Where to live in Singapore?

As an Expat coming to Singapore and the decision on where to live can be quite a daunting aspect with the major considerations based on your individual needs. Things that will influence your decision are your country of origin and previous lifestyle, family makeup, area of workplace and personal preferences like shopping, restaurants and general lifestyle preferences. The determining factors before looking at the individual areas will be your budget, type of dwelling, and education School Education in Singapore, Study in Singapore in the case of families with children which will influence your decision on where to find suitable housing. If you intend bringing your pets with you it potentially can exclude you from certain types of accommodation.

You must have a clear understanding of the housing terminology to be able to simplify your search without wasting time on looking at housing that will not suite your needs. Housing is classified as follows: Accommodation in Singapore, Accommodation in Singapore H.D.B Apartments (Government Built and rules that apply), Apartments and Condos, Landed Houses (Predominantly Multi Storey) and Bungalows (Traditional Houses with gardens). Eviltwin in Singapore: Different Singapore Houses (Photos). Another important fact to consider is the fact that accommodation can be selected on a fully furnished, partially furnished or not at all basis. Partially furnished basically implies stove, oven, curtains, air conditioners and washer/dryer.

Singapore is a small country (778 Square Kilometres) with the main island surrounded by several smaller islands and is divided up into 28 districts Singapore Districts Map. Singapore Zones and Area and for ease of understanding there are 5 main areas, north, south, central, east and west. The country has an excellent transport infrastructure and the location of the nearest MRT Hub SMRT Website - Network Map will be a major consideration when choosing your ultimate home. The distance between your workplace and home will have an impact on the ultimate decision based on what mode of transport you will rely on and the relevant cost implications.

The City

The city is at the south point of the island with the main business district surrounded by tall apartment and condo buildings. This is the hub and the lifestyle is very different from the rest of the island. This is the place for executives young and old, which enjoys the hustle and bustle of being in the middle of the action, surrounded by all the main shopping, entertainment and restaurant venues, like Clarke Quay, Marina Bay and Robertson Quay. Housing is predominantly high rise Condos and Apartments and pricing varies from reasonable to very upmarket. This is the most expensive option with obvious benefits to people who enjoy this lifestyle and on the negative side tends to be quite a noisy environment. One of the biggest benefits of living in Condos/Apartments is that most come with shared amenities like pools, gyms and even fully furnished and serviced.

The East

This area covers districts like Marine Parade, Bedok, Psir Ris, Tampines and Changi the most eastern district of the island. The Changi International Airport is situated here and the districts marry the old and the new. The streets are narrow and lined by angsana and palm trees and it is the idyllic destination for family weekend picnics. The residential areas are mainly populated by people who work in the airline related industries. The districts are lined by coast with the Marine Parade and East Coast Park favourite weekend destinations for all. There is a diverse population with excellent amenities, restaurants, schools and shops comprising of a mix of housing from HDB Flats to landed properties.

The West

The western area comprises districts 21 – 24 and includes Bukit Batok, Clementi, Jurong, Upper Bukit Timah and Tuas. The districts vary from Bukit Timah being an area with focus on education comprising of many renowned educational institutions, lush sub-urban shopping facilities and rich foliage to Jurong with large industrial and residential areas, landscape parks and a golf course. The world famous Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park are also located in this area.  Densely populated with excellent amenities all round. Lush greenery defines the area with the few remaining farms situated in Lim Chu Kang.

The North

Districts 25 – 28 comprising of Woodgrove, Woodlands, Sembawang and Seletar. Home of the Singapore American School this is the obvious choice for predominantly American Expats. The area is considered far from the city but in truth only about 18 kilometres and connected by the CTE highway. The area is lush with greenery including golf courses, plant nurseries and reservoirs. These areas are considered too far out of the way for Singaporeans. From the Woodlands district you can actually see Malaysia and there is a causeway bridge that connects the two countries.

Central

This is probably the best suited districts from an Expat point of view as they are central in the island yet still close enough to the city. Districts include Serangoon, Bishan, Ang Mo Kio and Thomson. The city is easily accessible via the CTE and other highways and there are very good MRT hubs within walking distance of the neighbourhoods. The housing choices range from HDB flats, apartments cluster, landed houses and bungalows. There are large scale older residential estates in Ang Mo Kio with more upmarket modern estates in Bishan and Thomson which does make housing a bit costly.

The fact that the Australian International School is in Serangoon make this a favourite choice for Expat families with children. The areas are green with lots of trees and are much quieter than the areas closer to the city. The population is a blend of Expat, old, young and has excellent parks, restaurants and shopping facilities. A typical trip to the city via the MRT takes about 30 minutes.