Long-stay options in Singapore for Nomadic Retirement Lifestyle

Two of the greatest assets most people own in Singapore, an HDB or a condo, and a CPF account. If the plan is to retire before 65, then the property is one's best bet for a recurring income to finance the retirement lifestyle. A 4/5-room HDB flat can probably fetch a monthly rent of S$3,000-4,000 easily. 

But if I were to rent out that flat and lead my nomadic lifestyle abroad, I will have to sleep on the streets when I'm back in Singapore... or....

1) Rent out rooms instead of the whole unit

A room in Singapore can still fetch around S$900-1,100 these days, depending on the location and furnishing. A 4/5-room flat will have 3 bedrooms so its a decent S$2,000 of rental income per month and one still have a mailing address in Singapore. 

So maybe if you are thinking of retiring in the foreseeable future and you are planning to do some renovations, maybe you might want to give some thought to make it more co-living-friendly so as to achieve a higher rental yield. 

2) Short-term solutions

Another option is to find a co-living space in Singapore. Most of these options offer weekly housekeeping, free wi-fi and furnishing. On the downside you will be living with strangers, using the same kitchen and dining area. But what are you going to do about that pesky address in your NRIC...? 

Below are some of the shortlisted options I've gathered for my own references:

Figment

Has it always been your dream to stay near Katong? How about a shophouse? Take a look at Figment, a co-living portal specializing in boutique shophouse co-living spaces. 

The prices generally starts from S$2,000.

Minimum stay is 3 months.

Cove

If that was too expensive then Cove might offer some cheaper options. 

There are rooms without ensuite bathrooms which can go below $1,000.

Minimum stay is 3 months.

Easytrip

Easytrip is a site under Trip.com group, providing mainly hotels, hostels and serviced apartments. WhatsApp seems like their preferred method for communication.

Lots of options with plans starting from 30-day stays. A good website if looking for long-stay options in Hong Kong and Thailand as well.

3) Staying with relatives

Not my personal favorite option because I do not like to impose on others but if ...

• the relative is closely related, have a great relationship
• you are willing to pay like S$1,000/month when you (and your partner) will be staying with them
• they have that extra room which is not being utilized anyway

its a win-win for everyone, right?

Whichever option one chooses, housing is probably going to be the biggest cost-driver as well as cash-cow when one retires in Singapore. Therefore it's also the one that needs to be chosen carefully because we are going to spend nearly all our sleeping hours there. But if you treasure your privacy and freedom of your own space, then none of the options above are for you~ 

If anyone has used any of the co-living solutions or have better solutions, do drop me a comment!