A Chinese expat’s candid take about her life in Singapore is making the rounds online.
In the viral post, the woman described how two years here left her feeling like she had taken a step down in life, despite what many assume about working in Singapore. “In what outsiders see as a land of wealth, I’ve been experiencing what a cliff-like drop in social class really feels like,” she said.
It is unclear what her age is or what her occupation is.
Her tipping point? A late-night moment in the CBD.
“I instinctively opened the Grab app. Seeing the surge pricing that felt almost like daylight robbery, I hesitated by the roadside for three seconds, then quietly turned and walked toward the MRT,” she wrote.
She then went on to say how she misses her life in Shanghai.
“Back then, I’d just call a private car whenever I went out. I’d come home to a freshly cooked four-dish meal. On weekends, I’d drive around Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai for short road trips and fresh air. Friends and family all thought moving to Singapore meant I’d ‘made it’. But only I know the truth. I came here to struggle and tough it out,” she lamented.
She also said that in China, owning a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes was normal for the middle class.
“Here? The cost of a COE alone could cover a down payment for a home in my hometown in Shanghai. Seeing an ordinary Japanese car priced at S$100K–200K was a slap in the face. In Singapore, owning a car isn’t a middle-class symbol, it’s an entry ticket to the truly wealthy. For regular working people like us, public transport is the only realistic option,” she said.
The woman also felt that housing here was pricey, saying the rent she collects for her Shanghai apartment was not enough to rent a master bedroom in Singapore.
I used to live in a spacious apartment. Now, I’m squeezed into a tiny condo unit. Every month when I pay rent, it genuinely hurts. That suffocating feeling of cramped living, no amount of shiny CBD office badges can offset it,” she said.
