My second crib: They own homes in Singapore. So why are they renting abroad?, Lifestyle News

SINGAPORE – On the verge of burnout, Chin Wen Nyen was ready to leave her job as a product manager at a technology company in October 2024 when her boss offered her the option of working remotely for three months.

The 30-year-old seized the opportunity, packed her bags and moved to Bangkok, whereshe rented a 31 sq m condominium apartment in Ladprao for $1,000 a month, turning it into her temporary base from which to work and live. The northern Bangkok neighbourhood is located near the popular Chatuchak Weekend Market.

During those months, she realised her life in the chaotic Thai capital afforded her something she had struggled to find back home: a sense of calm.

She returned to Singapore in January 2025 and quit her job in May 2025.

Six months later, in November 2025, she returned to Bangkok and signed a one-year lease for a 31 sq m one-bedroom apartment in the same Ladprao condominium for $600 a month.

Many young Singaporeans who do not yet have mortgages or other major commitments tying them to Singapore have moved abroad to work remotely, thanks to greater workplace flexibility today.

Others have moved to destinations like Australia, Japan and the United States in search of different career opportunities or a lifestyle they feel suits them better.

But increasingly, some – like Chin – are finding a middle ground: maintaining a home in Singapore while renting a second property abroad.

Chin got married in September 2024 and owns a four-room resale flat in Punggol with her operations manager husband.

The couple share a monthly mortgage of roughly $2,000, alongside recurring expenses including utilities and car loan payments for their Subaru sport utility vehicle.

These days, she splits her time between Singapore and Bangkok, spending about two weeks in each location, while working as a freelance social media manager and content creator.

For her, the arrangement is an added financial commitment she considers worth the while.

“I need my own space to recharge and enjoy making content in a space that I’m 100 per cent responsible for,” she says, adding that her husband is fully supportive of her living arrangements.

Growth in cross-border interest

While there are no publicly available statistics on the number of Singaporeans renting abroad, the number of Singaporeans living abroad grew from about 213,000 in 2016 to more than 221,000 by the end of 2025, according to the Department of Statistics.

Malaysia, in particular, has seen growing interest from foreigners looking to establish a longer-term base through its Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme. The government-backed initiative allows eligible foreigners to live in Malaysia on a long-term, renewable multiple-entry visa.

Data from MM2H consultancy Asia Home Services shows that the number of applicants soared from 1,902 in December 2024 to 12,495 in March 2026. The top five source markets were China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and the US.

Singaporeans form a small but fast-growing share of this pool. The number of applicants from Singapore seeking to relocate to Malaysia quadrupled from 96 in December 2024 to 383 in March 2026.

Some Singaporeans are looking even farther afield for a second property. In July, Singaporean content creator Rachell Ng posted on social media platform TikTok that she had rented a four-room condominium unit in Guangxi, China, for $520 a month.

In her video, Ng, who is married and lives in a Housing Board flat with her husband, says they decided to rent in Guangxi because they travel there “almost every single month” for work.

The couple spent between $9,000 and $10,000 on minor renovations, such as adding vinyl flooring to their rental unit.

Renting for respite

For Chin, the appeal of living in Thailand was not simply about escaping the office. It also gave her a reprieve from the pressures she associated with life in Singapore.

She says: “Burnout was one thing, but more crucially, I was constantly comparing myself with my peers and I think the pressure was getting overwhelming. You know, the whole Singaporean grind? I kept thinking, ‘Why have I not got a house or a car or a promotion yet?’

“I felt that not as many people talk about these things in Thailand. Instead, they talk about their hopes and dreams.”

Part of her decision to move was for the chance to get away from what she had come to see as decisions made under peer pressure. The couple had registered their marriage earlier than planned, in September 2024, so they could purchase their flat.

“When we found our place and had to start paying for it, I began questioning why we had made such a big decision and if it was because of peer pressure,” she says. “That made me want to run away.”

Chin applied for the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), which was approved in April.Launched in July 2024, the DTV is a five-year multiple-entry visa that allows eligible individuals such as digital nomads, remote workers and freelancers to stay in Thailand under a flexible, long-term arrangement.

Individuals who plan to participate in approved cultural, educational or professional programmes in Thailand – such as muay thai training or music and cultural festivals – are also eligible for the visa. According to official sources, these courses should typically have a minimum duration of six months to support the application.

Chin, who is learning muay thai at a local training school, did not have a concrete plan when she moved to Bangkok.

Initially living off her savings, she soon found out that living expenses abroad could add up to a hefty $1,600 a month, including rent, food, utility bills and transportation. To ensure her lifestyle would remain financially viable, she looked for freelance social media management work and secured a few international clients.

Now, having settled into the rhythm of her unique lifestyle over the last four months, she finds that she is more relaxed and enjoys having a second home abroad. Plus, it is cheaper and more convenient than staying in a Thai hotel, she says.

“I leave my clothes there, and I have two of everything like my cosmetics bag and running shoes – one for Singapore and one for Bangkok – so I never really have to travel with any luggage,” she adds.

Still, she does not see herself staying in Bangkok long term. For now, she expects to extend her lease for another year until the end of 2027.

“Now that I’ve taken time for myself, I feel better. I no longer feel the weight of the pressures that once burdened me. I can go back and feel genuinely happy,” she says.

More space, less spending

While Singaporeans like Chin may be renting overseas for respite, others are using the lower cost of living in neighbouring countries to stretch their earnings.

One such example is Jim Ng, 31, who has embraced geoarbitrage – the practice of earning income in a higher-wage economy while living in a country with a lower cost of living.

The strategy is most viable for those whose income is not tied to where they live, such as remote workers, business owners and retirees. By widening the gap between income and living expenses, they can potentially increase their spending power, save more or enjoy a higher standard of living.

Ng and his wife, Catheryn Wong, 32, run digital marketing agency Best Marketing Singapore. They also own a three-room flat in Admiralty, which they bought through an HDB Sales of Balance exercise in 2018.

In May 2024, they rented out their flat to a Filipino family of three for $3,200 a month before moving to Medan, Indonesia, for work.

The couple then signed a two-year lease for a 129 sq m duplex condominium in Medan at $500 a month. But after a short trip to Kuala Lumpur (KL) in June 2024 to attend a concert, they began reconsidering where they wanted to live.

“We felt there was a cultural mismatch and a language barrier. After we visited KL, we realised that Malaysia was the better choice for us,” Ng says.

They broke their lease in July 2025, forfeiting nearly a year’s worth of rent, and moved to Malaysia.

After viewing units in townships popular with Singaporeans, such as Mont Kiara and Desa ParkCity, they decided to venture farther afield, eventually finding a 250 sq m two-storey house in the gated township of Gamuda Cove in Selangor.

“It was nearly a third of the prices we saw in other townships, although I have to drive around 40 minutes to reach the city centre. But not living in the city centre gives us better access to nature, and we do not really need to go downtown daily anyway,” he says.

The numbers were compelling to them. Their 68 sq m Singapore flat generates $3,200 in monthly rental income, while their Malaysian house – which is nearly four times the size of their flat – costs $900 a month.

Ng adds: “Essentially, our HDB tenant pays for a landed house we could never dream of affording back home, and still leaves about $2,300 in our pocket every month.”

The couple bought a Tesla Model 7 for $70,000 in KL and spend about $100 a month on electric-vehicle charging, having installed a charger at home. They estimate their total monthly living expenses in Malaysia to be about $2,500, roughly half of what they used to spend in Singapore.

Their move has also been shaped by the mobile nature of their work.

The couple qualified for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card in August 2024, which facilitates business travel between participating economies. The card is valid for five years and allows holders to stay in Malaysia for up to 90 days a visit.

While in Malaysia, they met prospective business partners and hope to expand their agency’s client base there. They return to Singapore roughly every three months to see family and friends, and run errands.

The couple do not plan to have children and see Malaysia as a potential long-term home, although their plans beyond the validity of their APEC cards remain uncertain.

“As somebody who used to go to Malaysia weekly, I think I became very taken by how we could achieve more affordability, affluence and spending power by just crossing the Causeway,” he says.

Costs of living differently

For all the appeal of living abroad, Chin, Ng and Wong acknowledge that living abroad comes with trade-offs beyond needing to maintain and manage two homes. Some of the everyday conveniences and infrastructure they took for granted in Singapore are not easily replicated elsewhere.

For Chin, one such frustration is making payments in Thailand. As she is there on a tourist visa, she is unable to open a local bank account, leaving her reliant on alternative payment methods.

“The preferred mode of payment here is card-free, using a QR code, but because I’m on a tourist visa, I can’t open a bank account and everyday payments are made more difficult,” she says.

She is also getting used to the vagaries of Bangkok’s weather. “I miss the infrastructure in Singapore sometimes. In Thailand, when it rains, it floods, and it can be very difficult to get around for months,” she says. 

The cost of living also varies considerably depending on where and how one chooses to live.

While accommodation outside major city centres is relatively affordable, renting a well-located condominium – particularly on a short-term lease – quickly narrows the savings gap.

“If you plan to stay in a nice condominium in Bangkok – worse still, stay in town – then you can expect rent to go up to $1,800 a month. If you want to stay short term, your options might be limited and it is much more expensive than signing a year-long lease,” Chin says.

For those willing to live farther from the city centre, however, there are cheaper alternatives.

Civil servant Tanya Ong, 32, lived in Nakhon Pathom, about 90 minutes from central Bangkok by public transport, between March 2024 and September 2025.

While working in a Thai higher education institution as an administrative staff member, she earned about $2,000 a month and paid $460 a month to rent a 29 sq m condominium studio there.

Her other monthly expenses, including food, transport and bills, added up to about $650.

She reflects that living farther away from the city centre did not necessarily mean she was able to save more.

“My rate of accumulating savings was a lot slower and less comfortable than in Singapore because I was earning less.

“But living overseas exposed me to a wider range of people from different backgrounds that helped shape how I thought about living a meaningful life,” Ong says.

For Ng and Wong, the trade-offs in Malaysia are less about cost and more with regards to safety, convenience and proximity to family.

“The land here is big and the nearest police station can be many kilometres away. We don’t have the same level of reassurance and confidence in law enforcement as we do in Singapore, and that’s definitely a trade-off,” says Ng.

Although both their parents are healthy and independent, the couple also recognise that living across the Causeway makes it harder to respond if something urgent happens in Singapore.

For now, however, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

Ng says living in Malaysia has given him and Wong the opportunity to experience a lifestyle beyond their means in Singapore.

“Landed properties in Singapore cost millions. In the next five to 10 years, I don’t see myself forking out that kind of money,” he says.

“If I continue to live in Singapore, I’m not sure if I will ever experience living like this in my lifetime.” 

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.