World's most expensive city? Swiss woman finds Singapore so affordable it's hard for her to leave

Singapore is reputed to be the most expensive city in the world, having again topped the most recent cost-of-living survey by the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit in November last year.

But one Swiss YouTuber said Singapore is so affordable that it's a big reason she finds it hard to leave the Lion City.

Swizzyinsg, whose real name is Mary Müller, uploaded a seven-minute video titled "Why it is so hard for foreigners to leave Singapore" on Feb 5.

In the video, she said: "In Singapore, I can live a lifestyle that I would never be able to afford in Switzerland.

"For example, I can go to have a manicure from time to time, a pedicure. I can take a Grab if I'm really exhausted and I don't want to take the MRT. It's still around $10. In Switzerland, it will cost around $50 to $60 just for a 10-minute ride.

"Other things are getting a massage or general things like eating out. I would never eat out on a regular basis in Switzerland, but in Singapore, it's really, really affordable."

One probable reason the content creator finds the island republic so affordable is that she is from Zurich, which tied with Singapore as the world's most expensive city in the aforementioned survey.

Swizzyinsg, who moved from Zurich to Singapore in November 2022, had last year posted another YouTube video comparing the cost of living in the two cities.

She said Singapore is definitely less expensive and one factor is food.

"In Switzerland, you don't have anything like hawker centers or low-option food places. If you go to a restaurant and you buy a plate of pasta, just pasta and tomato sauce, it costs you easily $30 and that's not even a fancy place," she explained.

For its part, the Singapore Government has pointed out that the cost-of-living survey is designed to help human resource managers and finance managers around the world calculate cost of living allowances and build compensation packages for expatriates and business travellers.

Hence, it may not reflect the cost of living for Singaporeans.