Your finances

We generally recommend that you carry enough cash to manage up to 3 months living cost in Singapore. See our living in Singapore page for a rough guide to living expenses.

Deciding to rent your own unit in Singapore generally requires you to make a one month refundable rental deposit and the month's rent upfront. You may also need to factor an agent commission (usually one month rent) if you use the services of an independent property agent.

The legal tender in Singapore is the Singapore dollar. However, authorized foreign exchange counters can be located at the airport and around Singapore.

It is quite difficult to obtain a credit card while on a student pass in Singapore. However, most international credit cards are widely used and accepted here in Singapore.

Upon collecting your student pass from the ICA, you may then proceed to open up a bank account with any local bank here in Singapore. Upon opening an account, you will be provided with an ATM card that can be used at any of your banks ATM's around Singapore. This card will entitle you to make payments via NETS. NETS is Singapore's cashless payment system.