A man from China who is working in Singapore has taken to the Internet to complain that he has been having trouble making ends meet despite earning $5,000 per month. His story was later reposted to an online website.
According to the article, the China man who is known as Xiao Long came to work in Singapore just after the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, he received an offer from a well-known e-commerce company in Singapore. He was offered a monthly salary of $5,000 (approximately equivalent to 26,000 yuan) and he signed the contract without thinking much.
However, he later realised that the $5,000 per month is too little for him after taking into account his expenditure.
Xiao Long rented a room in one of the condominiums near his company. The monthly rental for his accommodation is $1,800, which is almost 2/5 of his monthly salary. According to him, it’s the cheapest he could find near his office.
On top of his monthly rental, Xiao Long spends about $1,000 every month on food. He also spends $500 a month on cigarettes as he is a heavy smoker who smokes to relieve stress. In addition, Xiao Long also spends about $300 every month on transportation. Each month, he will set aside $700 to send back to China for his mother.
And because Xiao Long is holding an Employment Pass, he is required to pay income tax on his employment income earned in Singapore. To be on the safe side, he saves $500 every month just to pay taxes. After adding in other miscellaneous expenses, Xiao Long complains that he is unable to save any money every month despite earning $5,000 a month.
Netizens respond
At first glance, you might think that Xiao Long is quite poor thing lah. But netizens are not convinced lor. They pointed out that in life, everyone has choices. Is how he decides to spend his money only.
Some also said that not everyone in Singapore earns that much.
Translation: Please, some people in Singapore don’t even earn $5,000.
Translation: No matter how I see it, he is the one with a problem?
Translation: If you don’t know how to manage your own money, even if your salary is $10,000 a month, it still won’t be enough.
Translation: If you cut down on cigarettes, you would save a lot of money.
Translation: $5,000 can feed a family if you use it wisely.
You can read the rest of the comments here.
What do you think leh?