Singapore Expats

I know the answer to this question is enitrely a matter of personal taste, but I'd like the opinions of a few who've been there, done that ...

I am moving from Australia in June to start a job in Ang Mo Kio (or thereabouts) which, I understand, is neither the most happening 'hood in SG, nor the most central.

At 33, single and moving for career and life experience, I am to-ing and fro-ing over whether to live close to work (I'll be expected to do some long, late hours) or somewhere more central to the life I'll be leading away from the office ... where I can walk to bars, restaurants, movies etc.

I have been recommended the River Valley/Orchard/Chinatown/Downtown areas to look at condos. Mind, a quick squiz at a map confirms these would be great from a lifestyle point of view.

Equally, I was laughed at when I suggested that might involve a bit of a difficult interchange of MRT/bus etc ... and promptly told that it's common to cab to/from work every day over that kind of distance.

The generosity of the experienced would be appreciated!

Tough decisions huh?
Is your office near AMK MRT or you need to take bus?
You can actually try staying near the city area where there are direct buses to your company. That will be much great!!

To me, time is $$.
I treasure my sleep time esp in the morning! Thus any extra minute of sleep is heaven to me.. Thus, i always prefer to stay near my office where i can reach within minutes. Unfortunately, my office is located quite a distance from MRT, so thus have to either walk or change bus. In the end, i will spend 30mins - 1hr in travelling time. So in the end, i changed to taking taxi (~$5) every morning and it takes 5mins only! Wonderful!!

But i like staying near to MRT (walking distance), more convenient. I have more options of transportation. And time is saved on travelling. Sometimes, u want to take taxi, doesn't meant that there are taxi available, especially peak hours.

When i go out for fun at nite, easily have cab which cost $7-10+ taxi charge. So i guess if you can accept this kind of expenditure, it does not really matter where you stay. But of course, if u prefer walking home after clubbing or pubbing, then maybe central place is good for you.

My sharing..

At least, you can eliminate ...
Chua Chu Kang, woodland, Jurong, Boon Lay, Pasir Ris, Bedok ...etc

Choices:
AMK, TPY, Newton, Bradell, Novena, Orchard.....etc

sorry, i choose only the MRT station naming.. Only familiar with such..

You won't be far from the fun or your office in Singapore. Ok, so knowing Sydney traffic a simple trip can to the office can take an hour and a half.

I live a little but out of the city, but it takes 15 minutes on the bus and 5 by cab (not including booking time). Its not really that difficult to get from one place to the other and it is surprisingly cheap.

Choose somewhere that has a standard of living you would like - you may have to consider how much you what to spend and what you expect for that amount of money. Don't be too worried about being close to party life, because its easy to get a out and about on weekends

The best recommendation from me is, check out the bus lines and MRT lines to find the best locations. That way you to have options when it comes to getting to work. 2 options like TAXI and either bus or train is always safe, as sometimes peak hour makes it difficult to get a cab.

Although it is never really far to go anywhere in Spore, I'm glad I chose to stay near the city. I work near Bedok (that's quite far to the East) and staying near River Valley Road, walking distance to an MRT station. I don't mind the travelling in the morning at all as long as I know it's a short journey home after my night out weekdays/weekends (I work long hours too). It is also so much easier to go out during the weekends. Most singles foreigners/expats live near the city anyway (easier to get together for parties etc.)
I'm still learning the bus routes after 8 months. They are helpful but MRT's the way to go for a quick journey. Taxis - difficult to get during peak hours and almost impossible when it's raining heavily.

How about living sort of half way between the two!

I'm not too familiar with Ang Mo Kio, but I know it is on the direct MRT line to Orchard and Somerset, so it isn't really too far out from anywhere. If you are going to work relatively close to the MRT you should be laughing as far as transport is concerned. The buses are good, but sometimes can be a pain if the driver is bad (which they can be!), but the MRT is usually pretty good.

I guess if you can get to work fairly easily from the Orchard area, then somewhere around there could be worth living.

I don't go out in town much these days, but I'm sure if I was young, free and single, I'd be down that way 2-3 nights each week, so it would be worth living closer to where it's at!

Ang Mo Kio is quite a boring estate..I wld opt for Toa Payoh anytime for the amenities, easy access to highways and convenience. And it's closer to the city.

abbby wrote:Ang Mo Kio is quite a boring estate..I wld opt for Toa Payoh anytime for the amenities, easy access to highways and convenience. And it's closer to the city.

I live near my office in tampines and really like it since travelling time is less than 15 minutes and if ever i need to go to town, there are buses and the MRT which take just about half an hour... yes cabs too...
that way singapore is not very bad in terms of distances... the only time it took me more than 45 minutes was when i went to jurong to the snow city...

i always prefer live near my work place. cause i go there five times a week. and it was a permanent destination (for most of the day). While for fun there were so many places to go, and i only have two days left in a week. You got the point right

Check out the Novena area. Plenty of condos/apartments to choose from. Easy shopping and dining and about 4 MRT stops from Ang Mo Kio and 2 stops from Orchard Road. Best of all possible worlds for you!

GoTheCon wrote:I know the answer to this question is enitrely a matter of personal taste, but I'd like the opinions of a few who've been there, done that ...

I am moving from Australia in June to start a job in Ang Mo Kio (or thereabouts) which, I understand, is neither the most happening 'hood in SG, nor the most central.

At 33, single and moving for career and life experience, I am to-ing and fro-ing over whether to live close to work (I'll be expected to do some long, late hours) or somewhere more central to the life I'll be leading away from the office ... where I can walk to bars, restaurants, movies etc.

I have been recommended the River Valley/Orchard/Chinatown/Downtown areas to look at condos. Mind, a quick squiz at a map confirms these would be great from a lifestyle point of view.

Equally, I was laughed at when I suggested that might involve a bit of a difficult interchange of MRT/bus etc ... and promptly told that it's common to cab to/from work every day over that kind of distance.

The generosity of the experienced would be appreciated!

Mixed feelings isn't it! I would just go for city living if I can afford the rentals. It's the best of both worlds, great accessibility, lots of food, fun and retail therapy.

i just moved from new york so i know how you feel. i ultimately decided to live in the river valley area although my office is near east coast. i looked at apartments in novena and some in east coast but it really just felt too suburban to me. convenience for me means being able to walk across the road to get a coffee and being in walking distance to a variety of restaurants, bars, shops, etc. the commute to and from work really doesn't matter to me and to be honest, in singapore, everything is really close by. i take a cab everyday and although i hate the idea (in nyc i would walk or take the subway) it really is pretty convenient and not too pricey.

i would look at apartments in each area and see how you feel. i immediately hated the less central apartments, so by day two of the apt hunt, i knew i had to stay in the city. hope that helps and feel free to send me a message w/ more questions.