Singapore
Asia's global city - world-class infrastructure, zero crime and no income tax on foreign earnings
Key Scores
Why people move to Singapore
City-state of 5.9M - orderly, multicultural, business-fluent, and famously rule-bound. Asia's most expat-friendly hub.
People, religion & languages
Native-level. Singlish is the casual register.
Multi-religious - Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism all major. Religious harmony is policy.
Culture & etiquette
What locals value and what to watch for
- Queue strictly
- Eat at hawker centres - it's national identity
- Follow rules (chewing gum import banned, jaywalking fined)
- Littering, jaywalking, eating on MRT (fines)
- Loud public criticism of government
- Bringing chewing gum into the country
Fast, organised, ambitious.
Among the world's easiest - English-fluent, professional, structured.
Holidays & food culture
Hawker culture (UNESCO listed) - every ethnic cuisine within a 5-minute walk.
Lunch 12:30–14:00, dinner 19:00–22:00.
Halal options labelled; veg widespread; alcohol available but expensive due to tax.
Work culture & business norms
Hidden Gems
Off the beaten path
Pulau Ubin - tiny island off northeast Singapore with kampung (village) life frozen in the 1970s, accessible by bumboat for $3
Tiong Bahru - Singapore's coolest neighbourhood: 1930s Art Deco housing blocks, independent cafes, and weekend markets
Labrador Nature Reserve - coastal fort ruins and mangrove trails almost entirely missed by tourists
Single person, before income tax