City guides Singapore
Singapore
The fastest median home broadband in the world, English everywhere, one SGD 122 pass for every bus and train, and lunch at a hawker centre for about SGD 4. The catch is the visa and the rent. There is no nomad visa, a visit pass bars paid employment, and the one long-stay route that takes a foreign salary wants SGD 30,000 a month, and only if the employer is established: at least USD 500 million market value or USD 200 million annual revenue (MOM). A furnished one-bed runs about SGD 4,200.
Every figure checked 15 Oct 2026
- SGD 3,500 to 5,000 a month Furnished one-bed, island-wide
- SGD 122 Adult Monthly Travel Pass
- SGD 3.82 Economical rice (cai fan)
- Country Singapore
- Time zone UTC+8 14:25 there now
- Language English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil
- Currency Singapore dollar (SGD)
- Plugs Type G, 230V. UK plugs fit
How far English gets you English is the language of government, signs, transport and business, so a remote worker can live entirely in it. It stops at some older hawker stallholders, and at Singlish and dialect slang. Neither is a real barrier.
Honestly
Is this your kind of place?
It suits you if
People who want everything to just work: the fastest median broadband in the world, safe streets (the US rates it Level 1, normal precautions), English everywhere, an SGD 122 pass that covers the whole island, and hawker lunches of about SGD 4. It suits short stays of a few weeks, anyone with a Singapore employer or a fixed salary of SGD 30,000 a month, and anyone using it as a hub for the rest of South-East Asia.
It does not suit you if
Anyone looking for a cheap or long nomad base. There is no nomad visa, and no official text we found says you may work remotely on a visit pass. A furnished one-bed is about SGD 4,200 a month, and a coworking day pass starts at SGD 50. The rules are strict and enforced: vaping is illegal, drug use abroad can show up on arrival, and caning is a legal sentence. It is hot and humid all year, with highs of 30 to 32 degrees and no cool season to wait for. If you want to settle long-term on a modest freelance income, look elsewhere.
Money
What everything else costs
| Furnished studio, island-wide | SGD 1,900 to 4,100 a month | Median SGD 2,450, from the same Cove listings |
|---|---|---|
| Furnished studio, Tiong Bahru | SGD 2,650 to 2,700 a month | Two asking prices on 99.co, 15 October 2026. No one-beds were listed that day |
| Coworking day pass | SGD 50 to 70 | JustCo from SGD 50 before tax. WeWork On Demand SGD 50 to 70 by location, GST not stated |
| Coworking monthly | From SGD 374 | WeWork All Access, a promotional price against SGD 439. JustCo's monthly price was not checked |
| Single bus or MRT fare | SGD 1.28 to 2.57 | Adult card fares, from 3.2 km or less to over 40.2 km |
| Kopi-O or teh-O | SGD 1.22 | Hawker coffee or tea without milk, a 2024 average. A cafe flat white was not checked |
Paperwork
Can you legally stay?
| On a visit pass | ICA says visit pass holders may not "engage in any business, professional or paid employment activities". No MOM or ICA page we found says whether remote work for an overseas employer counts. A law firm, L&E Global, says serving only a foreign employer needs no work pass, but notes the lack of official guidance. Treat it as a grey area, not a right |
|---|---|
| Work-pass exemptions | MOM's exempt activities are in-person ones such as meetings, conferences and exhibitions, capped at 90 days a calendar year. Remote work is not on the list |
| Long stay: ONE Pass | The Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass. A fixed salary of at least SGD 30,000 a month over the past 12 months, or a future one with an established Singapore company. Foreign-currency pay counts, from one employer only, and only if the employer is established: at least USD 500 million market value or USD 200 million annual revenue (MOM). Or outstanding achievements in sport, arts and culture, or academia and research |
| ONE Pass from January 2027 | A new AI and Tech track replaces Tech.Pass. It still needs SGD 30,000 a month over 12 consecutive months, but only SGD 22,500 must be fixed salary; vested equity can make up the rest |
| Long stay: Employment Pass | Needs a Singapore employer. Minimum salary SGD 5,600 a month at 23 or under, rising with age to SGD 10,700 at 45 and over (financial services SGD 6,200 to 11,800), plus 40 COMPASS points |
| Employment Pass from 2027 | New applications from 1 January 2027: SGD 6,000, rising to SGD 11,500 at 45 and over (financial services SGD 6,600 to 12,700). Renewals move to the new figures for passes expiring from 1 January 2028 |
| Who qualifies for the ONE Pass | Employees of a foreign company: yes, salary earned abroad counts, but only if the employer is established: at least USD 500 million market value or USD 200 million annual revenue (MOM). Freelancers: unclear and unlikely, because the test is a fixed salary from one employer. Owners of a foreign company: unclear, as there is no profit test |
| How long | ONE Pass: five years, renewable five years at a time. Renewal needs an average fixed salary of SGD 30,000 a month over the five years, or a Singapore company employing at least five locals, each on at least the Employment Pass minimum. Employment Pass length was not checked |
| Permanent residence | No fixed qualifying period. Not checked against ICA this time |
| Citizenship | You can apply after at least two years as a permanent resident, aged 21 or over |
| Without a visa | British passports: visa-free, normally 30 to 90 days at the immigration officer's discretion, with six months left on the passport. American passports: visa-free; the length of stay was not checked |
| Tax residency | 183 days or more of presence or employment in a calendar year. A continuous stay of 183 days across two calendar years counts for both, and working there over three consecutive years makes you resident for all three |
Where to live
Where to base yourself
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Tanjong Pagar
About SGD 3,030 a month on average across all unit types, rooms included (SGD 1,400 to 4,800)Walk to the CBD, the MRT and hawker centres such as Maxwell, with the most coworking nearby
The catch The dearest of the areas surveyed, and the condos are business-district boxes
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Tiong Bahru
About SGD 1,922 a month on average across all unit types; furnished studios SGD 2,650 to 2,700 askingA low-rise 1930s estate with cafes, a big wet market and hawker centre, one MRT stop from the CBD
The catch Many units are pre-war walk-ups with no pool or gym, and one-bed stock is thin: 99.co showed none on the day checked
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Joo Chiat and Katong
About SGD 1,838 a month on average across all unit types (SGD 1,250 to 2,450)Shophouse streets, Peranakan food and East Coast Park for running
The catch A longer ride to the CBD than the central areas, and further from most coworking
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Holland Village
About SGD 1,736 a month on average across all unit types (SGD 1,000 to 2,400)An expat-village feel with bars and cafes, close to the Botanic Gardens
The catch The low average reflects rooms. Whole condos nearby are priced for expat-package budgets
Timing
The best time to come
- Jan 30C, 235mm, 13 rain days
- Feb 32C, driest at 113mm
- Mar 32C, 170mm
- Apr 32.3C, hottest highs
- May 32C, warmest nights (with June)
- Jun 32C, second driest, 131mm
- Jul 31C, 154mm, 14 rain days
- Aug 31C, 149mm, 14 rain days
- Sep 31C, 157mm
- Oct 32C, 155mm, 15 rain days
- Nov 31C, wet, 259mm
- Dec 30C, wettest, 319mm
Come now Fine Avoid
February and June are the driest months, with 113mm and 131mm of rain. November and December are the wettest, at 259mm and 319mm with 18 rain days each. There is no cool season: average highs stay between 30 and 32 degrees all year, and humidity above 80 per cent. These are 1981 to 2010 NEA averages. Busy tourist months and event dates were not checked.
Connectivity
The internet, honestly
That is Singapore's median fixed download in June 2026, 447.75 Mbps and first in the world, from the Speedtest Global Index as reported by Databoks. The connection is not the problem anywhere.
The workspace is. Hawker centres are hot, loud and have no power points. Cafes are small, and plenty discourage laptops at peak hours. If you are on calls all day, pay for a coworking day pass, from SGD 50, or set up a desk at home.
Work
Remote roles open to someone in Singapore
A remote job is not in any one city. These are roles whose employer will hire someone living here, pulled from the board as you load the page.
Eating
What to eat, and what it costs
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Economical rice (cai fan)
SGD 3.82Pick your own dishes over rice at any hawker centre: the cheapest rice meal measured
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Mee siam
SGD 3.65Spicy-sour rice vermicelli, the cheapest noodle dish measured
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Sliced fish bee hoon
SGD 5.35Fish soup with rice noodles, the dearest noodle dish measured
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Chicken nasi briyani
SGD 6.52The top end of the hawker rice range
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Kopi-O or teh-O
SGD 1.22Coffee or tea without milk, the cheapest drink measured. All prices here are 2024 averages
Days off
Worth a Saturday
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Gardens by the Bay: Flower Dome and Cloud Forest
SGD 46 for visitors, SGD 34 for residents, adults, GST includedTwo climate-controlled conservatories, open 9am to 9pm. Closed for maintenance on 16 November 2026
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Supertree Grove and the outdoor gardens
Price not checkedThe outdoor half of Gardens by the Bay, with an evening light show. Show times not checked
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Singapore Botanic Gardens
Price not checkedA UNESCO-listed garden, good for an early run before the heat
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East Coast Park
Price not checkedSeafront cycling, running and barbecue pits
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Southern Ridges and MacRitchie Reservoir
Price not checkedCanopy walkways and treetop trails
The rest
Things the other guides leave out
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Drug tests reach back
Evidence of drug use in your system on arrival or in transit leads to refusal of entry or arrest, even if you took it abroad
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Vaping is illegal
Leave the vape at home. The US State Department lists it as illegal
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Carry your passport
The US State Department says you may be taken in for questioning without it
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Remote work is a grey area
A visit pass bars "business, professional or paid employment activities". Nothing official we found says remote work for an overseas employer is allowed
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An EOR will not get you a pass
MOM says work passes are for foreigners working for Singapore-based companies
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Visitors pay more at the domes
Gardens by the Bay charges visitors SGD 46 and residents SGD 34
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Fill in the SG Arrival Card
Free, within 3 days before you land, through the SGAC e-service or the MyICA app
Work out whether you can actually afford to go
Every role on the board says which countries you can live in and still take it, so remote means remote.
Every figure on this page was checked on 15 Oct 2026. Prices move and rules change; tell us when something is wrong and we will fix it.