Is Bangkok better than Singapore?

[1fortheroad 34]

A decade ago I worked in Singapore for 18 months, i would be interested to hear from anyone who has lived in Singapore and Bangkok and the comparisons of both.

 

I liked the efficiency of singapore and its cleanliness. It was a very smart place. But over time that grew a little stale - and expensive!

 

But am I thinking Bangkok might be too much the other way??

[bkk6060 13,322]

Maybe just me, but I dislike Singapore and much prefer BKK.

Singapore is a very expensive concrete jungle.  Seems fake and unfriendly to me.

BKK has more options for food, accommodation, etc.

And, the girls in Bangkok are prettier and more available from my interaction with them.

[Stocky 2,877]

You wouldn't take Bangkok home to meet your mother.

[tonray 13,823]

Think of Singapore as a big outdoor mall with lots of food courts and clean walkways. It lacks what one might call "soul". I like Singapore for a weekend visit..great place for a holiday...but Bangkok is as real as it gets as far as cities...something you won't get in Singapore.

[bkk6060 13,322]

20 minutes ago, Stocky said:

You wouldn't take Bangkok home to meet your mother.

I like girls a little dirty, sleazy, with lots of tattoos who can be smart and engaging at times.

So, meet Bangkok mama..   

Edited January 6 by bkk6060

[Patong2021 754]

I love Singapore but it comes at a price. When I worked in Singapore the list below is what made it better for me than Thailand. To have long stay, you need to have big money. Singapore is not for people with modest financial state. If you have money, life is excellent. Expat community has many in finance , oil   sales and shipping, so some can be cowboys, but overall, expat community is younger with families compared to retirement people of Thailand.  I did not meet people with really bad mental illness like I have in Thailand. We all have problems, but I  think Thailand attracts some very crazy foreigners.  Singapore has low tolerance for sketchy foreign real estate, investment promotion. There are few if any big deal foreign sale people for "investments".  Singapore is more upscale.

 

Singapore compared to Bangkok;

- Same quality standards if not higher than Japan, western EU. This means I not worry if I have electrocution from hot water heater in shower or electric appliance.  Safe, clean and can eat street food with few worries if using common sense.

- Street layout is clear and easy to find things.

- traffic is much better and so is public transit.

- Easy to communicate because everyone can speak some English.

- Police are honest and helpful.

- Immigration office professional and never ask for tea money. 

- Taxis are reliable  use meters that are not played with.

- I can use Singapore tap water even for drinking. My laundry not smell bad after wash because water is not polluted like in Bangkok.

- Easy to get to a beach and beaches are clean and free of people trying to take advantage. No jet ski scum.

- Drivers are more polite and safer than many western countries, but not as good as in Japan.

- Excellent quality of healthcare and hospitals.

- Relatively good air quality

- Can walk on sidewalk without worrying about hole or fall.

- People are mostly higher quality and Singapore has a solid core of educated people because it has world class university and technical school.

- Massage people know what they are doing.

- Can find good Thai food, but also quality European and  Asian food  easier to find than Bangkok. Can eat sushi with no worries.

-  There are many nice Chinese and Japanese professional ladies to meet and most everyone is  good quality.

 

Singapore has a darkside including sex trade, but I did not participate. If you want, it is easy to find but not  the same as Bangkok. if you break the law in Singapore you pay the price. No bribing to get out of the problem.

[wordchild 763]

I have lived in both for extended periods. Agree with much of the above. I like Singapore but Bangkok is better for living a fuller life ( especially with a family)  , and Covid has  has really  made this clear to me.
Someone above mentioned beaches, In Singapore?.. I know they have them, but seriously , do  you want to spend time on them? 

What I, and my family, like about Bangkok is the ability to get out and about to some seriously beautiful places, without too much effort.
Also the city itself  has grown on us , over the decade we have been here. Singapore is clean and all the rest, but it gets boring especially if you can’t travel out of there. I have many friends in that city  and they are desperate right now to travel again, just to get away from the city.

This Xmas break I have been scuba diving with my kids near Sattahip ,camping and hiking in Chiangmai , and , if we can get through Samut Sakorn , hopefully we will get down to Hua Hin for a few days for some relaxing beach time. Singapore, even pre-Covid , is more limited in terms of easy access to these sorts of leisure options.

Edited January 6 by wordchild

[xxoahu22 11]

lived/worked in both and agree with most everything above.  one thing i found that no one mentioned:  as a single man, the ladies in SG are the "friendliest" of anywhere i have lived.  i arrived, turned on a dating app and my phone exploded like i was a HansomMaaaaaannnn.  University girls who seemed to have no interest in "dating" loved to stop by for friendly visits.  if  they looked like Thai ladies i may have never left.

[eppic 190]

12 hours ago, xxoahu22 said:

lived/worked in both and agree with most everything above.  one thing i found that no one mentioned:  as a single man, the ladies in SG are the "friendliest" of anywhere i have lived.  i arrived, turned on a dating app and my phone exploded like i was a HansomMaaaaaannnn.  University girls who seemed to have no interest in "dating" loved to stop by for friendly visits.  if  they looked like Thai ladies i may have never left.

This is absolute fact.  I lived in both BKK and SIN for many years, and trust me, "SIN-City" is an apt name for Singapore -- and I am not talking about pros (of which I have never partaken), but regular and often well-educated girls.  The variety of women is also exceptional (Chinese, Malay, Peranakan, Filipina, Indonesian, etc.), with some amazing figures.  Plus, absolutely no issue with language since the vast majority speak excellent English.  Very easy to find a lady for long term or fling, whatever your desire. For me on this issue, Singapore wins by a mile and I thing most long-term expats there would confirm this.

 

Other Singapore advantages:

-Far less polluted, with the exception of the short Indonesian burning season

-Great public transport

-Best airport in the world, incredibly efficient. So although not as much in immediate vicinity, so effortless to travel often (which I did for both business and leisure -- all of Asia really at your disposal). Of course, during Covid times, this advantage is negated.

-Immigration process is 100% straightforward and transparent. 90-day visa exempt arrival for many countries. I received permanent residency within three years and was offered citizenship a few years later. This was common for professionals.

-Cost of living not as bad as the reputation, with the exception of cars. Comparable housing maybe 1/3 more than BKK for comparable quality. Many imported goods cost far less because lower import duties.

-Much safer in all aspects and strong rule of law.

-No language issues

-The whole "nanny state" reputation is vastly overstated -- as long as you are not a criminal, you can have an amazing amount of fun there as a single man and also as a family (international schools very expensive in both places, but local S'pore schools far above those in Thailand)

 

We moved to Bangkok mostly to try something different after over 10+ years in S'pore (plus London and Tokyo stints).  Bangkok does win on many grounds (food, cost of living, housing, local travel), but trust me when I say the vast majority of expats (at least those that could afford it) loved(ed) their time in Singapore.

 

Edited January 8 by eppic

[shdmn 1,820]

12 hours ago, xxoahu22 said:

lived/worked in both and agree with most everything above.  one thing i found that no one mentioned:  as a single man, the ladies in SG are the "friendliest" of anywhere i have lived.  i arrived, turned on a dating app and my phone exploded like i was a HansomMaaaaaannnn.  University girls who seemed to have no interest in "dating" loved to stop by for friendly visits.  if  they looked like Thai ladies i may have never left.

Are you asian?  I think a persons experience will vary greatly depending on your race.  My impression of Singapore was that it was more asian oriented and caucasians were not the preferred group of people to hang around with.  That included dating and other social activites as well as for doing business.

 

Thailand is kind of like that too with middle and upper class Chinese thais.  The social hierarchy seems to be Chinese thais, then caucasians, then the lower class typically darker skin thais, many from Issan.  Thailand is a very hierarchical society so those things matter.

Edited January 8 by shdmn

[eppic 190]

18 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Are you asian?  As a caucasian, my impression of Singapore was that it was more asian oriented and caucasians were not the preferred group of people.  That included dating and other social activites as well as for doing business.

Definitely not true. I had a similar impression for the first few months I lived there, but after settling I found that most "ang mo" (aka farangs) do very well.  I am not exactly Brad Pitt but it wasn't hard to have a VERY active (exhausting, to be honest) love life. Also no issues in the business world and work opportunities in S'pore are far greater for expats, unless English teaching is your idea of work.

 

I would say though that some of those that still do well in Thailand (old, obese, destitute) would not have much luck in Singapore -- the general standard of expats is much higher, it attracts mostly educated, working professionals rather than the floods of desperate types we see in Thailand -- but you don't need to be a smooth Casanova-type to do very well.

Edited January 8 by eppic

[malibukid 1,883]

Singapore has better shopping for high end goods compared to Bangkok.  i am into high end audio gear that most expats in Thailand and Thai's can not afford and the duty is much lower than that of  Thailand

Edited January 9 by malibukid

[SheungWan 8,265]

It is really very difficult to love Singapore in the way that one can Hong Kong. Singapore is about as exciting as a tub of Flora Margarine. Even the Quays are bland. Highly honourable mention however of the Billiard Room Bar in Raffles. Sublime.

Edited January 9 by SheungWan

[Pilotman 19,362]

Love Singapore and all that is it is and provides, I don't like Bangkok for what it is and I absolutely loath Hong Kong. 

[SheungWan 8,265]

3 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Love Singapore and all that is it is and provides, I don't like Bangkok for what it is and I absolutely loath Hong Kong. 

Looks like we have got very similar tastes.