he does not understand economics.

What a load of rubbish. How those in lower income group can afford PUBLIC housing then ?

Keyword : PUBLIC.

Not hard, if you're prepared to accept a certain quality of life.

Back in SG, when I was earning around 5k a month, this is how my money pretty went out the door:

gross 5k
after income tax and CPF, balance 3.5k
if i had a HDB flat and reno loan to pay for, that's another 1.5k easily, balance 2k
add in transport and basic loving expenses, and that's another 1.5k a month, balance $500 savings

after 1 year, save sgd3k. forget about playing golf, eating at nice places once a week, buying stuff, etc

Right. Make it better, get wife to work - then someone's gonna complain why no kids. or have kids, and no time to spend with kids. a maid also costs money.

Of course, one can live off bread, boiled green veggies, chicken breast and water every day, but just my choice not to

difference is, here, i work as hard, maybe harder, people are more open to alternative points of views, and the pay is better. The cost of living here? Being away from my family and old friends.

Nothing bad about living in Singapore, but I wouldn't be quick to judge until I've tried otherwise. I do miss Singapore food terribly though, but the indian briyanis and arabic food here is seriously to die for.

botak wrote:

Try setting up a profile on Linkedin.com. I get quite a few inquiries coming in from Middle East through Linked in. As I am a pork and beer lover, however, I've been turning them away.

Bro

In case you dunno.

Dubai is known in middle east, as the City of Sin. Lots of koreans working there. rite Ghoonk?

Bros in Dubai.

If got any lobang in Dubai, pls let me know. I am keen to get out of here.

ghoonk wrote:

Khorkar wrote:

I bought a used Toyota last year, it cost me 47k. Now, the price of my car is almost equivalent to the price of COE! Utter madness!

HDB pricing gone crazy, EC also like that, Condo is even worst...sigh! This is totally a let down.

Exactly. Like someone mentioned earlier, with the costs of housing and transport going up, people have to take larger and longer-term loans to finance their choice to continue living in Singapore. Many people who have since experienced living overseas and compared the cost, quality and opportunity/social costs of living overseas have made a choice to move on to other pastures. Not necessarily greener, just different.

Take for example the Bishan HDB penthouse that has just sold for SGD900,000. That works out to around AED3 mil, which would buy me a freehold 4-bedroom villa (over 3000 sq ft built-up area, with large garden) in a private gated community here in Dubai.

That same amount could also be spent on

- a 2BR villa (built-up area of around 1,800 sq ft, with 60 sq m garden) in the same gated community - AED1.2mil
- a brand new BMW 740i (AED350,000)
- a new BMW Z4 convertible (AED200,000)
- 5 years membership at Jumeirah Golf Estates (approx AED150k for 5 years)
- 5 years membership at The Montgomerie Dubai (approx AED120k for 5 years)
- 5 years membership at The Els Club Dubai (approx AED100,000 for 5 years), with some change to spare

All of the above, for the price of a HDB

Total AED2.12mil, balance approx AED880,000 in cash, which would pay for a pretty damn good lifestyle here.

HDB flats are now in the region of approx 500,000 for a unit that has around 1,600 sq ft (5 room). That pays for the same 2-bedroom (with living room, kitchen, study, 2 car covered garage, 60 sq m garden) villa here.

Sadly, I wish I could call Singapore home, but I can't afford to

I have lived in Dubai and other countries; Dubai is not too bad a place to live but to say that it is better or cheaper might not be entirely true.

Yes you can get a house with garden but what about your residency (how long can you stay in Dubai) as UAE does not offer PR. In other countries, you can apply for PR and enjoy almost the same benefits as locals.

Golf memberships are annual basis (generally) so that works out to be about SGD10,000 per year paid upfront; renewal every year and please include inflation.

Inflation in Dubai is very high as more and more investors/ speculators look to the M.E.
Rental is very high, i used to pay about USD2000 for a 2 BR and I assume now it should be more?

Food is not a problem (pork or alcohol) but to find SGD3 chicken rice is impossible (maybe $1 prata is possible).

Education is not really cheap either as you might have to consider international school for the kids.

Medical care is also very expensive, I remembered I paid almost $50-$100 just for consultation exclude medication. You would need your company to provide insurance for you else you have to be your doctor and get everything from pharmacy.

Things might have changed now so please correct me if I am wrong.

There are pros and cons...in terms of golf...it ALMOST never rain in Dubai....so everyday is a Golf Day and the golf courses in Dubai are world class.

nientsu wrote:

botak wrote:

Try setting up a profile on Linkedin.com. I get quite a few inquiries coming in from Middle East through Linked in. As I am a pork and beer lover, however, I've been turning them away.

Bro

In case you dunno.

Dubai is known in middle east, as the City of Sin. Lots of koreans working there. rite Ghoonk?

And Japanese

And Chinese

And Indians

And Pakistanis

And Germans

And Russians

And British

And Kiwis

And Australians

etc etc

eden wrote:

ghoonk wrote:

Khorkar wrote:

I bought a used Toyota last year, it cost me 47k. Now, the price of my car is almost equivalent to the price of COE! Utter madness!

HDB pricing gone crazy, EC also like that, Condo is even worst...sigh! This is totally a let down.

Exactly. Like someone mentioned earlier, with the costs of housing and transport going up, people have to take larger and longer-term loans to finance their choice to continue living in Singapore. Many people who have since experienced living overseas and compared the cost, quality and opportunity/social costs of living overseas have made a choice to move on to other pastures. Not necessarily greener, just different.

Take for example the Bishan HDB penthouse that has just sold for SGD900,000. That works out to around AED3 mil, which would buy me a freehold 4-bedroom villa (over 3000 sq ft built-up area, with large garden) in a private gated community here in Dubai.

That same amount could also be spent on

- a 2BR villa (built-up area of around 1,800 sq ft, with 60 sq m garden) in the same gated community - AED1.2mil
- a brand new BMW 740i (AED350,000)
- a new BMW Z4 convertible (AED200,000)
- 5 years membership at Jumeirah Golf Estates (approx AED150k for 5 years)
- 5 years membership at The Montgomerie Dubai (approx AED120k for 5 years)
- 5 years membership at The Els Club Dubai (approx AED100,000 for 5 years), with some change to spare

All of the above, for the price of a HDB

Total AED2.12mil, balance approx AED880,000 in cash, which would pay for a pretty damn good lifestyle here.

HDB flats are now in the region of approx 500,000 for a unit that has around 1,600 sq ft (5 room). That pays for the same 2-bedroom (with living room, kitchen, study, 2 car covered garage, 60 sq m garden) villa here.

Sadly, I wish I could call Singapore home, but I can't afford to

I have lived in Dubai and other countries; Dubai is not too bad a place to live but to say that it is better or cheaper might not be entirely true.

Yes you can get a house with garden but what about your residency (how long can you stay in Dubai) as UAE does not offer PR. In other countries, you can apply for PR and enjoy almost the same benefits as locals.

Golf memberships are annual basis (generally) so that works out to be about SGD10,000 per year paid upfront; renewal every year and please include inflation.

Inflation in Dubai is very high as more and more investors/ speculators look to the M.E.
Rental is very high, i used to pay about USD2000 for a 2 BR and I assume now it should be more?

Food is not a problem (pork or alcohol) but to find SGD3 chicken rice is impossible (maybe $1 prata is possible).

Education is not really cheap either as you might have to consider international school for the kids.

Medical care is also very expensive, I remembered I paid almost $50-$100 just for consultation exclude medication. You would need your company to provide insurance for you else you have to be your doctor and get everything from pharmacy.

Things might have changed now so please correct me if I am wrong.

There are pros and cons...in terms of golf...it ALMOST never rain in Dubai....so everyday is a Golf Day and the golf courses in Dubai are world class.

okay, here's where things have changed:

1. accommodation - yes, rents used to be stupidly high before the bubble popped. Now, I'm living in a 2BR villa in The Springs with my housemate (beats living alone, and he's good fun to have around) for just AED95k per year. Split down the middle, I'm paying around AED47500 per annum, which works out to AED4k or SGD1.7k per month. For a villa. With 2 covered lots, gated security, swimming pool, and just 5 minutes from The Montgomerie Golf Club

2. food - still isn't cheap if you want to eat fancy, but prices are similar to that in their Singapore equivalent. If I wanted simple food, there's always Diyafah street where I get the most awesome samosas and sharwarmas. The best indian masala dosa here costs SGD1.70, not different from Singapore, but it's MUCH better.

3. PR -- i work here, so that doesn't bother me. Compare that with me being a citizen in Singapore, and I hate the working culture in Singapore. people work late for the sake of looking hardworking (which is BS), and work-life balance isn't as big as it is here. As a resident here, I also pay ZERO income tax, no CPF (self-savings), parking in most malls is still free, no road tax, cheap petrol, etc. If I buy an apartment here, I get a residence visa that I can renew every 6 months, but no plans to invest here.

4. Medical - company pays for health insurance. Not sure why your company didnt offer this as a basic benefit, but yes, it can get expensive. I pay AED50 (SGD20) per consultation, wife gets the same deal as my kids (which I don't have any yet)

5. Education - non-issue for me. No kids. Plus, my package includes a nice education allowance.

6. Golf courses - sorry, but I'd rather pay SGD10k a year for a damn good golf course (world class, championship courses) and prospect of 0% chance of rain than join an SG or MY club, have to deal with the traffic in/out of causeway / 2nd link, etc and put up with the muggy / humid weather, and less fantastic course conditions

So yeah, quite a bit has changed

I'm comparing quality of life here for the next 4 years. I've been here 4 years already, and planning to stay on another 4 to 5 years easily. If I'm planning on working till i'm 40/45, I might as well stay here where I save more, and live a MUCH better quality of life compared to Singapore, factoring in inflation, accomodation, etc. Remember that packages here are around 3 to 5 times more than SG as well, and that helps a lot.

hehhe what liquor license? Come my aprtment.... Burp

ghoonk wrote:

botak, what makes you think we don't get pork or beer here in Dubai?

Where do you think i get my piggy and beer fix from?

Easy to get a liquor licence, head to the MMI store and buy booze. As for pork, I know a few places that serve them. Even have braised chinese pork trotters

Well Eden, we all know the pros and cons. I have been in UAE for the last 2 yrs.

I guess the point here is, if one has the opportunity to try working here, even if its for a couple of years, the same dollar you earn in UAE compared to that you earn in Singapore goes a long long way.

I am sure you and Ghoonk have to agree.

Sure you cannot find that 3 dollar chicken rice, but think about it from my pespective - maybe you wldnt mind paying 3 times more for that plate if you have just parked for free for the last 60min and are about to top up a full tank of gas for 24 SGD on your way back to your villa by the beach.

I just find it a lot more liberating to be living and traveling in the Middle East (or other patrs of the world for the matter) and interestingly, my wife who has moved over here with me thinks the same.

Like what Ghoonk said most ( I say most, not all) Singaporeans might be too quick to judge when the thought of living and working overseas full time is concerned.

Do not get us wrong, we know that Singapore is beautiful and safe and green and prosperous, it is still my home and where my family and buddies are.

But having said that, and with the same one dollar that I just earned, it seemed to get more mileage for me here than in Singapore.

or Maybe its just me.

By the way, I am playign 36 holes of golf tomorrow on a work day hehe

Also not forgetting, not everyone is willing to walk out their comfort zone... It take a lot of courage and sacrifices.

I hope to visit Dubai one of these days. Working there would be better.

1 question, what is the earning power like comparing to SG? Do you earn pretty much the same or higher?

wiithout trying to be condescending, think all of us have our reasons to be where we are at, be it for work, for family, for love etc

pretty sure we have weighed our options n deliberate with our loved ones, sometimes cost of living or quality of life may not be the determining factor to relocate/emigrate.....

opportunity aside, it will be a brave decision to move to an environment that is outside the usual comfort zone that one is accustom to....

of cos who wouldnt want to swap HDB for a bungalow or a Honda for a BWM, sometimes things dun usually fall in place for us to take that leap....

i spend 4 winters in Vancouver, i LOVE the place, but i have yet to return for over a decade, things just get in the way for what u wanted to do, be it work, marriage, parenthood etc

but as Rod Stewart say "some guys have all the luck".....

me for one, dun have that YET

slinger wrote:

wiithout trying to be condescending, think all of us have our reasons to be where we are at, be it for work, for family, for love etc

pretty sure we have weighed our options n deliberate with our loved ones, sometimes cost of living or quality of life may not be the determining factor to relocate/emigrate.....

opportunity aside, it will be a brave decision to move to an environment that is outside the usual comfort zone that one is accustom to....

of cos who wouldnt want to swap HDB for a bungalow or a Honda for a BWM, sometimes things dun usually fall in place for us to take that leap....

i spend 4 winters in Vancouver, i LOVE the place, but i have yet to return for over a decade, things just get in the way for what u wanted to do, be it work, marriage, parenthood etc

but as Rod Stewart say "some guys have all the luck".....

me for one, dun have that YET

i think your life quite good leh, planning day on monday...then happy week!

At least those in Dubai will get to watch this years World Cup. Its still a question mark for those in singapore.

!!!!

slinger, quite true, really.

For me, it was simple -- i was sick and tired of watching expats live the expat life - nice cars, eat at nice places, buy nice things, not worry about petrol, stay nice apartments, etc

So I worked hard in Singapore, and finally, one day, I realized this : No matter how hard I work, no Singapore company pays a little 'extra' on basic to 'attract' my skillset/experience, and I don't qualify for accommodation and transport allowance (what, Singaporeans don't need accommodation and transport? wtf, we pay as much as the next expat!), and we both do the same damn job.

So, when the chance came for me to be an expat myself, I told myself, wtf, let's see how this pans out. Hit Dubai in Jan 2006 with a suitcase of light clothing, only to find out that the weather was 8* C (yeah, Dubai winters can be pretty chilly). As a consultant here, I got a package twice of what I got in SG, plus a rental Peugeot 307, plus serviced apartment. A few months later, I was offered a permanent position here, and while I've worked hard here, the package commensurates with my effort. People here appreciate open feedback and ideas, and you can disagree with your boss openly if you have valid points (although the message should still be diplomatically delivered), whereas in most companies I have worked for in Singapore, my bosses have very small egos.

I was lucky to have had the chance to come over, but I made the same offer to a lot of people why my company was on a hiring spree, and you know how many people even bothered to apply? ZERO. Everyone was too worried about some place or other being blown up, and there were always more people worried about this and that (which is BS - some people prefer to deal with the devil they know), and no one took up some of the damn good offers we had. I know a few of the chaps who ended up filling whose positions, one of whom is now a VP (he came on as a Senior Manager two years ago) and now drives an Audi A8 4.2 quattro and lives in a damn nice villa with his family. Is he more qualified than any of the guys whom I approached? No.

I think we should keep this quiet....shhhhhhh..

Wait everybody migrate there and then caused supply exceeding demand...resulting in lower pay and higher Audi TT.......over there....