27-Year-Old M'sian Working In SG Shows How He Spends Only About RM34 A Day
The civil engineer hopes his videos will give others a rough idea of what budget living in Singapore is like.
By May Vin Ang — 07 Sep 2023, 04:13 PM
A 27-year-old Malaysian recently shared how he is able to spend only about SGD10 (about RM34) a day while working in Singapore
The TikTok user, Jonathan Lim, often shares about his frugal lifestyle as a Malaysian working across the Causeway.
In his most recent video that has garnered over 220,000 views, the civil engineer shared about how much he spends on a typical work day.
"Part six: Is spending 10 dollars enough for a day working in Singapore?" reads the caption.
In the video, he shares that he gets free breakfast, which is usually bread and cereal, at the hostel he stays at before heading to the office by MRT
At lunch, he spends SGD3.60 (RM12.30) on a plate of economy rice, which typically consists of sliced chicken, steamed broccoli, and a small portion of rice.
After work, he gets a cream cheese bun for SGD1.50 (RM5.10) before going for a jog at a nearby public stadium, which he says is free compared to a gym membership. For dinner, he buys some roast chicken from supermarket chain, FairPrice, for SGD5 (RM17.20).
In total, including his MRT rides, he spends about SGD13.10 (RM45) that day.
"In general, SGD10 is more than enough to spend in a normal day," he said.
"I hope this video helps those who are planning to work in Singapore and have a rough idea of what living costs are like," he added.
In other videos, Lim reveals that he currently follows a hybrid working arrangement, which allows him to work from home two days a week
This means that, to further save on living costs, Lim spends most of his time at home in Kulai, Johor, and only stays in a hostel in Singapore from Monday to Wednesday.
He travels to Singapore on Monday mornings at 6am, stays two nights in the hostel for about SGD35 (RM120) a night, and comes home on Wednesday evenings after work.
Many netizens have since commended the 27-year-old for his perseverance and discipline in saving his hard earned money
Some called him an inspiration and thanked him for openly sharing about his expenses, while many others praised him for hustling hard for his long-term goals.
