Survey with over 37% saying $9K is a ‘liveable monthly salary’ in SG sparks debate

SINGAPORE: After a poll from answers.sg asked people what they think is a liveable monthly salary in Singapore in 2024, a local media site reported that close to 40 per cent had responded by saying they needed a salary of $9,000 per month to survive.

However, some commenters online questioned this, saying that the poll’s respondents must have been referring to luxurious living rather than mere liveability.

On Thursday, Mustshare News published a story based on the survey, which noted that high living costs have been an issue facing Singaporeans for some time now.

“With inflation steadily on the rise, many are questioning how much does one need to make to live comfortably in Singapore,” the poll reads.

It asked people to choose between $1,000 increments for what they believe is a liveable monthly salary, with “$3,000 to $3,999” as the first option and “Above $9,000” as the last.

The survey was published earlier this month and 5,185 people have responded to the question.

However, responses appear to have changed somewhat since the MS News article.

The survey now says that 34 per cent of the respondents — the largest group —  chose “$3,000 to $3,999” as a liveable salary and 28 per cent chose the “Above $9,000” option.

For transparency purposes, this writer chose “$5,000 to $5,999” as an answer, as the median gross monthly income of Singaporean workers is in this category.

On the Facebook page of MS News, some commenters expressed concern over higher costs of living, especially those in the sandwich generation—those who are caring not only for their own families but also for their ageing parents.

One commenter noted that Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in.

Others, however, questioned the premise of needing to earn $9,000 monthly in order to survive.

One wondered if this meant eating at five-star hotels daily, shopping at MarketPlace or Cold Storage, and taking taxis instead of public transport.

“This is not surviving but is luxury living,” they wrote, “If liddat, majority Sgprean are living in poverty.”

Another wrote that if one lives in an HDB flat and takes the MRT, a salary of $3,000  per month is enough.

One wrote that he agreed Singapore has become expensive, but needing $9,000 a month to survive means one must have an expensive lifestyle, while another asked if they eat at Marina Bay Sands daily.

“I must be having a hard time – I have only $3,000 to spend each month,” one chimed in ironically. /TISG

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