Safety & Smooth Living for Expats in Singapore in 2026

Singapore dazzles with excellent public transport, safety, and infrastructure — but sky-high costs and long hours are the price.

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026 Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

In Brief
A City That Just Works
Comfortable, but Costly
Effortless Essentials
Strong Prospects, Long Hours
A Friendly Place — but Not Without Effort
The Typical Expat in Singapore
Further Reading

In Brief

Singapore ranks 7th out of 31 destinations in the Expat Insider 2026 survey. It comes 2nd in the Quality of Life Index and 4th in the Expat Essentials Index, with a respectable 12th place for the Ease of Settling In.

The Working Abroad (15th) and Personal Finance (16th) Indices sit mid-table, the latter weighed down by high cost. About four in five expats (78%) are happy with their life in Singapore, comfortably above the 70% global average. Most new arrivals come for work (70%), often sent by an employer (28% vs. 7% globally) or recruited internationally (22% vs. 6%).

A City That Just Works

Singapore’s infrastructure is in a league of its own. The country ranks 1st in the Travel & Transit Subcategory, sweeping nearly every measure — 1st for the availability of public transport, 1st for the road network, and 1st for the opportunity to travel.

Safety & Security (5th) is another pillar in the Quality of Life Index: Singapore ranks 1st for personal safety, where nearly all expats (98%) feel secure (vs. 81% globally), and 1st for political stability. However, three in ten expats (30%) don’t feel like they can openly express themselves and their opinions, nearly double the global average of 16%.

Expats appreciate the city-state for its urban environment (5th) and the government’s environmental policies (6th) and love the culinary variety on offer (1st). The quality (1st) and availability (1st) of healthcare delight as well, though they come at a cost: 45% of respondents rate the affordability of medical care negatively (vs. 21% globally).

Opinion

Everything is easy including health services, public transport, foods are also delicious and suit to my flavour. (Indonesian expat in Singapore)

Opinion

Comfortable, but Costly

Speaking of costs: money is often the catch. Only Norway ranks worse for the general cost of living, with close to two in three expats in Singapore (66%) rating this factor negatively (vs. 40% globally). Expenses were also the top pre-move worry, flagged by about half of respondents (48% vs. 21% globally).

Opinion

It’s an amazing place but the cost of housing and schooling are bad. (British expat in Singapore)

Opinion

Still, Singapore ranks 16th overall in the Personal Finance Index, thanks to a strong 3rd place for financial satisfaction — despite the expenses. Expats in Singapore tend to earn well — over one in five (22%) even report a gross annual income above 250,000 USD, far beyond the 4% global share.

And in general, over three-quarters (76%) say they have an income of at least 75,000 USD a year (vs. 37% globally). Thanks to strong salaries offsetting the steep prices for many, four in five expats (80%) agree that their disposable household income is enough or more than enough to lead a comfortable life in Singapore (vs. 71%).

Effortless Essentials

Practical life is smooth, with Singapore 4th in the Expat Essentials Index. It ranks 2nd for Digital Life, including 1st-place finishes for high-speed internet and the online availability of government services.

Admin Topics (3rd) in general are not a big issue. For example, about seven in ten expats (69%) find the local bureaucracy easy to handle — a far higher share than the global average of 38%. The country ranks 3rd in the Language Subcategory as well, though with English one of its four official languages, this result is somewhat biased.

The one big stumbling block in the index is housing affordability, which places in the bottom 3 (29th). Over three-quarters (76%) regard costs for accommodation negatively, with close to a quarter (24%) even giving this factor the worst possible rating (vs. a global 49% and 17%, respectively).

Strong Prospects, Long Hours

Results in the Working Abroad Index (15th) are mixed. The economy ranks 2nd, with not a single expat having anything negative to say about it (vs. 20% negative answers globally), and four in five (80%) agree that moving to Singapore has improved their career prospects (vs. 55%).

Balance is the cost: Singapore ranks second-to-last for both working hours (30th) and work-life balance (30th). The average full-time week runs 46.1 hours against the 42.2-hour global norm. And over a third (35%) are dissatisfied with their job security (vs. 23% globally).

About a quarter of expats (26%) expect to leave within the next one to five years, slightly above the 21% global average.

A Friendly Place — But Not Without Effort

Singapore places 12th in the Ease of Settling In Index, performing solidly across all its subcategories. Expats find it easy to get used to the local culture (76% vs. 60% globally) and feel welcome (78% vs. 64%). Around two-thirds also consider residents friendly in general (68% vs. 63%) and towards foreigners in particular (64% vs. 61%).

But despite this overall positive perception, only about a third agree it’s easy to make local friends (32% vs. 39% globally). And indeed, just 6% describe their friends as mostly locals. Even so, expats aren’t left on their own: over seven in ten (71%) say they have a support system they can rely on (vs. 58%).