Living in Singapore
Accommodation | Food in Singapore | Culture | Getting Around | Language | Cost of Living | Working in Singapore | Weather

Study in Singapore
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On the whole, Singapore is a rather family friendly destination. The places listed here are about all of the major tourist attractions of special interest.

Sprawling along the airport parkway between the airport and the central business district, the East Coast Park is probably the favorite outdoor hangout for Singaporeans. You can rent equipment at several spots for canoeing, wind surfing, cycling and roller blading in case you get board of lying on the beach. The beach can be a little windblown and most of the time the horizon is cluttered with many ships waiting to get into Singapore's busy port.

Singapore is famous for shopping. Prices on everything from designer clothes to the latest in digital electronics are among the lowest in the world. While the number of shopping centers and districts seems almost infinite, for the full-on experience, head for the intersection of Orchard and Scotts roads (Orchard MRT station).

In addition to its many other attractions, Sentosa has some fine beaches on its ocean side which are carefully maintained, with imported sand no less.

Accommodation
For students who do not have friends or relatives in Singapore, we will recommend them stay in hostel with other international students.

Why Stay in Hostel?
Singapore has some of the best-equipped hostels in Asia. Several new hostels have taken on a resort-like ambience with beautiful landscaping and architecturally attractive buildings. Hostel masters and matrons are chosen and placed to look after the needs of the scholars, ensuring they have a home away from home. The hostels are little cosmopolitan cities where people from all over the world gather to exchange ideas and build friendships.

Many students come to Singapore to further their studies alone and are probably visiting Singapore the very first time. Not understanding the directions, lifestyle and environment of Singapore, it is best for students to stay in a hostel first. Staying in hostel is more costly but you will meet many friends here and will not be lonely. Many students who do not stay in hostel have revealed that they are feeling homesick, sad and lonely while students staying in hostel get to meet students from all over the world in the hostel, play games and enjoy other activities together.

Hostels provide a great way to meet new people and experience new things which is why they appeal to such a diverse range.
Hostels are fairly clean places. With the numbers of people coming through them they pretty much have to be. Now this doesn't mean the floors are waxed and the silverware is polished, but the basics have been done. Cleaning is a constant process at most hostels. The hostel custom, however, is that all guests clean up after themselves. You will make things a lot more pleasant for other guests if you simply wash your own dishes, pick up your rubbish and generally leave things like you found them.

Hostels' cost will include use of facilities: Water, electricity, housekeeping of rooms, internet services, laundry services, recreational room, football field, basketball court, badminton court, studyroom, kitchen/pantry room, etc.

If you are unsure about which type to go for, you can choose to sign a shorter contract.

Price guide for Hostels:

Number of people in a room	Cost per month for 12 months contract
One person	S$400 to S$660 (S$1,000 with attached toilet & TV)
Two person	S$260 to S$400 (S$510 with attached toilet, kitchen & TV)
Three person	S$350
Four person	S$300
Ten person	S$220

Alternatively, there are 3 other kinds of housing in Singapore. About 75% of locals stay in government apartment which we call HDB flat. Secondly, there are landed properties like bungalows, semi detached & terrace house and the other will be private apartment/ condominium.

HDB flats are apartment with common facilities that are shared among all public. Private apartment/condominium will have security features/ guard and private facilities.

Staying in a room of HDB cost about S$300 to $500 (without air condition) and the other 2 will cost more depending on the location. Usually HDB and houses have 2 to 3 rooms in it. You will share with others if you choose these. For private apartment, you can request for studio apartment if you want to live on your own. This probably cost at least S$1,000 and above. You can have option of whether you want your room to have air conditioned.

Food in Singapore
Singapore is famous for being a multi-racial cultures and most importantly, cusine! Thus we enjoy a wide array of influences from all corners of the globe. With an endless variety of food choices around you, there is no reason why you should deprive your taste buds of any of the excitement these dishes can offer.

Singapore's melting pot of cultures each has their own cuisines, so its quite easy to find Chinese, Indian, Malay and Indonesian food. The closest thing Singapore has to a native cuisine is generally referred to as Nonya and mixes chinese ingredients with Malay herbs and spices. Of course, as with any big international city, you can easily find the foods of just about every culture on the planet.

There is a wide range of Chinese food found in Singapore. That's not surprising since about 70% of the population is Chinese and one can also find most of the Chinese ethnic groups here. An extremely popular dish is chicken rice. Very simply put, the dish comprises rice, steamed in chicken gravy, and steamed or roasted chicken, with slices of cucumber as garnish.

Culture
Singapore's cultures are largely derivative, springing from one or another of the major civilizations of China, India, Indonesia, or the West. With modern mass media, cultures are populary and far more widespread. .

Singapore's cultural life reflects its past colonial administration and the country's diverse population. Behind the facade of a modern city, these ethnic races are still evident. Each still bears its own unique character. The old streets of Chinatown can still be seen; the Malay characteristics are still conspicuous in Malay Village in Geylang; and Little India along Serangoon Road still has its distinct ambience.

Each racial group has its own distinctive religion and there are colorful festivals of special significance all year round. Although the festivals are special to certain races, it is nonetheless enjoyed by all.

Getting Around
Singapore has to be just about the easiest city to get around, not only in Asia but the entire world. An integrated and extensive rapid transit system is designed to make it easy to get anywhere quickly. It has to be, since taxes have intentionally made personal cars in Singapore the most expensive in the world.

MRT
Singapore's communter train can get you to just about every corner of the island quickly and cheaply. Most of the attractions of the central city area are within a short walk of a MRT station. Suburban stations are integrated with the bus system so that just about any attraction on the island can be reached by public transportation. Its also usually easy to get a taxi at most stations as well.

Taxi
Taxis are inexpensive and almost all drivers speak adequate English. Taxi drivers are also able to find just about any place so long as you know the address.

Bus
Buses can get you just about anywhere the trains don't go, and as mentioned above, suburban train stations are also bus depots. You can buy a tourist day ticket that is good for unlimited MRT trips as well as unlimited bus usage.

Language
Singapore has about 4,500,000 in population and is made up of about 77% Chinese, 14% Malay, 8% Indian and 1% of other races. Though Chinese made up the most population amongst all the ethnic groups, English is Singapore main official language used in Singapore. However, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are also official languages in Singapore.

Singapore's National TV programmes are shown mainly in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Occasionally there are foreign programmes shown.

Other than the Chinese, English, Indian, and Malay newspapers that serve a largely literate population, y ou can also find publications of other languages in book stores and newspaper stands.

Knowing another language is always good for ourselves. You can learn the basic from friends or even TV.

Cost of Living
Singapore's standard of living in is amongst the highest in Asia. However, compared to countries in western continents, the cost of living here is relatively low as basic items like food and clothing are very reasonably priced.

When planning your budget, you will need to cater for these items :

. Accommodation
. Books & Stationery
. Food
. Medical / Hospitalisation Insurance
. Personal Expenses
. Telecommunications
. Transportation
. Ultilities

An international student in Singapore spends on average about S$750 to S$2,000 a month on living expenses. This amount varies depending on your individual lifestyle and course of study.

In the Table below, it shows estimated cost ranges gives a rough guide of the basic expenditure an international student may incur per month.

Working in Singapore
Many companies in Singapore are "equal opportunities" employers. So long as you are hardworking, possesses relevant experiences and the neccesary job's skills, finding job in Singapore should not be a difficult task. You may write in to companies directly or seek employment agencies for help.

At present, International students studying FULL-time in Singapore, are NOT suppose to work at the same time. If you plan to work and study in Singapore, you need to secure your employment in first. Student who get caught will have their student pass cancelled and be sent back to their own country. Unless the student is studying a course like Hospitality, Logistics, Travel & Tourism or Nursing that requires industrial attachment.

Weather
Singapore is generally hot and humid all year round, with the temperature about 23°C (73°F) to 35°C (95°F) during the day. November and December is usually the rainy season.

With this weather, you only need to put on casual wear like T-shirt and jeans. Probably only need additional clothings in classroom which are mostly air-conditioned. Other than classrooms, all the shopping centres in Singapore are fully air-con too.

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