How I ended up moving to Singapore

I’ve been in Singapore for 5 years and have been an expat who moved to the country from the US. Here’s a little about my story -

I left Hong Kong to the States in the early 2010s for College and was lucky enough to find a job at a reputable tech firm post-graduation. I had an incredible time living in San Francisco - burritos in the Mission, morning walks at the Presidio, you name it. Yet, I knew staying in the US was not something I wanted to do long term. Here are the reasons why:

• I was bored. Life in the Bay area was very chill, but after staying there for 5 years, I felt the desire to ‘go next’. I was eager to explore other countries and was young enough to afford it

• I did not feel safe. San Francisco has a serious homelessness problem. Walking home past 9pm was not an option, which is ironic as something that basic is what we take for granted in Hong Kong or Singapore. SF is also extremely filthy. For those who’ve been to Embarcadero, Market Street or took the BART, you know the City reeks of piss. Very disturbing for such a wealthy place

• Immigration is a bitch. I went through the F1 → OPT → H-1B process and actually made it through the lottery (~40% chance in 2019). The process was an absolute nightmare littered with bureaucracy and uncertainty. Even with the gift of a H-1B, I knew I did not want to stay. Trump’s administration made things tricky and it just wasn’t the best time for immigration. I knew things would continue to be complicated until I received a Green Card which I had no intention of obtaining. Why? To the next point…

• Taxes are high and healthcare is expensive. Federal tax was ~25% and state tax was another 10%. Throw in a bunch of jargon like deductions, withholdings, Medicare, social security - it was all too overwhelming. The same applied to healthcare. I never understood why US healthcare is not free and public - it’s capitalism at its worst

• The commute to the South Bay was a waste of time. I traveled from SF to the South Bay Mon- Thurs every week on my company’s shuttles. On average, I took the 6:50AM shuttle to arrive at 8AM and the 4:30PM shuttle to arrive at 6:00PM. As much as I killed time through napping / working / watching YouTube, spending 2.5 hours on the road every week day was not productive

Hazy days

Did I have Singapore set firmly in mind as the location to move to? No. Growing up, Singapore was just another Southeast Asian country. A 陽光海灘 (translation - sunny beach) location. Unassuming. I went there a few times as a child for vacation, and frankly speaking, I can’t remember anything about the place. So how did the shift to Singapore come about?

• I was offered an incredible job opportunity. My company program allowed for transfers to different countries, and Singapore was our APAC hub. The APAC market was growing rapidly, thus a slew of roles with amazing career prospects opened up. Whilst Hong Kong is similarly international and expat-friendly, there were a limited number of tech opportunities compared to Singapore. This was also a key factor of why I did not consider moving back to Hong Kong.

• My relationship. I liked what I had with my then partner and wanted to continue our journey together. She had moved to Singapore to pursue further studies so being someone practical, I had to move in order to continue the relationship. Unsolicited advice to all my readers - never move to a country solely for your partner. Always have other reasons to supplement as if your relationship doesn’t work out, you’ll be beating yourself up

• Singapore is closer to family. I prefer a 4 hour flight from Singapore to Hong Kong than a 15 hour flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong

Add these two lists of reasons together, and it was enough to pull me to Singapore. Looking back, I am extremely glad I made the decision to come over, and many other reasons have been added to the ‘Why Singapore’ list. Think taxes, safety, healthcare, travel opportunities, convenience. All components of great Singapore living. I’ll unpack these another day.

Whilst the transition was relatively smooth, it did not come with its own set of apprehensions. For all those expats who moved to Singapore, what is your story? I’d love to know why you relocated, be it moving to Singapore for work or moving to Singapore for family. Subscribe now to find out in my next post.

Goodbye SF. My favourite spot in the City near the Presidio