- Nick Burns made a lateral move at the company, transferring from San Francisco to Singapore.
- Even though COVID-19 guidelines were strict when he first moved in, he loves his new home.
- Even though he misses Mexican food and cars, he plans to stay in Singapore while he earns money.
This told essay is based on a conversation with Nick Burns, a 32-year-old tech worker in Singapore. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I grew up in Connecticut, studied nuclear engineering technology, and joined the Navy in 2011. I worked on submarines, so I moved around a lot. I have been stationed in South Carolina, New York, Hawaii, and visited Singapore and more.
When I first visited Singapore, I fell in love with it. I love the food and culture, and it has been my dream to move there one day.
Shortly after my Navy contract ended in 2017, I moved to San Francisco to work for Tesla, and then my current company, KLA. I took the job knowing it was based in San Francisco, but I kept telling my boss that I was interested in moving to Singapore if the opportunity presented itself.
In early 2020, KLA opened a branch in Singapore and I accepted a lateral transfer. Singapore had very strict measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so I didn’t socialize much for the first few years.
After Singapore opened up, I met new people at parties, dinners and barbecues. He married a Singaporean woman in December. I don’t think we’ll be leaving anytime soon.
Singapore is so safe that it’s hard to explain to Americans
I lived in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. Almost every time I got off the Bay Area Rapid Transit train in the city at night, I saw people using and selling drugs. My car has also been frequently broken into.
In Singapore, if you need to go to the bathroom at Starbucks, you can leave your laptop, wallet, and phone on the table and it’s almost guaranteed to be there when you get back.
If you are a woman, you can walk around the city at any time of the day or night. No area is actually considered unsafe.
If you are convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore, they could face the death penalty, So you don’t see people using drugs. There is very little homelessness and very little gun crime.
I love the food, the weather and the location
I prefer hot to cold, so the climate here is perfect for me.
Surrounding countries such as Malaysia, India, and China have had a huge influence on Singapore’s culture, so the food is really delicious. I love spicy food, so Mala and hot pot are my favorites. I like to order spicy food once in a while, but it’s hard on my body, so I limit it to once a month.
Singapore has a large street market with a variety of stalls selling food from so-called “peddlers”. I eat it at the office almost every day. For $3.71, I usually get the noodle and dumpling soup. When he’s working from home, he likes to go to a local hawker’s caiban (economical rice) stall and buy a portion of pork, chicken, and rice for $2.08.
If you get bored, you can quickly and easily travel to other countries. The airport is very large and there are many flights, so you can easily go on weekend trips to places like Vietnam, Thailand, and Bali.
Taxes and medical costs will be lower
Income tax in Singapore can reach up to 22%. Even though you have to file taxes in both Singapore and the US, you still end up paying less.
Healthcare is not free, but it is much cheaper than in the US. I recently stubbed my toe so hard I thought I might have broken it. A trip to the emergency room, x-rays, and doctor’s visits cost him less than $200. I think it would have cost several thousand dollars in the US.
Although there are some cultural differences,
Sharing food is very common and expected in Asia. In my case, when I go to a restaurant and see a dish that I want to eat, I instinctively order it myself and eat it.
Like many other Singaporeans, my wife likes to order a lot of food for the table. I still prefer to eat my own food.
Singapore is very diverse and people are comfortable with each other. Depending on the location, they may sometimes get looked down upon, but overall they are friendly. Since many Westerners work here, it is not very noticeable.
One cultural difference I can’t get over is taxi driving. Many drivers press the accelerator, so it’s not a smooth ride, and as a passenger, I feel nauseous all the time.
What I miss most about America is Mexican food and cars.
Being from California, Mexican food is important to me. In my opinion, it’s not very good here.
As an American, living without a car feels like a lack of freedom, but unless you have a lot of kids and need to travel, I think it’s financially irresponsible to buy a car in Singapore. Here, you can order a taxi or private rental car to get around every day for about the same price as owning a car.
The public transportation here is very clean, ubiquitous, and reliable, so I mainly use it.
I would happily return to America to visit, but not to live in.
Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world, but when I lived in San Francisco, rent was even more expensive. Salaries in the Bay Area are much higher than in Singapore, but taxes are much lower than in Singapore, so it balances out.
My brother is getting married this year, so I’m planning on creating a rhythm of returning home every year, but I’d like to live in Singapore permanently as long as I can earn enough money.
My dream is to someday give up my American citizenship and become a Singaporean citizen. That could mean retiring to Thailand or Bali or somewhere more affordable.