Singapore is one of the more straightforward places in Asia to relocate to formally — the rules are clear, the bureaucracy is efficient, and English is the working language. That doesn’t mean it’s cheap or effortless: this is one of the most expensive cities in the region, and the path in runs entirely through employment, not lifestyle visas or long-stay tourist routes.
Visas and work passes
Most professionals relocate on an Employment Pass (EP), tied to a local employer, requiring a minimum monthly salary (reviewed periodically by the Ministry of Manpower, and generally rising each review — check the current threshold before assuming an older figure still applies) plus points under the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) that scores factors like salary relative to local peers, diversity, and skills relevance. The S Pass sits below the EP for mid-skilled roles, with its own lower salary threshold and a quota system limiting how many S Pass holders a company can employ relative to its workforce. The EntrePass is for founders starting an innovative business in Singapore, requiring a viable business plan and, in practice, a fairly high bar to clear. There is no simple long-stay tourist route to living here — you need a pass tied to work, family, or study, full stop.
Housing
Private condo rentals are the default for most expats and are priced accordingly — budget several thousand SGD a month for anything centrally located, more for larger units or the most sought-after districts. HDB flats (public housing, where the majority of Singaporeans live) are cheaper but generally restricted to citizens and PRs for whole-unit rental in most configurations, so most newcomers end up in the private condo market by default, not choice. Expect to pay a security deposit (typically one to two months’ rent) plus the first month upfront, and factor in agent fees if you use one. Start the search 4-6 weeks before you need to move in — good units go fast.
Banking
Opening a local bank account is simple once you have an Employment Pass and local address — DBS, OCBC and UOB are the major players, all with solid English-language digital banking and widely used by expats. Before your pass is issued, opening a fully local account is harder — some banks offer limited non-resident accounts, but expect more paperwork and fewer features until your EP is confirmed and you have a local address to register. Many newcomers use a multi-currency account (Wise, Revolut) to bridge the gap in the first few weeks.
Employment pass types compared
Broadly: EP for higher-earning professionals and managers, S Pass for mid-skilled technical and specialist roles, EntrePass for founders. Which one applies depends entirely on your role and salary, decided by your employer’s HR/immigration team (or your own, if you’re the founder). Processing typically takes a few weeks once the application is submitted, assuming documentation is complete — budget extra time if you need to gather notarised qualifications or references from a previous employer.
Healthcare
Employer-provided insurance is standard for EP and S Pass holders, and the public healthcare system is excellent if you ever need to use it directly — Singapore consistently ranks among the best healthcare systems globally. Private clinics are widespread and efficient for day-to-day needs (routine appointments, minor issues) and are the default first stop for most expats rather than public polyclinics, given faster access and English-speaking staff as standard.
Cost of living, the honest bit
Singapore rewards planning and discipline — the cost of living is genuinely high, especially housing and cars (car ownership involves a Certificate of Entitlement that alone can cost as much as the car), but salaries, safety, and infrastructure are hard to beat in the region. A realistic monthly budget for a single professional, after rent, easily runs S$3,000-5,000+ depending on lifestyle and neighbourhood — see our Singapore cost of living guide for a full breakdown by category. Most people find the tradeoff worth it for the safety, efficiency, and career opportunities, but go in with clear eyes about the numbers rather than assuming Southeast Asian pricing will apply here — it won’t.
Work passes in more detail
The Employment Pass (EP) is for professionals, managers and executives, and from 2023 onward applicants are assessed under the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), a points system weighing salary, qualifications, the company’s share of local hires, and workforce diversity alongside the raw salary figure — a general guide is a minimum qualifying salary in the S$5,000-plus range, rising with age and seniority, though the exact bar shifts periodically and is higher in finance. Processing typically takes a few weeks once the application is lodged, assuming documents are in order, though it can stretch longer if COMPASS scoring is borderline or the role needs additional justification. The S Pass, for mid-skilled roles, has a lower salary threshold, a quota limiting how many S Pass holders a company can employ relative to its local headcount, and a monthly levy the employer pays per S Pass holder — worth knowing if you’re on the hiring side, since it directly affects headcount cost. The EntrePass, for founders starting a business in Singapore, requires a viable business plan and either funding or a track record, and is a genuinely more involved application than either EP or S Pass — engaging an immigration consultant is common for EntrePass rather than a DIY approach.
Healthcare and insurance
Singapore’s healthcare system is excellent by any global standard but not free for most expats — public hospitals (like Singapore General Hospital or Tan Tock Seng) offer high-quality care at lower cost than private, but non-citizens pay significantly more than citizens and permanent residents, who benefit from government subsidies expats don’t get. Most employers on EP or S Pass sponsorship provide group medical insurance as part of the package — check exactly what’s covered (outpatient, dental, and maternity are common gaps in basic plans) before assuming you’re fully covered. Private international health insurance (or a dedicated expat plan) is worth budgeting for regardless, particularly for anything beyond routine care — private hospital consultations and specialist visits in Singapore are not cheap, and a single unplanned hospital stay without adequate cover can run into tens of thousands of Singapore dollars. Clinics for everyday GP visits are plentiful and efficient, typically S$40-80 for a basic consultation without insurance.
Schools and international education
Local Singapore public schools are consistently ranked among the best in the world academically, but places for non-citizen children are limited and allocated after citizens and PRs, through a centralised registration exercise — competitive and not guaranteed. Most expat families instead go the international school route: Singapore has a large, well-established international school sector (UWC South East Asia, Tanglin Trust, Singapore American School, Dulwich College, Australian International School among the bigger names), offering IB, British, American or other curricula. Fees are substantial — often S$25,000-40,000+ per child per year depending on the school and level — and popular schools maintain waitlists, so starting the application process well before a planned move (six months to a year ahead for competitive schools) is standard practice rather than something to leave until arrival.
Banking and CPF basics
Opening a local bank account (DBS, OCBC and UOB are the three major local banks) generally requires in-person application with your passport and proof of a local address or an in-principle approval letter from your employer — some banks allow account opening before your work pass is fully issued, others require it in hand, so check current requirements with the specific bank. CPF (Central Provident Fund), Singapore’s mandatory social security savings scheme, applies to Singapore citizens and permanent residents, not to EP or S Pass holders on their own contributions — if you’re on a work pass rather than PR, CPF generally isn’t something you’re contributing to or drawing from, though it becomes directly relevant if and when you obtain PR status, at which point a meaningful chunk of salary (split between employee and employer contributions) goes into it, covering retirement, healthcare (Medisave) and housing. Digital banking is standard and efficient here — PayNow, the local instant-transfer system linked to your phone number or ID, is used constantly for everything from splitting a dinner bill to paying a landlord, and it’s worth setting up early once you have a local account and number.