Just Landed in Singapore? Your First 7 Days

Mobile and broadband coverage is excellent island-wide, including throughout the underground MRT network and inside malls. Prepaid SIMs and eSIMs are available instantly at Changi, 7-Eleven and telco shops; postpaid plans need a local address and pass details but are easy to arrange once you are settled. Fibre home broadband is fast, cheap and near-universal, with gigabit plans commonly under S$50 a month.

Typical cost: Prepaid tourist SIM S$12-30; SIM-only plans with 100GB+ data from around S$15-35/month; gigabit home fibre roughly S$35-50/month.

Singapore is one of the most cashless societies anywhere. PayNow (instant bank-to-bank transfer by mobile number, NRIC/FIN or QR code) and contactless cards are accepted almost everywhere, though hawker stalls and wet markets still lean on cash and QR. Foreign-exchange spreads are competitive; licensed money changers in areas like Mustafa Centre and The Arcade at Raffles Place offer good rates.

Opening an account: DBS/POSB, OCBC and UOB are the three main local banks and are foreigner-friendly; you can often open an account online or in-branch with your passport, pass card (or IPA) and proof of address, with the debit card mailed to you. Standard Chartered, HSBC and Citibank are also popular with expats, and digital banks like GXS and Trust Bank offer quick app-based onboarding for eligible residents.

Cash: Carry a small amount of cash, roughly S$20-50, for hawker stalls, older coffee shops and small vendors, but most places accept PayNow QR or contactless cards. ATMs are widespread and reliable, and withdrawing from your own bank's network avoids fees.

Tipping: Tipping is not customary or expected. Sit-down restaurants add a 10% service charge and 9% GST, shown on menus as '++'; there is no obligation to tip on top, and rounding up is purely optional.

There is no separate town-hall or address-registration step for new residents as there is in much of Europe. Instead, your residential address is captured as part of your work pass or long-term pass records held by the Ministry of Manpower and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). When you first move in, your employer or agent records your address during pass issuance; if you later change address, you are responsible for updating it with ICA (and MOM for your pass) through the relevant online e-service, typically within a short window of moving.

Where: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) online via the MyICA / e-Service portal, accessed with Singpass once eligible.

Public transport is clean, cheap, punctual and covers almost the entire island via the MRT rail network and an extensive bus system. A single fare is usually under S$2, and journeys are capped so you rarely spend much per day. Owning a car is unnecessary and very expensive, because you must first buy a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) that can cost as much as the car itself, so the vast majority of residents rely on trains, buses and ride-hailing.

From the airport: From Changi Airport, take the MRT (board at Changi Airport station and change at Tanah Merah for the East-West Line) for under S$3, a metered taxi for roughly S$20-40 plus an airport surcharge, or a Grab for a similar fare. The MRT runs until around 11.30pm; late arrivals should use a taxi or Grab from the official ranks.

Most expats rent, either a private condominium (with pool and gym) or an HDB flat, which is public housing that foreigners can legally rent but not buy. Listings are on PropertyGuru and 99.co, usually handled through a licensed agent registered with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA). Leases typically run one or two years, demand is high and good units let quickly, so be ready to view promptly and decide fast.

Typical rent: A room in a shared flat runs roughly S$900-1,600/month; a one-bedroom condo about S$2,800-4,800/month depending on location; whole HDB flats and family-sized condos considerably more, especially in central districts.

Deposit norm: Expect one month's deposit per year of lease (so two months for a two-year lease) plus the first month's rent in advance. For a one-year lease the tenant sometimes pays half a month's agent commission, while for two years the landlord usually covers the agent; always sign a written tenancy agreement and record a handover inventory.

Healthcare is excellent but not free for foreigners; you pay upfront at private GP clinics, government polyclinics and hospitals and then claim from insurance. Government subsidies for public care are largely reserved for citizens and Permanent Residents, so pass holders should ensure they have solid private or employer insurance. Standards, cleanliness and English-speaking doctors are consistently high across both public and private sectors.

How to access it: For minor illness, visit any private GP clinic (walk-in, roughly S$30-70 a consultation including basic medicine) or a government polyclinic. Chains such as Raffles Medical, Healthway and Parkway Shenton are everywhere. For emergencies, go to a public hospital's Accident & Emergency department (for example Singapore General, Tan Tock Seng or Changi General) or call 995 for an ambulance.

Insurance: Employers are legally required to provide medical insurance for Work Permit and S Pass holders, and most Employment Pass employers include cover, but scope varies. Confirm exactly what is covered, especially outpatient, dental and maternity, and top up with a private or international policy for yourself and any dependants, who are usually not covered by the employer's mandatory scheme.

• Queue patiently and in order; queue-jumping is genuinely frowned upon and locals will notice and quietly disapprove.
• At hawker centres, 'chope' (reserve) a table by placing a packet of tissues on it, and return your tray to the tray-return points after eating, as clearing your own tray is now expected.
• Be punctual for appointments and meetings; lateness reads as disrespectful in a fast-moving, schedule-conscious city.
• Respect the multicultural, multi-religious mix: remove your shoes before entering homes and many temples, dress modestly at places of worship, and be mindful during Ramadan, Deepavali and other festivals.
• On MRT trains and buses, stand on the left of escalators, let passengers off before boarding, and give up priority seats to the elderly, pregnant and less mobile.
• Keep public spaces clean and noise down; loud phone calls or music in shared spaces attract disapproval.
• When dining out, a host often orders shared dishes for the table; wait to be seated and let older or more senior people begin eating first.

• Laws are strictly and consistently enforced: no littering, no eating or drinking on the MRT, no jaywalking, and no smoking outside designated areas, each carrying real fines.
• Chewing gum cannot be casually imported or sold, and importing it in quantity is an offence; carry only what is clearly for personal, therapeutic use if at all.
• Drug offences carry extremely severe penalties, including the death penalty for trafficking, and you can be tested for drugs consumed even before arriving; treat this as an absolute no.
• Vaping and e-cigarettes are banned outright; possessing, using or importing them is illegal and fined, so do not bring any into the country.
• Overstaying a visa or working on the wrong pass is treated seriously, so always match your activity to the pass you hold.