Essential Guide to Singapore

General Information

Currency: Singapore Dollar (SGD) – this is approximately 1.72 SGD to every 1GBP

National language: Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil. Unofficially, the common language spoken particularly by younger generations is known as Singlish or Singapore Colloquial English, which consists of a vocabulary from multiple sources including English, Malay, Tamil, and several Chinese languages.

Geography: Singapore is an island country and city-state located in Southeast Asia, in between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Time in Capital City: GMT +8

Climate: Tropical – the temperatures remain consistently high, with high levels of rainfall and humidity.

Population: 6 million people

Annual Costs (approximate):

University Cost (SGD): $30,000 – $65,000 for undergraduate degrees, $22,000 - $46,000 for postgraduate.

Living Costs (SGD): $18,000

Total Cost (SGD): $48,000 - $83,000 undergraduate / $40,000 - $64,000 postgraduate

Top Universities in Singapore:

1. National University of Singapore
2. Nanyang Technological University
3. Singapore University of Technology and Design
4. Singapore Management University

Things You HAVE To Do:

• Singapore has the nickname of the “Garden City”, and it’s easy to see why. The Singapore Botanic Gardens is home to the world’s largest orchid garden, while the award-winning Gardens by the Bay is a showcase of a truly awe-inspiring array of plants and flowers from across the world.
• The hawker centres (open-air food centres) offer a dazzling range of top-notch street food while operating under stringent food safety regulations, so you can enjoy an amazing meal at low cost. Take a guided tour to get a local insight into the best places to eat, or explore for yourself to see what you discover.
• Singapore Zoo is one of the highest-rated zoos in the world when it comes to animal welfare and conservation and it offers an amazing experience for visitors too. There are over 300 species of animals to be seen, and the zoo even offers a Night Safari tour.

Quick tips:

• To contact emergency services in Singapore, dial 995 for emergency ambulance and fire, and 999 for police emergency. The 995 ambulance services are usually free, but if an emergency ambulance is dispatched to a non-emergency situation, you will be charged and may not be transported.
• Singapore is considered one of the world’s leading commerce centres. If you’re looking to study a finance-related course, you’ll have plenty of employment opportunities within highly-paid fields. Healthcare, biotech, energy and IT are also strong industries within the country.
• Prepare for humidity! If you’re able to invest in a dehumidifier for your room, it will go a long way towards making the environment more comfortable, as well as helping to protect your clothes, bedding and books from mould and mildew. Don’t leave food out on the counter: it will spoil fast.
• Trains are the preferred way to get around, with a highly reliable and cheap railway system that serves over 100 stations across the country. Singapore is also one of the most expensive cities in the world to own a car, so save your cash and catch a train.
• Singapore is known to be a safe and well-maintained city to live in, with low crime rates and clean streets. This is likely a result of a famously strict approach to laws as well as hefty fines for certain offenses. Make sure to look into the local laws before arriving, as some of the rules (such as the chewing gum ban) can be quite surprising for people who aren’t used to them.

* Image reference Unsplash