stiwi

Thanks.

Paul2O

I have lived in both U.S. and Singapore, so I can give you some advice.

Are you a Thai Thai or Thai Chinese? Sorry to ask, but race does matter on how well you can integrate in Singapore. Even though Singapore is a multi-cultural country, it helps if you are Chinese and/or can speak Mandarin.

You will lose your green card if you are away for 1 year I think, so consider that carefully. Green cards are not easy to come by. If your kid was born in the U.S., she can still claim U.S. citizenship, so the kid is set.

$96K is on high side for an engineer. They are paying you more because of your experience and education. It is a good base salary. It depends on your life style though. If you are willing to live in an HDB flat and take public transport, you will be able to save half of your salary. If you insist on living in landed house and drive a luxury car, then $96K is not enough.

Maids are cheap in Singapore ($400-$500 per month). You can get one to help out with your kid. This is something you cannot get in the U.S.

Cars are very expensive. Around $100K for Toyota Corolla, for example. Since you are an engineer, you might get a car. Try to negotiate for car allowance or company car. Standard car allowance is around $1500 per month, I think. With the baby, having a car is a life saver.

You will get P1 EP (highest grade) with your salary. It is pretty easy to get Permanent Residence with that kind of EP. Just apply after 6 months of working. Remember, they will deduct CPF if you are PR which will set you back about $1000 per month. You can use that money to pay for house payment if you buy a flat in Singapore. You can get the CPF money back when you leave Singapore permanently.

Tax is very low in Singapore. It is at most 20%. You can deduct for your wife and kid as usual.

Personally, if I were you, I would stay in the U.S. I know U.S. is in a rough patch and Asia is rising, but in the long run, I still think U.S. is better. However, it's your life, so it's your choice.

Kix

So the job I'm going for is paying $25,000/month, 2 bed flat (dunno where), school fees etc.

I'm divorced, but the company will pay school fees world-wide. I'll be there on my own.

I'm thinking go for it.

bakedbean

Yeh go for it. Life's too short... and Singapore's a great place for kids.