Is Singapore pay worth leaving Malaysian life? Singapore’s middle pay is 6 times Malaysia’s. I asked AI to read 2,448 Reddit posts and comments about working there, and 229 people told their own story. Money came first. Family and rent came right behind.
What I found.
The charts are free to use with a link to this page.
1. Even KL’s middle pay is under a quarter of Singapore’s.
Singapore’s middle full-time pay in 2025 was S$5,775 (RM18,420). Malaysia’s was RM2,940 (S$922). That’s 6.2 times. Even Kuala Lumpur’s middle pay, RM3,938 (S$1,235), is under a quarter of Singapore’s.
2. 4 in 5 workers in Singapore earn over 3 times Malaysia’s middle pay.
4 in 5 full-time workers in Singapore earn at least S$3,164 (RM10,092), 3.4 times Malaysia’s middle pay.
3. The gap is shrinking.
The gap is shrinking: 6.9 times in 2023, 6.2 today. Malaysian pay grew 21% since 2022, Singapore’s 13%, and S$1 buys 7% fewer ringgit than in October 2023.
4. Job by job, the gap is biggest for managers.
Job by job (2024), the gap runs from 3.6 times (clerks, men) to 6.3 times (managers, women).
5. Malaysians search less for Singapore jobs.
Malaysians Google “work in singapore” 52% less than in 2024 (January to September). This goes with the smaller gap; it doesn’t show the gap caused it.
6. Money is named most. Family and rent come right behind.
I had AI read 2,448 Reddit posts and comments about working in Singapore. 229 people told their own story. The reasons they named: money (31), family back home (27), rent and costs (27), things that work (20), work pressure (20), a bigger career (19).
In their own words, with their upvotes:
- “Money here is much better” (32)
- “Rent has been thru roof. I stay in a condo which rent is 4200$.. landlord asking 7500$ for renewal.” (361)
- “I am not willing to suffer 100% more at work for 50% increased savings.” (152), from someone who turned the job down.
- “I miss my friends in Malaysia because hanging out and chatting seems a lot more relaxed.” (79)
- “Because she is taking good care of our parents, I can work in SG without any worries” (485): a sister at home is what lets one person go.
- “I was in and out of the SG immigration center within 10 minutes” (1,174)
7. Only 4 of 65 regret it.
Of 65 who said how it went: 34 glad, 27 mixed, 4 regret it. 12 of 23 who stayed in Singapore are glad, and so are 6 of 10 who came back.
Both sides win.
Singapore wins the pay, things that work and a bigger career. Malaysia wins family and the rent. Which one you’d miss most is the answer.
What I’d check.
If I got a Singapore offer:
- The rent. I’d turn the offer into ringgit at today’s rate, then take off a year’s rent, with a rise.
- The hours. I’d ask about the hours and the pace.
- The way home. How often could you get home, and what work would be there if you came back? Of 21 people who came back, 3 said a job or business was waiting and 3 took a pay cut: a lead, not a rule.
Hiring in Malaysia? Money was the top reason, but 19 named a bigger career and 20 the pressure. Could you show a clear next step, protect their time, and keep the door open for those who come back? A test, not a promise: these stories show what people named, not what would retain everyone.
How I did it.
Singapore pay is SingStat’s middle gross monthly income of full-time employed residents, including the employer’s CPF. Malaysia’s is DOSM’s middle monthly wage of Malaysian citizen employees, without the employer’s EPF. Both 2025 (jobs: 2024). Rates: Bank Negara’s middle rate, 16 October 2026 (S$1 = RM3.1896). Reddit: 151 threads from r/malaysia, r/MalaysianPF, r/askSingapore, r/singapore and others, pulled 18 October 2026. AI read every post and comment, then read the first-hand stories again; a reason counts only when a second AI read agrees.
Want all the charts at once? Download them in one PDF.
What it can’t tell you.
Singapore’s figure counts citizens and permanent residents, so most Malaysians there (on work passes) aren’t in it. It’s pay before rent and prices. Reddit posters chose to post: this isn’t a survey, and the counts show what goes together, not what causes what.
Say hello.
Writing about work in Singapore, or want the numbers? Email me at [email protected].
Run a business in Malaysia? Ask for a free check of your place.
What I do with it.
Reading what people already say is one way I find what to build.
