relocating to singapore: a step-by-step expat checklist (from a ghost hunter who's just here for the spooks)

so, i got this wild hair to move to singapore. i’m a ghost hunter-yeah, one of those people who wanders around abandoned hospitals with emf meters and an unhealthy obsession with evps. why singapore? because rumors are that this city-state is crawling with spirits from its wartime past, and i needed a change from the same old european castles. plus, the idea of a place where you can get both a michelin-star meal and a $2 plate of chicken rice at 2am seemed like a dream. anyway, here’s my messy, step-by-step expat checklist, soaked in humidity and fueled by teh tarik.

first, the visa. unless you have a singaporean passport, you need a pass. i applied for an employment pass because i somehow convinced a local content agency that i’d produce a series on singapore’s haunted spots. it took about three weeks and cost around 200 sgd in fees. tip: make sure your degree certificates are translated and notarized, and get ready for them to call your previous employer. it’s a pain, but once it’s approved, you can actually book that one-way flight.

here’s where i’m landing, literally and figuratively:

second, housing. singapore’s real estate market is no joke. i started browsing propertyguru and 99co, and my jaw dropped. a one-bedroom condo in the central area? 4,000 sgd/month. even a tiny HDB room goes for 1,500 sgd in prime zones. i ended up renting a shared flat in queenstown-a quiet neighborhood with a ton of local coffee shops (kopitiams). my room is 12 square meters, about the size of a generous walk-in closet, but it’s got air-con and a small balcony where i set up my ghost-hunting gear to dry after inspections. pro tip: look for places near mrt stations; you’ll thank yourself when it’s pouring rain and you have to commute.

third, cost of living. food is cheap if you eat at hawker centres. a plate of char kway teow? $3.50. a bowl of bak chor mee? $4.00. i spend maybe 400 sgd a month on food if i’m careful. transport is also affordable; the mrt covers most of the island, and an ez-link card saves a few cents per ride. i budget about 150 sgd monthly for transport. entertainment? that’s where it gets pricey. drinks at bars are like 15 sgd each, and movies cost around 13 sgd. but you can find free events through meetup.com or local expat groups.

fourth, job market. singapore’s economy is strong in finance, tech, and biomedical. if you’re not in those fields, you might be serving coffee at ya kun or doing freelance translation. i’m trying to carve out a niche with paranormal tourism. there’s a small but growing interest, and i’ve already done a couple of walking tours for backpackers. the catch: you need a tour guide license from the singapore tourism board. that’s another 300 sgd and a two-day course. also, be careful not to trespass-lots of ‘haunted’ sites are actually active construction zones or protected military areas. singapore doesn’t play when it comes to law enforcement.

now, the weather. oh boy. it’s hot, it’s humid, it’s like breathing through a warm washcloth that someone forgot to wring out. the temperature hovers around 31°c (88°f) with humidity often above 80%. you step outside and instantly sweat through your shirt. it’s not just sticky; it’s oppressive. i’ve started carrying a portable fan and extra shirts. the rain is sudden and fierce-torrential downpours that flood the streets in minutes. locals joke that you can set your watch by the afternoon thundershowers. it’s a tropical climate, so get used to it or become a hermit. i’m leaning toward hermit.

the good thing? singapore’s neighbors are a short flight away. malaysia’s malacca and kuala lumpur are less than an hour by air. indonesia’s batam is like a 30-minute ferry ride. this means you can escape the concrete jungle whenever you need a change of scenery. i’m already planning a weekend ghost hunt in bali’s haunted caves. cheap flights on airasia or scoot can be had for under 100 sgd if you book ahead.

safety? singapore is arguably one of the safest cities in the world. violent crime is rare, and petty theft is minimal. you can walk alone at 3am and not worry. cctv cameras are everywhere, and the police are super responsive. that’s great for someone like me who explores abandoned sites at odd hours. however, the flip side is that many potentially haunted locations are either torn down or heavily secured due to the country’s lack of space. so, i have to be creative.

overheard gossip while sipping kopi at a neighbourhood shop:
> 'the old changi hospital is absolutely crawling with spirits, but good luck getting in; it’s boarded up tighter than a drum and guards patrol the perimeter. heard they caught a group of ghost hunters last month and fined them 5,000 sgd each.'
> 'if you’re on the mrt late at night, sometimes the train between city hall and raffles place slows down for no reason. the driver will announce ‘technical difficulties’ but locals whisper it’s because the ghost of a british soldier who died in the construction still tries to flag the train down.'
> 'don’t drink the free water at the hawker centres after midnight. that’s when the pontianaks come out to hydrate, and they don’t like sharing taps.'

external resources:
check out r/singapore for expat advice, horror stories, and occasional spider sightings. for haunted tours, tripadvisor lists a few operators-just read the reviews because some are more comedy than actual paranormal. for food, yelp singapore is useful, but honestly, just follow the queues; if a stall has a line, it’s probably good. also, the expat forum on expat.com is a goldmine for housing leads and friendship circles.

let me show you what the skyline looks like from my new window (well, not my window yet, but close enough):

and here’s the view from the water-because singapore is an island, after all:

i know it’s a lot to take in. but moving here as a ghost hunter has its perks: the humidity apparently enhances spirit activity (or so the legends say), and the city’s multicultural mix means you have ghosts from all over the world-chinese, malay, indian, british. if you can handle the cost, the bureaucracy, and the fact that you can’t just wander into any abandoned building without a permit, you’ll find singapore is a fascinating place to call home. just remember to pack a dehumidifier for your gear, an umbrella for sudden rain, and a thick skin for the heat. and maybe, just maybe, we’ll cross paths at the old fort at midnight, hunting for that lady in white.

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