Ask any Malaysian and they’ll tell you that living in Singapore is far more expensive than Malaysia. Well, Jonathan Lim, a Malaysian civil engineer has set out to prove people wrong.
The 27-year-old Malaysian TikToker has been working in Singapore, with his earliest video of our neighbouring country being posted in July. Well, his most recent challenge of only spending 10SGD (~RM34.37) for a day has gone viral, with many being curious if he could actually pull it off!
According to Jonathan, he started these TikTok videos to “share about budget living and (a) realistic working life in Singapore“. And his latest video “Is spending 10 dollars enough for a day working in SINGAPORE?” is just one of videos in his series. Still, it has been his most popular video by far, garnering over 193,000 views at the time of writing.
Jonathan detailed his Tuesday, starting off from the budget hotel he had been staying at and heading to work. “I woke up slightly later than usual,” he admitted. “So I quickly made a peanut butter toast and (ate it on) my way to (the) office.”
For lunch, Jonathan opted to have mixed rice. “I ordered less rice, broccoli and sliced chicken. And it costs 3.60SGD (~RM12.37),” he shared, showing his plate. “Do you think (it) is worth it?” One netizen claimed the price was fairly cheap for mixed rice in Singapore, but others opined there were other places which offered it cheaper. Still, they found the price “acceptable“.
Jonathan then shared that he grabbed a quick snack after work, before his jog; which was a cranberry cream cheese bun, presumably from a nearby bakery. The bun cost him 1.50SGD (~RM5.16). Finally, for dinner, he showed his crowning jewel, a FairPriceXtra store.
“Here is where you can get a whole grilled chicken for only 5 DOLLARS,” he gushed. “They will usually have this kiosk that serves BBQ or Honey Roasted Chicken.” Jonathan shared that he selected two large BBQ-flavoured drumsticks which were juicy and flavourful, adding he hadn’t been able to finish the whole chicken last time as it was “too big”.
“In general, 10++ dollars is more than enough to spend in a normal day,” Jonathan concluded, adding a breakdown of his spending that day. “Breakfast (is) free, lunch 3.60SGD, dinner 5SGD and transport 3SGD.” In a different video, Jonathan showed that his usual spending could go over 50SGD.
Most netizens were impressed with his frugality, with some cheering him on, claiming to have been in his shoes before too. “Nice bro,” one praised. “Definitely the best way to save.” But another opined: “In life, (there is) no need to be so frugal. Life is short. Don’t deprive yourself.”
Well, we have to agree that sometimes, circumstances call for one to be frugal. However, it certainly seems as though Jonathan is still enjoying himself, despite the budget he has. Hopefully he’ll be able to spend more on himself soon!
Watch his TikTok video here:
@jonlzx Part 6: Is spending 10dollars enough for a day working in SINGAPORE? #sgvlog #worklife #minivlog #fypシ #simplelife
Sources: TikTok. China Press
