Moving to Singapore from Causeway Bay: Expat Guide | Homejourney

If you are moving to Singapore from Causeway Bay, expect a lifestyle that keeps all the shopping, dining, and entertainment you love, but in a greener, more organised city that is easier to navigate and plan long-term in. Singapore feels like a calmer, more spacious version of Causeway Bay Hong Kong, with Orchard Road, Marina Bay, and Bugis forming a familiar triangle of malls, food, and nightlife.[2][4]

This focused expat guide builds on our main Causeway Bay Hong Kong guide Causeway Bay Hong Kong Guide with Homejourney: Shopping, Dining & Entertainment and our core "Move to Singapore" pillar, showing how to transition from Times Square HK, SOGO, and Victoria Park weekends to an equivalent (or better) lifestyle in Singapore – with Homejourney as your trusted, safety-first partner for property, financing, and settling in.[2][4]

Life in Causeway Bay vs Singapore: What Really Changes

Living in Causeway Bay Hong Kong means dense crowds, vertical malls, and streets that stay busy long past midnight.[1][2][4] Times Square HK, Hysan Place, SOGO, and the lanes around Jardine’s Bazaar create a non-stop shopping and dining loop, with Victoria Park as your main green escape.[2][3]

In Singapore, the closest equivalents are:

Orchard Road – Singapore’s Causeway Bay: ION Orchard, Ngee Ann City, Paragon and Takashimaya offer the same mix of international brands and food courts you are used to, but with wider pavements and less street-level chaos.[2][4]
Marina Bay / Downtown – similar to the office + mall combo of Admiralty and Central, but with integrated residences and attractions like Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, and Satay by the Bay.[4]
Bugis / City Hall – comparable to the more youthful, street-shopping side of Causeway Bay, with Bugis Street Market, Bugis Junction, and Bras Basah arts institutions.

The biggest difference many former Causeway Bay residents notice is space and greenery. Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) strictly controls plot ratios, public spaces, and greenery requirements, so even central districts feel more breathable than Hong Kong’s tight street canyons.[4]

Relocating to Singapore: Visas, Jobs & Cost of Living

Visa and Work Pass Options

Most expats from Hong Kong (including Causeway Bay residents) enter Singapore on one of these passes, administered by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM):

Employment Pass (EP) – for professionals, managers, and executives with a job offer in Singapore and a qualifying fixed monthly salary. This is the most common route for finance, tech, and corporate roles.
S Pass – for mid-skilled workers with lower minimum salary thresholds than EP.
EntrePass – for founders establishing venture-backed or innovative businesses.
Dependent’s Pass / Long-Term Visit Pass – for eligible family members of EP and S Pass holders.

Visa rules and salary thresholds are updated regularly; always cross-check with official MOM guidance and consider consulting a licensed relocation or immigration specialist for complex cases. Homejourney does not provide immigration advice but helps you align your housing plans with your visa and employment situation.

Employment Opportunities for Causeway Bay Professionals

If you work around Causeway Bay in retail, luxury brands, F&B, finance, media, or tech, you will find similar roles concentrated in the following Singapore districts:[4]

CBD / Raffles Place / Tanjong Pagar – banking, asset management, legal, and corporate HQ roles, equivalent to Central and Admiralty.
Marina Bay – regional HQs, trading firms, and consulting, with direct links to integrated developments.
Orchard / Somerset – luxury retail, mall operations, hospitality, and F&B, echoing Times Square HK and Lee Gardens.[2][4]
one-north / Mapletree Business City – tech, startups, gaming, streaming, and R&D, attractive if you come from digital roles tied to Hong Kong Island.

English is the main working language, which many Hong Kong professionals find immediately comfortable. Cantonese is helpful in some F&B and retail contexts but not required.

Cost of Living: Causeway Bay vs Singapore

Both Causeway Bay and central Singapore rank as high-cost districts in global comparisons.[2][4] Based on recent expat surveys and on-the-ground experience:

Housing – Central Singapore condo rents can be comparable to Causeway Bay’s smaller but ultra-central flats. However, if you move one or two MRT stops out (e.g., Novena, Redhill, Queenstown), you typically get more space for a similar price to a compact Causeway Bay unit.[4]
Food – daily meals can be cheaper in Singapore if you embrace hawker centres and food courts (SGD 5–8 per dish), similar to or slightly below casual local spots in Hong Kong by Causeway Bay standards.[2]
Transport – both cities have excellent public transport. Singapore’s MRT and buses are slightly cheaper on average, and taxis/ride-hailing cost similar or a bit more than Hong Kong depending on time of day.

Homejourney’s budgeting tools and verified listings help you model realistic monthly expenses and compare housing scenarios safely, instead of relying on unverified social media anecdotes.

Property in Singapore for Expats from Causeway Bay

Coming from a market where many locals rent smaller units in high-rises over malls, Singapore’s property landscape will feel both familiar and refreshingly structured. The key is understanding what foreigners can (and cannot) buy, plus the taxes involved.[4]

What Foreigners Can Buy

Private condominiums & apartments – fully open to foreigners, similar to buying in Hong Kong’s private blocks.
Executive Condominiums (ECs) – you can buy ECs on the resale market (after their 10th year), but not as brand-new units during their initial eligibility period.
Landed property – most landed homes (terraces, semi-Ds, bungalows) require special approval for foreigners and are generally treated as restricted property.
HDB flats – public housing flats built by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) are heavily regulated; most foreigners cannot buy HDB except under very specific schemes.

Homejourney’s Projects Directory gives you a verified overview of new launches and established projects, with data on tenure, unit sizes, and transaction trends.

ABSD (Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty) for Foreigners

Singapore imposes Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) on top of normal Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) when foreigners purchase residential property. Rates vary by residency status and may change over time; always confirm with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) or a qualified lawyer before committing.

If you are not a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, your ABSD rate will typically be higher than for locals, which is a major difference from Hong Kong’s system. Homejourney encourages all foreign buyers to factor ABSD into their long-term return calculations and provides transparent cost breakdowns in our listing tools.

Popular Neighbourhoods for Former Causeway Bay Residents

Based on conversations with clients and our own on-the-ground experience, these areas feel most familiar to people used to Causeway Bay’s rhythm:[4]

Orchard / Somerset – the closest match to Causeway Bay: malls downstairs, condos above or one street back, and walkable food options at every corner.
River Valley / Great World – similar convenience but more residential; think of it as living one tram stop away from Times Square HK with a quieter, leafier feel.
Bugis / City Hall – great if you love a mix of shopping, culture, and easy CBD access, like living near Victoria Park but with museums and theatres layered in.
Newton / Novena – one or two MRT stops out from Orchard, giving you more space and slightly lower prices, like moving from Causeway Bay to a still-central but less tourist-heavy Hong Kong district.

Start your search safely on Homejourney’s verified Property Search , where every listing is checked and risk flags are clearly disclosed.