Singapore is top Asian city with highest quality of living
Posted: 10 June 2008 1626 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore has come out tops in Asia for having the highest quality of living, according to an annual survey by consulting firm Mercer.
The study was based on a number of factors including the political and social environment, medical and health considerations, public services and transportation, and housing.
Globally, Singapore is ranked 32, after climbing two spots from last year.
In Asia, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Osaka are ranked just behind Singapore.
Overall, European cities dominate the top global rankings. Zurich scores the highest for overall quality of living, retaining its number one position from 2007.
Luxembourg is tops for personal safety. At the bottom end of the scale is Baghdad, which has the lowest ranking for quality of living and personal safety. - CNA/ir
Originally posted by HyperFocal:Singapore is top Asian city with highest quality of living
Posted: 10 June 2008 1626 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore has come out tops in Asia for having the highest quality of living, according to an annual survey by consulting firm Mercer.
The study was based on a number of factors including the political and social environment, medical and health considerations, public services and transportation, and housing.
Globally, Singapore is ranked 32, after climbing two spots from last year.
In Asia, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Osaka are ranked just behind Singapore.
Overall, European cities dominate the top global rankings. Zurich scores the highest for overall quality of living, retaining its number one position from 2007.
Luxembourg is tops for personal safety. At the bottom end of the scale is Baghdad, which has the lowest ranking for quality of living and personal safety. - CNA/ir
Singapore is top Asian city with highest quality of
living - If you are not poor.
now i'd wonder how living in zurich is like.
Originally posted by jojobeach:Singapore is top Asian city with highest quality of living - If you are not poor.
or if you happen to be one of the ministers.
Rankings are meaningless.
rankings are very meaninful to the govt..thats a good way to lure investors in and rip off more $$..
meaningless for the common public.
Originally posted by newcomer:now i'd wonder how living in zurich is like.
very expensive loh .....
Originally posted by InnoHippo:very expensive loh .....
Dinner always comes with wine and ranges from 2-4 hours.
Fast food is never fast and uses premium beef patties(steak meat) for burgers
Lamborghini is the most common car and Toyotas are used for extra storage.
Smallest building in the city is the shopping mall
Working hours are 12noon-3pm and demands a 5 digit pay
An apple costs $3.60
These rankings, including cost of living are from expats for expats. Citizens can ignore.
Having real choices.
Living in fear constantly . Would this be considered high quality of life?
I mean, Iraq . hee
Originally posted by Gutentaginator:Living in fear constantly . Would this be considered high quality of life?
I mean, Iraq . hee
Hahahahaha you made my day. 'High' quality of life. LOL!!!!!
Originally posted by jojobeach:Singapore is top Asian city with highest quality of living - If you are not poor.
But what is quality of living?
Who really understands this term?
Some may think it equates to "Quality of Life".
But is this correct assumption?
When both parents are working during most part of the day,
and the child is either with a maid or some daycare center, does this mean high quality?
High quality in the eyes of who?
High quality by who's law?
Originally posted by HyperFocal:Singapore is top Asian city with highest quality of living
Posted: 10 June 2008 1626 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore has come out tops in Asia for having the highest quality of living, according to an annual survey by consulting firm Mercer.
The study was based on a number of factors including the political and social environment, medical and health considerations, public services and transportation, and housing.
Globally, Singapore is ranked 32, after climbing two spots from last year.
In Asia, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Osaka are ranked just behind Singapore.
Overall, European cities dominate the top global rankings. Zurich scores the highest for overall quality of living, retaining its number one position from 2007.
Luxembourg is tops for personal safety. At the bottom end of the scale is Baghdad, which has the lowest ranking for quality of living and personal safety. - CNA/ir
The statistic is compiled by Mercer. But the only people who really knows best about the quality of living in singpaore is the people themselves.
Would it be impossible that another ranking organization rank it differently?
Who dares say this is impossible?
And what are the criterias used, exactly?
Originally posted by balance_else_complacent:
The statistic is compiled by Mercer. But the only people who really knows best about the quality of living in singpaore is the people themselves.Would it be impossible that another ranking organization rank it differently?
Who dares say this is impossible?
And what are the criterias used, exactly?
I think you really don't understand that it is compiled from expats for expats.
Originally posted by kramnave:I think you really don't understand that it is compiled from expats for expats.
what do you assume the majority interpreted the news?
Did the news say clearly, oh this is a stats compiled by expats for expats ?
Well, if so, would that be clearer?
Else, how to know?
Imagine how naive and innocent people would interprete it.
Some swallow the news 100.1 % in 1 big gulp.
all hyper's fault.. misquote.. it's found in i think today's mypaper.. i saw the article.. it's for expats one la..
quality living?? give mi 1 big piece of land where i can build my big castle on... and grow anything i wan...have pig farm, chicken farm and everything i need... and i can sleep whole day when i wish to......
Originally posted by balance_else_complacent:
what do you assume the majority interpreted the news?Did the news say clearly, oh this is a stats compiled by expats for expats ?
Well, if so, would that be clearer?
Else, how to know?
Imagine how naive and innocent people would interprete it.
Some swallow the news 100.1 % in 1 big gulp.
Why do you think i say Singapore is going down the drains ? If things need to be spoon fed and spelt clearly, Singaporeans shouldn't complain that jobs are being robbed from them by foreigners...
Singapore didn't even made it to the TOP 20 of the World Best Place to live listing.
http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105235/The-World's-Best-Places-to-Live-2008
Cost of living up for expats in S'pore
Grace Ng
Thu, Jun 12, 2008
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE has become a more expensive place for expatriates to live, but it is still cheaper than Hong Kong, even though the gap is closing with its long-time rival.
The Republic jumped 17 places to land at the 114th spot in a global survey of the costliest cities for expatriates, because of higher inflation and a stronger Singdollar in the past year.
Singapore closed the gap with pricier cities such as Hong Kong, which fell in the rankings to the 97th spot, in the survey conducted by human resources firm ECA International.
Within Asia, Singapore actually fell from the ninth spot six months ago to the 13th spot, partly because the cost of living in some Japanese cities had risen rapidly due to the stronger yen.
The purchasing power of expats living in Singapore has been dented by higher costs such as rents, fuel and food, as well as a stronger Singdollar.
According to ECA's data, the cost of fuel rose by more than 13 per cent in the last six months, while the price of foodstuffs such as egg noodles soared by almost 15 per cent.
Inflation in Singapore is now at a 26-year high, after accelerating at a faster-than-expected rate of 7.5 per cent in April.
This prompted the Government to raise its inflation forecast to between 5 per cent and 6 per cent, up from the 4.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent range.
Yesterday, the Singdollar fell to about 1.374 against the greenback, but analysts expect it to gain further this year as the Government seeks to rein in inflation.
Mr Scott Colman, 38, an executive in an American technology company, said he felt the greatest pinch from rising rents and petrol prices, as well as the strengthening Singdollar because his compensation package is partly paid in US dollars.
Mr Lee Quane, the general manager of ECA International Hong Kong, said Singapore's rising cost of living has prompted global companies to adjust their expat employees' pay and allowances.
He added that the gap between Singapore's cost of living allowance for expats and that of Hong Kong has shrunk dramatically from about 20 per cent five years ago to less than 5 per cent today.
Still, he said Singapore remained a cheaper place for expats than Hong Kong or Shanghai, and global companies were not considering relocating their staff from the Republic to the Chinese cities.
Top spot in the global ranking went to the African city of Luanda in Angola, where some expat consumer items are hard to get and command top dollar.
The survey compares a basket of 128 consumer goods and services such as groceries, clothing and electrical goods that are commonly purchased by expats in more than 300 locations worldwide.
Multinational firms use the results to help determine how much to pay their staff who work overseas.
Ms Kate Bryce, a finance professional in her 40s, said her company recently reviewed her allowance and raised it by about 10 per cent.
'I'm hoping that the Singapore dollar doesn't strengthen further because I doubt I would get another revision in the next year. Most companies are tightening their belts as the global economy slows down.'
Dont think too much okay? Icebergs are gonna melt and many parts of singapore is going to get flooded soon.
Originally posted by weewee:Dont think too much okay? Icebergs are gonna melt and many parts of singapore is going to get flooded soon.
... I indicated this impending phenomena in 2004, no one took it seriously...
... this government is too proud and arrogant, God/Nature will take away their land...
Not so happening Singapore!
Fri, Jun 13, 2008
my paper
By Marcel Lee Pereira
SINGAPORE is no longer in a list of the world's top 20 most liveable cities, as ranked by an international lifestyle
and global affairs magazine - a move which many have greeted with surprise.
In its inaugural quality of life survey last year, London-based magazine Monocle ranked Singapore at 17th spot. It was an achievement trumpeted by local media and politicians.
But in the magazine's latest issue, which hits newsstands from June 19, the country dropped to No. 22.
my paper obtained an advance copy of the article from Monocle yesterday, but it did not state any reason for Singapore's poorer ranking.
Monocle's survey, however, goes beyond housing costs and schools to include the possibility of getting a good glass of wine at 1am, the quality of new architecture and the ease of setting up a business.
Readers and industry experts my paper spoke to suggested that one factor could be the rising costs of living.
Sales executive Jeremy Yew, 28, said he was not surprised by the rankings. "It's understandable because of rising prices. It's more expensive to maintain a car and take public transport," he said.
But account manager Spencer Cheng, 30, said: "I thought we might make it further up this time, as there are a lot of green efforts going on. Maybe we lack natural beauty."
Denmark's Copenhagen took top spot, up from second place last year. It knocked off Germany's Munich, the top city last year, to second place. Tokyo, Japan?s capital, took third place.
Japanese cities Fukuoka and Kyoto took 17th and 20th places respectively, the only other Asian cities in the list.