Safer and Cheaper in Singapore

For those of us who have money in a bank it is always somewhat reassuring to find that the bank that you trust, is not likely to fall over any time soon.

Good news then for Singaporeans as OCBC has retained its title as the world’s strongest bank for the second year in Bloomberg's latest research.

United Overseas Bank Ltd. (UOB) comes in number seven and DBS at number eight thanks in a large part to the steady Singapore economy and an aversion to risk.  Mind you, the interest deposit rates for term investments in the Republic are fairly minuscule when compared to other countries, but you can't have it both ways.

Not only are the banks more secure but the cost of living, based on a global index of recognisable US consumables, shows that Singapore is much cheaper to live in than say Australia, the USA or the UK.

Hong Kong has greater purchasing power parity than Singapore.  Mouse over the charts to see the figures.

The Cost of Living

Singapore: diverse, not dull

Singapore: diverse, not dull - Financial Times

This video has just been published by the Financial Times and outlines how life is for Expatriates living in Singapore.

As mentioned in an earlier posting, this was not the lifestyle I chose to lead while living there but many did, and seemed quite happy doing so.  The old Black and White colonial houses along places such as Tanglin Road really are a throw-back to the faded days of the 'Raj', but it is good to see that many are still in existence.