A practical guide to living in Singapore as an expat.
319 guides on work passes, renting, schools, money, daily life and leaving. Each one cites the MOM, ICA, IRAS or other agency page it relies on and shows the date we last checked it. Also 113 neighbourhood profiles, 32 schools, 21 clubs and associations, 48 services, 30 step-by-step playbooks and 33 calculators.
Key figures
- Employment Pass qualifying salary
S$5,600 a month
S$6,200 in financial services. Rises with age — S$10,700 at 45. From 1 Jan 2027 new applications need S$6,000 at the youngest band.
MOM, read 15 Sep 2026
- Stamp duty on a lease
0.4% of total rent
For leases of four years or less. Charged on the higher of contractual and market rent, including furniture and service charges.
IRAS, read 20 Sep 2026
- Stay after your pass is cancelled
Up to 90 days
On a Short-Term Visit Pass, and only if your employer requests it. Dependants need to be covered too. An STVP is not permission to work.
MOM, read 15 Sep 2026
- Tax residency test
183 days in a calendar year
Immigration status is not tax residency: you can be on an Employment Pass and still be a non-resident for a short first year. IRAS has separate concessions for stays that straddle years.
IRAS, read 15 Sep 2026
- Convert a foreign driving licence
Within 12 months
For residents. 6 months from pass issue if you drive for work; 3 months after becoming a citizen or PR.
Traffic Police, read 15 Sep 2026
- One-bed asking rents
S$1,700 to S$5,000 to start
From Sembawang to Sentosa & Sentosa Cove. Half of the 113 areas we cover start at or below S$2,300. Starting figures, not what you will pay.
Our survey of 113 areas, read 15 Sep 2026
Browse by topic
All 319 guides →Next
Renewals, PR, pivots — and leaving well.
Also on the site
The pages that are not guides.
Directories
Services48
Movers, clinics, agents, helper agencies, counsel. Paid listings are labelled.
By category
- Clinics & health10
- Movers & relocation5
- Helper agencies4
- Tutors & enrichment4
- Legal & immigration4
- Property agents3
Most referenced in guides
Calculators
All 33 calculators →Cash & housing
Move-in cash, lease duty, notice dates, commission, storage.
Work & money
Pass thresholds, tax days, levies, licence clocks.
School & family
Deposits, bonds, withdrawal notice, leavers fees.
Exit & close-out
What comes back and what it costs to close each account.
Coming up
Full calendar →Checklists and playbooks
All 30 playbooks →- Arriving — first 7 days13 items
- Arriving — first 30 days13 items
- Arriving — first 90 days12 items
- Pre-arrival (T−30 to wheels-down)6 sections
- Between jobs (EP gap)7 sections
- Leaving Singapore8 sections
- Family joining later6 sections
- DP work rights & Letter of Consent7 sections
- Newborn Special Pass6 sections
About this site
expat.sg is written for people moving to or living in Singapore on a work pass, and for the families that come with them. Where a rule matters, the guide links the agency page it comes from and shows the date it was last reviewed. Sponsored posts and Featured listings are labelled as paid; they do not change what the guides conclude. Guides are orientation, not legal, tax or immigration advice for your case.