Singapore Expats

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Miriean wrote:hi well i'm not really moving here from another country i've been living here all my life and i'm looking to move out of staying with my parents to live by myself or share an apartment with a few friends or people like me

renting an apartment would be like for $1.9k a month and it arn't gonna be an easy task finding friends or people to share the cost with

i'm wondering, where do young expats that has moved here to work live? is there any sorta like 1 room apartment thing or anything like that? i'm a 22m currently working as an interactive developer, freelancing design and a bit of sales btw. i'm not sure of the costs of renting here too so would like some insight.

Depends really where you want to live, the room rental can swing a great deal from 500 a month to 1500 or more. If you choose the heartlands it's much cheaper of course! Though i am sure there is a room to fit your budget! The problem maybe does the area fit you! I thought of moving to Geylang to get a room, but the wife will not allow it I wish!

I think for a start, here are a few things to get you going

- Rent (whether you are staying alone or sharing)
> If you plan to flat-share, you have to decide if you want to be the main tenant or just a co-tenant, etc. If you are the main tenant, you are more likely to get the master bedroom. If you google, you should be able to find a few flatshare websites.
- Utilities
> If you are flat-sharing, you might want to check with your flatmates on usage of things like air-con, etc. If you dont use air-con at all, or you are not at home most of the time while your flatmates is turning it on 24-7, you might not enjoy paying excessive utilities bills.
> If you are staying alone, you need to apply for it. For HDB, I think the deposit is $100 and for private apartments, its about $200-$300)
- Housework
> if you are staying alone, obviously you have to do everything yourself or you can get your mum to help you.
> If sharing, then its important to state clearly who is doing what (especially who is washing the toilet) and how frequent it needs to be done. Also note that different people have different level of cleanliness. What you perceived as dirty might be considered "good enough" to your flatmate/s.
- Location
> Like what ksl said, rent around heartlands are cheaper and places near to the train station are also cheaper. When I started looking for my place, I viewed 8-10 units before making my first offer. I don't want to jump into the first place that I thought is cheap and/or nice. You might want to consider that too.
- Miscellenous
> If you are flat-sharing, you might want to lay some ground rules if their partner (bf/gf if any) will be moving in with them, and if they do, how to deal with the situation. Some time back, I flat-shared with 2 guys. Shortly after we all moved in, both guys found gfs and their gfs also moved in overnight. The apartment which used to have only 3 people, subsequently have about 6 people (one of the guy's gf have a 10years old daughter). It felt extremely crowded and noisy and I moved out to live alone subsequently.

Last but not least, I know that there are landlords that rent rooms out directly (the room includes utilities, etc) so you might want to investigate that route a little.

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That $100-$300 deposit just refers to the PUB deposit (you transfer the utility accounts to your name).

Private apartments-housing complexes not owned by the HDB but not exactly condominiums. Can come in a variety of forms.

There is website out there that serves to connect strangers who want to share a flat--just hafta google it, though.

I understand you want some independence but given how inconvenient and expensive it is to find your own place in this country, why move out? You must really want to move out of your parents's house so badly.

I have been staying above a shop house in Geylang that is nicely renovated. It was overpriced imho and pretty noisy but fine other than that. If you want privacy it could be a good deal. I am paying $950 a month + PUB for private studio apartment with bathroom but only a fridge and microwave as far as cooking goes...

I want and need a kitchen and living room so I'm leaving but if you want your own place to run around naked in it's alright. Not very many studio apartments.

There are also a number of shared accommodation options in the classifieds section of this site.