Singapore vs Hong Kong for "Western" Expats

[SatayStick]

Hi Everyone,

I know this is a very subjective question...... I would like to hear
from other expats what their opinion is regarding Singapore vs Hong
Kong. I understand that Hong Kong is a more expensive place than
Singapore, but is it true that the people are friendlier in Singapore?
How about the singles scene? I have many local friends in Singapore
and am more comfortable with the idea of living there, however I am
interested to hear about other expat's comparative experiences between
the two cities.

Thanks.

Scamelands

[silversurfer]

Singapore is nice, clean and pleasant, but it's a bit like living in disneyland. It's ok if your job takes you outside every now and then. For the single scene, it's not the best compared to other cities i've lived in before. Singapore is the ideal place for a young family and consequently there's a lot of them there. I never go to the condo pool on weekends as the water's always one shade more yellow and a bit warmer... As a guy you'll be thrilled at the attention you're getting if you go out to Attica or other places on Clark Quay, but frankly speaking half the girls there are asking money for their services... I've lived all in all 4 years in Singapore and i find it hard to connect with Singaporeans because many have a very limited experience of the world outside Singapore. (I started out working in a local company) To me they come across as overly theoretically educated and in lack of the street-wiseness and creativity that a less engineered society usually provoke.

I've found people in hong kong to be more intelligent, more outgoing and conversations with locals tend to be more fun than painful. Hong Kong seem to attract young single professionals who come there "to make it", much like why you'd consider moving to New York. Singapore on the other hand is a small pleasant little village with a relative large community in shipping and finance. Think of it like the ideal american suburb in the 50-ies... You can have a very nice life there with wakeboarding, weekend trips to indonesia/malaysia/thailand etc, but if you're looking for a big city, this is not your place.

Downside with Hong Kong is lower standard of living, more pollution and more expensive food. Rentals in Singapore has gone up quite a bit so i think you'll pay about the same for that, but probably get a place with a pool in Singapore.

I've moved to Hong Kong now (Lamma Island) where i got a rooftop apartment for less than i paid for my place in Singapore. I very much enjoy moving back into reality and having a higher pace of living in a big city. I guess i'm a sucker for that little taste of reality.


/SS

[cryptic_ss]

2 Years In Singapore and close to 2 here and I'd agree with Silversurfer.

I was edging to move out of Singapore at the end of 2 years. Don't get me wrong - the people are nice, everyone speaks english, life is super easy (effecient bureaucracy etc. - though HK comes close), food is great and cheap, and its well placed for travel around the region - but there was this thing I can't put a finger on that started getting on my nerves.

(i'd argue that the media controls / big brother attitude to everything have in a way killed the street-smartness of people in general). Small things I noticed started getting on my nerves like hell - mostly to do with people's inability to think outside the one-track they are trained for. That and the seeing how big and important some things, which I thought should be pretty irrelevant to people, became. Check a typical day's Straits Times - bigger things like a prisoner gone missing warranted MMS' to all SG cellphones, colored notices in almost all private and public estates and notices in *each* cab on the island.

(btw check out the conspiracy theories on that one)

Just loved it when i saw the SCMP on landing here the first time - there were articles criticizing the Chinese govt - heck a Singaporean newspaper wouldn't criticize the Chinese govt!!

Singapore: more expat friendly, probably better when one wants to settle down a bit more in life (though i'm not sure if and when i have kids, whether i'd want them to study in that system).

Funny thing is - I now love going back to SG for short trips to catchup with friends and the food

Single? HK beats the pants off SG.

[jimbo]

July 2004 guys

This boat has long gone

[cryptic_ss]

the travails of just looking at the "More New Topics" section.

[girl-in-asia]

Keep it going.. I'm considering an offer to relocate to Singapore..

Would you recommend a single lady to do that?

[tlo]

As jimbo stated, he or she is long gone now I am a Singaporean who have just settled down in Hong Kong since last April after living in Toronto, Canada for the past 16 years. I cant agreed more what silversurfer and cryptic_ss have just said....

[cryptic_ss]

G-i-A, I started my career in SG after B-school and quite a few of my classmates (girls) were there too - No one ever faced a problem.

Its a safe, easy place to be in. However if you're an HK native - you might not like the place too much (for some reason, my friends from here never really liked SG). Decent list of to-do things, relatively lower cost of living, good public transport (though i hate hailing a cab in peak hrs around orchard/cbd now - given the surcharges), v v expat friendly.

If you need so - drop me a PM and i can put you in you in touch with a few single/ ex-single girls who live/lived there (one in HK now).

imho - HK just has much more of a 'character' which SG sorely lacks..and i deal with people who are just more people here - can be a bit 'robotic' there - just a little bit

[thundacatchergo]

I'm sorry but I just couldn't handle the Singaporean accent. I chose to learn a little bit of chinese and moved to hong kong.

[Ivory Holidays]

SilverSurfer, I am not agree at all.
Being a professional travel agent and guide. I have taken tourists from various parts of the world to India, Nepal and Bhutan.
BUT as compare Singapore v/s HK. I would say Singapore people are much advance, cultures and civilised.
People here in HK just want to only copy what the western people do in terms of fashion and life style. Most of the people here are less educated. Their English is very poor, even if you go to super stores its pretty hard to make them understand what you want.
During my guiding job, I appreciate Singaporean coz they have many questions to as about various things whereas HK people just want to know where is shopping arcades, food courts and then finish!!!