07-06-2025, 12:47 AM
![[Image: IMG-4331.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/kgJR3kb9/IMG-4331.jpg)
![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
HDB flats selling price 1982.
07-06-2025, 05:09 AM
Every 20yrs income double.
82 until now is 44yrs.
Income rose by around 5x or less. Poly students in 1982 made $500 now $2k to $2.5K
Looking at 4 room flat now should be $100-150K if equally affordable as 1982.
But that is not the case.
Here is the paradox.
As Singapore becomes "more affluent' housing, cars, hawker food and medical care decline in affordability. And these are the major components of lower to middle class expenditure. It makes life feels harder and more difficult.
Some activities where prices actually become more affordable are travelling, electronic gadgets and imported goods but there is a limit of now much of these you can enjoy. Explains why Singaporeans are avid travellers and why IT fairs are always packed.
Overall gains if you based it on purchasing price parity (all the goods and services you consume), the gains over last 40yrs may not be that great for the sacrifice we put in for the per capita income gain. Singapore is ultra competitive from the childhood to work.
For me I always think in terms of the big picture. We are operating within a system that compell us in various ways and condition us to behave in certain ways without thought.
Singaporeans are caught in a treadmill and the speed is tuned up year after year. But like a treadmill the person on it is going nowhere, he just works harder to stay in the same spot. That is the system.
![[Image: CgrdMAw.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/CgrdMAw.jpeg)
I am not a fan of this system that priorities economic growth over quality of life.
It is hard to explain to the people in the system what is happening to them in the long run. I thought Jeremy Tan the independent candidate in the recent GE did a good job thinking out of the box and taking a totally different perspective. He managed to extract himself out of the rat race and he can see what the rat race is doing to Singaporeans.
One of the tracks he touch on was if we can make housing prices lower it will be a major game changer. The lives of younger generation of people will be improve significantly...it will free up money for retirement, personal attainment and ease much of the stress society faces today. But sad to say the mistake of letting prices run up has already been made and to take prices down will be seen as wealth destruction. So we are stuck until some bold innovative idea comes along
82 until now is 44yrs.
Income rose by around 5x or less. Poly students in 1982 made $500 now $2k to $2.5K
Looking at 4 room flat now should be $100-150K if equally affordable as 1982.
But that is not the case.
Here is the paradox.
As Singapore becomes "more affluent' housing, cars, hawker food and medical care decline in affordability. And these are the major components of lower to middle class expenditure. It makes life feels harder and more difficult.
Some activities where prices actually become more affordable are travelling, electronic gadgets and imported goods but there is a limit of now much of these you can enjoy. Explains why Singaporeans are avid travellers and why IT fairs are always packed.
Overall gains if you based it on purchasing price parity (all the goods and services you consume), the gains over last 40yrs may not be that great for the sacrifice we put in for the per capita income gain. Singapore is ultra competitive from the childhood to work.
For me I always think in terms of the big picture. We are operating within a system that compell us in various ways and condition us to behave in certain ways without thought.
Singaporeans are caught in a treadmill and the speed is tuned up year after year. But like a treadmill the person on it is going nowhere, he just works harder to stay in the same spot. That is the system.
I am not a fan of this system that priorities economic growth over quality of life.
It is hard to explain to the people in the system what is happening to them in the long run. I thought Jeremy Tan the independent candidate in the recent GE did a good job thinking out of the box and taking a totally different perspective. He managed to extract himself out of the rat race and he can see what the rat race is doing to Singaporeans.
One of the tracks he touch on was if we can make housing prices lower it will be a major game changer. The lives of younger generation of people will be improve significantly...it will free up money for retirement, personal attainment and ease much of the stress society faces today. But sad to say the mistake of letting prices run up has already been made and to take prices down will be seen as wealth destruction. So we are stuck until some bold innovative idea comes along
I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)
