My American family is celebrating one month living in and exploring Singapore, following our move from elsewhere. In Part 1, I shared our first impressions of “Moving to Singapore” and “Moving through Singapore” as well as both “Meetings” (like church and school) and “Shopping” in Singapore. Along the way, I also shared 8 “Pro Tips”—so be sure to check that out!
In Part 2, I want to share a few more observations that we’ve made while exploring the country. We’ve only been here a month, so I’m simply sharing our sensations of what we think might be true, not hard-fast rules about life in Singapore.
The People of Singapore
Singapore is roughly 287 sq. miles, about the size of Salt Lake City, UT or Jackson, MS. Inside this tiny island dwell 6.1 million people—and by comparison, there are just 199k in Salt Lake City and 153k in Jackson. Slightly more than half these 6 million are Singaporean citizens, while about a third of the population is considered “non-residents” like us.
You’d think that we’d be stepping on each other over here and have no room to breathe, but it’s not the case. Singapore in no way feels “full”.
Want some fun numbers to prove it? Consider the square-footage-per-person in major world cities:
- Salt Lake City (our comparison city): 40k sq. feet per person
- Singapore: 1,310 sq. feet per person
- New York City: 976 sq. feet per person
- Manilla (the world’s most densely-populated city): 243 sq. feet per person
Man, we’ve got room to breathe here—and walk, and bus, and hike, and play. So while we move around the city, what sort of people are we seeing?
Pro Tip #9: Get into Singapore’s nature during the late mornings and early afternoons to avoid the crowds—warmer, yes, but also shaded and quiet.
The Singaporeans
Again, I must state that these are merely impressions we’re getting, but there does seem to be a wealthy class and a not-so-wealthy class of Singaporeans.
We walked a neighborhood called District 10 (no, not like in The Hunger Games) which is considered among the wealthiest neighborhoods, and we saw houses almost larger than we’ve seen in the States. Sure they had no yards, but their 5-storey mansions were beyond impressive, and their driveways with 3-4 luxury cars amazed us.
There is also an impressive array of vehicles on the roadways—and when you consider that license plates cost $100k USD—every ten years!—you can imagine the wealth that a simple traffic jam represents. We’re always shocked, however, to see these likely-wealthy Singaporeans driving their cars to eat at the Hawker Centers (cheaper food courts) or to shop at Giant.
Pro Tip #10: Don’t plan on driving your own vehicle here, unless a) you’re independently wealthy, b) your company is incredibly generous, or c) you have SingPass and the courage to rent a car.
I would argue that most wealthy Singaporeans don’t flaunt their wealth, and it’s very possible that we regularly share our cafeteria tables with millionaires—of which Singapore has about 188k.
The not-so wealthy Singaporeans outnumber the rest, but they also enjoy important subsidies from the government—like housing, medical, and sometimes even food. What’s lacking here is any “villager” vibe from the people you pass on the street, something that’s present in every other Asian city. It’s judgmental, but think “Amish guy at Best Buy”—some people just seem out of place.
Immigrants and Migrant Workers
Where this vibe does arise is with immigrants (like us) and migrant workers. When I noted the surprising amount of litter in Singapore in my last post, I mentioned that it’s likely due to immigration, and I still believe it. I don’t want to sound xenophobic, but throwing one’s trash on the ground does seem out of cultural character for most Singaporeans, and immigration is the most likely explanation.
There are dormitory communities for migrant workers, for example—many such workers come either from Malaysia or Southern India—which are comparatively filthy with litter and broken bicycles. I feel like I’m being harsh, but anyone who’s visited other nations in Asia (or India itself) knows what I’m talking about. Such places are just a different world from the West and from top-tier cities like Singapore or Tokyo, where standards of public cleanliness are…unique.
Pro Tip #11: Turn litter into a family game of “find the coolest thing.” You’ll be surprised at what you can find.
Incidentally, due to the massive number of migrant workers performing the labor in this country, Singaporeans tend to look down upon blue-collar work (if not blue-collar workers). As far as I can tell, attending a trade school is not a noble pursuit, nor would endeavoring to be a gardener, plumber, electrician, or truck driver. Whereas the trades in America are the pathway to higher salaries and hard work, they remain undesirable in Singapore.
This country also boasts a huge number of Chinese immigrants—mostly family of those studying or working here—and I’m convinced I can pick them out of a crowd. They’re the old men and women who don’t follow the bus “rules” but instead play their phone videos on top volume. They’re the ones that bark at each other in Mandarin on the otherwise quiet MRT. They’re the folks that still spit on the sidewalk without qualms—a “crime” which brings me to the next section.
Pro Tip #12: Don’t be the annoying foreigner. Keep conversation to a minimum on public transportation and bring a book or earbuds.
The Laws of Singapore
Before coming here, we were warned over and over about the extreme laws, the fines, and the caning-style punishments for the tiniest infractions. While I admit we do see many warning signs about fines and punishments, we have yet to witness any pressure of any kind—not that we’re breaking laws, of course, but just in general.
To be honest, I’ve been here a month, and I have seen a police car perhaps twice. The only uniformed cops I’ve seen have been traffic police (a large percentage of them younger or older than you’d expect and heavier or shorter than normal). Granted, most police surveillance is done by CCTV, but still—with all the fearmongering, you’d think we’d have witnessed at least one arrest! Instead, we constantly witness jaywalking, spitting, and litter, and we’ve yet to note any repercussions.
What is making the news these days, however, is the case of an old Singaporean man kindly patting an Australian child’s head in a hawker center and then getting violently forced to the ground by the angry father. In social media, there’s calls for expulsion of foreigners who can’t respect Singapore’s culture. The uproar online almost feels like Us-v.-Them—and we’re the “Them.” So, we still walk circumspectly here, and I don’t think that will change.
Pro Tip #13: Don’t ever expect another nation or its citizens to behave exactly like people do in your home country.
Pro Tip #14: Don’t beat up old people.
Otherwise, Singaporeans have been incredibly friendly to us. Despite a few unscrupulous experiences in the wet market, where dishonest vendors have given us less than we paid for, we’ve had very good experiences intermingling with the people here and view Singapore as by-far the safest country we’ve ever visited.
Pro Tip #15: As soon as you can, find a vendor you can trust and befriend who will eventually give you the best cuts, the best vegetables, and the best deals.
The Dwindling Church in Singapore
Changing gears, briefly, I’ve been able to attend a few Christian Conferences already this month. One called “Together: Sounding the Call” was about the state of the church in Singapore, which has experienced a 2.4% drop in Protestantism since 2020. Following “The General Household Survey 2025,” researchers found that the non-Catholic churches (which grew, incidentally) experienced a net loss of more than 66,000 people.
The conference speakers shared incredibly convincing data which shows that Singapore is definitely not a Christian nation, with just 9.5% the population claiming to be “Protestant.” Granted, what a person says about his religion and how he lives it matters, but compare that number to the 40% in the USA who also claim Protestantism, and you can see the need.
Pro Tip #16: Get to know Jesus for reals!
The conference speakers spoke much about “opening the front door” (Evangelism) and “shutting the back door” (Discipleship). They also spoke of Singapore’s need for many new church plants, which surprised me as an opportunity I hadn’t before considered. More on that in the future, I suppose!
Conclusion
This month has been a wonderful learning experience for my family, and I appreciate your joining us in our adventure this way! Feel free to share this with your favorite Singaporeans or expats considering a move here. I’d love to be corrected in my errors and educated along the way, so the more comments the better!
I’ll also note that I began a public Facebook group called “Spotted in Singapore”, where I hope folks will share their quirky finds on the streets of this wonderful city. Feel free to join, and when you visit, to post as well!
©2026 E.T.
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Love the pro tips!!!