Three years and four months later, unexpectedly, we ultimately had to choose to leave this small country.

Written by: Keegan Xiao Gang

In early April 2022, I arrived in Singapore with expectations for the future. Three years and four months later, unexpectedly, we ultimately had to choose to leave this small country. With the memories of life, work, and family from these years, we embark on a new journey.

Life

For more than three years, we have lived in Holland Village, in the same house, without moving, because the surrounding area is just too convenient.

First, transportation is very convenient. There is a taxi pick-up point downstairs, a bus stop across the street, and several other bus stops nearby, with the subway station just a few minutes' walk away. Whether for work, shopping, or weekend outings, commuting is very easy.

Secondly, shopping and dining are also very convenient. Across the street, there is a shopping center, with a Cold Storage supermarket downstairs, and clothing stores, gift shops, hardware stores, photo studios, and barbershops upstairs. On the basement level of the building to the right, there is another supermarket, FairPrice, which we visit most often. The first floor has a bakery and a café, while upstairs there are restaurants, banks, gyms, and clinics. The surrounding hawker centers, restaurants, and bar streets are diverse, and the One Holland Village mall has another Cold Storage, along with many restaurants, cafés, beverage shops, and cake shops, catering to various daily needs.

There are many banks nearby, including DBS, HSBC, OCBC, and Industrial and Commercial Bank, making financial services very convenient. There are also many clinics in the community, ensuring that daily health issues can be addressed anytime, making life both convenient and reassuring. There are also many children's play facilities nearby, which our child has almost explored fully over the years. There is a community library downstairs where the child often borrows books to read at home, and on weekends or during leisure time, we can always find fun and quiet moments there.

Singapore's public facilities are also very user-friendly. Singapore's laws and building codes require public buildings, HDB flats, shopping malls, subway stations, etc., to be equipped with accessible pathways for wheelchair users, strollers, and shopping carts. Therefore, almost all pedestrian pathways, subway exits, and mall entrances have elevators and stroller ramps, allowing smooth passage with strollers, shopping carts, or even heavy luggage without worrying about being "blocked" by steps. Additionally, many communities, sidewalks, and bus stops are connected by covered walkways, shielding from the tropical sun and allowing for comfortable passage during heavy rain, ensuring that travel is always comfortable and smooth. The entire environment is clean and tidy, with good public safety, allowing one to feel safe and secure even when returning home alone at night.

Singapore also has many parks, almost every park is equipped with playgrounds or water parks suitable for young children. We often visit different playgrounds and water parks, most of which are free.

In my opinion, the most important thing is that the environment here is particularly friendly to children. Safe streets, abundant play facilities, dense green spaces, and community activities allow children to play freely and explore the world; libraries and interest courses are also everywhere, ensuring that children can grow up safely and joyfully. It can be said that from the community to public facilities, Singapore has indeed created a "paradise for children."

Corresponding to these conveniences and comforts is the relatively high cost of living.

In the first year after arriving in Singapore, we would habitually convert every expense into RMB and compare it with domestic consumption. In comparison, we always felt reluctant to spend money. During that time, I usually had lunch at the company, averaging about 7 SGD. Gradually adapting, this average rose to over ten SGD, sometimes even reaching over 20 SGD.

Household expenses were similar. Initially, we often cooked at home, spending about 150 SGD a week, totaling around 750 SGD a month for meals. However, as we adapted to the new environment, we gradually loosened our grip and would occasionally dine out, leading to weekly expenses of about 500 to 1000 SGD, with monthly dining expenses of at least four to five thousand SGD.

Overall, our more than three years of life in Singapore have made us deeply feel the convenience, comfort, and safety of this city. Convenient transportation, well-equipped public facilities, clean environments, and good public safety make daily life easy and reassuring. Abundant educational resources, child-friendly public spaces, and community activities also allow children to grow freely. However, convenience and comfort cannot cover all problems, especially the high cost of living and certain deep-seated discomforts, which ultimately became the prelude to our departure.

Work

Compared to domestic conditions, I quite like the work environment here in Singapore, not referring to specific office facilities, but rather the overall atmosphere and culture.

Salaries here are usually paid at the end of each month, with the current month's salary credited within the month, unlike many companies in China, where sometimes the previous month's salary is delayed until the middle of the month.

Regarding holidays, many companies in Singapore typically offer 14-20 days of annual leave, and with public holidays, the total number of days off is generally more than in China. Moreover, holidays here are rarely adjusted using weekends, truly allowing people to rest and arrange family life, making the balance between work and life more apparent.

As for overtime, Singapore's work culture generally emphasizes efficiency and results rather than "spending long hours in the office." Overtime usually occurs only due to tight project deadlines or task requirements, not cultural pressure. Most industries and companies do not frequently require overtime like some enterprises in China, allowing employees to arrange their work and family rhythms relatively freely.

Additionally, the workplace here is relatively stable, without the "35-year crisis" or "40-year crisis" often mentioned in China. As long as one's abilities and experience match the job requirements, age does not become a significant limitation; career development relies more on personal ability and performance rather than age or unspoken rules. When I came to Singapore, I was nearly 37 years old, and this environment allowed me to invest in my work with peace of mind while balancing family life.

After arriving in Singapore, I experienced three jobs, each bringing different challenges and rewards.

The first was at Bybit, where I participated in the development of the ApeX project. That was my first time truly integrating into an international team locally. The fast pace and high standards allowed me to quickly adapt to the work mode here and significantly enhance my practical experience in the blockchain field.

Later, I moved to ORA (formerly HyperOracle), responsible for developing an on-chain ETF product. This job was entirely remote, saving commuting time and allowing me to spend more time with my family. However, since the boss and some core members were in North America, the time zone difference reduced communication frequency, noticeably slowing the project pace and making me realize the limitations of remote collaboration in controlling rhythm.

Finally, I started a business with friends called NamePump, fully dedicating myself for over half a year, balancing product, technology, and operations while constantly responding to market uncertainties. However, in June 2025, Singapore suddenly tightened its policies on the Web3 industry, directly impacting our business, and we ultimately had to terminate it reluctantly.

However, for me, the biggest drawback was actually my English. Although I could manage basic communication in daily life, in a work environment, especially during meetings and communicating with colleagues of different nationalities, my English proficiency remained a clear limitation. This not only increased the psychological burden of work but also became a potential obstacle in competing for higher positions and larger projects. Moreover, Singapore's job market is highly concentrated in specific industries, and if language and professional backgrounds do not fully match, career development space will be somewhat limited.

The changes in the external environment further amplified this sense of uncertainty. In June 2025, Singapore suddenly tightened regulations on the Web3 industry, with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) introducing and immediately implementing the DTSP (Digital Token Service Provider) system: any company or individual registered in Singapore providing digital token services to local or overseas clients must operate with a license, or face fines of up to 250,000 SGD or even three years in prison. More importantly, the licensing application conditions are extremely stringent—high paid-up capital, compliance officers residing, annual audits, and comprehensive anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing systems—greatly increasing the industry's entry barriers and almost eliminating the space for the previously flexible international operations.

This sudden shift from "policy-friendly" to "high-pressure regulation" made the originally relatively stable career environment become unpredictable in a short time. For me, the combination of language limitations and industry uncertainties ultimately became one of the important reasons prompting us to leave Singapore.

Education

One of the important reasons for choosing to come to Singapore was to provide better education for the children. Singapore's education system is highly regarded globally, especially in the K12 stage, where not only academic performance is outstanding, but the bilingual policy also enables students to have strong abilities in both English and their mother tongue. We originally hoped that our children could establish a solid academic foundation here while broadening their horizons in an open and diverse environment.

To be honest, there are also very personal reasons behind this decision. My wife has always placed great importance on learning; she understands the importance of educational opportunities and hopes that the children can have broader choices and perspectives. Therefore, she has always hoped to do her utmost to ensure that the children receive the best education, not missing out on growth opportunities due to limited conditions.

In fact, our financial situation is not particularly affluent. To provide the children with better education, we have made many sacrifices in our lives and have borne considerable financial pressure. However, in our view, this is a worthwhile investment.

Over the past three years, we have sent both of our children to decent international schools. Although the investment in their education is not low, we have genuinely seen their growth—not only becoming more confident and independent in their studies but also showing more curiosity and tolerance in life.

For example, our youngest daughter was just over two years old when we arrived, still quite naive about many things. Now, English has become her first language, and her expression is natural and fluent, while her Mandarin has regressed to the point where she can hardly speak it. We have also bought her many English books, and she reads faster than I do in Chinese. Her foundation in mathematics, science, and art is solid here, and she maintains a high interest in learning. She has also learned piano, violin, and swimming outside of school, broadening her interests.

Our eldest daughter was in first grade when we arrived, and the changes over these three years have been even more significant. For instance, she can finish a thick English version of "Harry Potter," about 760 pages, in three days; whereas for me, it would probably take three months. The development of her language skills and reading habits is something we could hardly imagine back home. In addition, her skills in drawing and swimming have long surpassed mine.

Watching the children grow little by little, we are more convinced that despite the pressures and sacrifices involved, this educational experience in Singapore will become an important asset for them throughout their lives.

Departure

The decision to leave Singapore was not a momentary impulse but the result of long-term and multifaceted considerations. Over the past three years, we have lived, worked, and raised children here, experiencing its convenience, safety, and diversity, while also facing high living costs, limitations in career development, and constantly changing industry policies.

Initially, we thought we would stay here longer. The children adapted well to school, made many friends, and we gradually integrated into the rhythm. However, life is never just about comfort and enjoyment; it also requires consideration of long-term sustainability. The disadvantage in language skills made me always feel a ceiling in my career; changes in industry policies added uncertainty to my original career plans. Meanwhile, the long-term pressure of educational and living costs forced us to recalculate our future budget.

Ultimately, we realized that if we want our children to have a more secure educational path while also allowing ourselves more space in our careers and lives, leaving might be the more rational choice. This is not a denial of Singapore; on the contrary, we still appreciate its cleanliness, safety, and inclusiveness, and we are grateful for the opportunities and experiences it has provided us. However, every journey in life has its beginning and end, and perhaps the chapter of our time here should come to a close.

Where to go after leaving is also a question we have pondered for a long time. We hope that our children's education can transition smoothly while also alleviating long-term financial pressure.

We considered returning to China, such as going back to Guangzhou or Shenzhen, or moving to Zhuhai or Foshan. However, the domestic education model has become difficult for our two children to adapt to; we can only choose international schools, and the tuition fees for suitable international schools are still quite high, comparable to those in Singapore.

Another option is Malaysia. We focused on comparing international schools in Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang, and found that Penang offers the best overall value for money. Last month, we specifically visited Penang to inspect schools and the surrounding living environment, ultimately deciding to settle our new life here.

In comprehensive comparison, the educational costs here can save about two-thirds compared to Singapore, and the cost of living has also significantly decreased. For instance, the rent for the house we are currently renting is half that of Singapore, yet the area is three times larger, and we can even see the sea view. Daily food expenses are also considerably cheaper. Yesterday, the cost of ingredients for our first meal at home was only 11 Malaysian Ringgit (about 3 SGD), whereas in Singapore, it would probably cost at least 15 SGD.

However, we have not truly settled down yet; we are currently here on a tourist visa, and it remains uncertain whether we can obtain a long-term visa smoothly. Especially since I currently do not have a job, the visa issue becomes even more tricky. Even so, we are still willing to face the upcoming challenges with an open mind. Regardless of the outcome, we hope to create a more stable and broader growth environment for our children while also finding our own place in this new stage of life. The road ahead may not be easy, but we look forward to it being equally worthwhile.

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