With three school-age children, the youngest of whom was just seven, the Dupont family was nervous about their proposed relocation from Paris, France to Singapore. The move represented an opportunity for Antoine Dupont, who worked as an executive at the French bank BNP Paribas and had been offered a more senior role in its Singapore office, but he and his wife Agnès were concerned their children would not easily adapt to the new location. To ease the way, Antoine’s employer suggested the Duponts take a three-day trip there to get a feel of the place.
When they arrived in Singapore, Antoine and Agnès were practically holding their breath in anticipation. They’d been provided with a representative from a global relocation firm to help show them around but were aware the trip could go either way. What if their children hated it?
Over the course of the following three days, Yaelle, the representative from the relocation firm, answered all their questions and showed them some potential homes and numerous points of interest, from the imposing Supertree Grove in the Gardens by the Bay to the giant Singapore Flyer observation wheel. The two older children quickly became Singapore converts. It helped that one had a friend from home who was also due to relocate to the same area. The other was convinced after hearing about the lively music scene. One of her favorite bands was booked to play there shortly. The youngest however, still seemed unsure and the Dupont family was scheduled to fly home the following day. Then Yaelle came up with a solution. Speaking directly to the child, Yaelle promised that she’d prove Singapore was just as fun as Paris. To do so, all the child needed to do was to tell her what his favorite thing was. It could be anything: a food, toy, sport, or music. “La crème de marron,” came the reply. The next morning, as the family was preparing to fly home, Yaelle arrived at their hotel with a gift for the boy: a small pot of his favorite chestnut ice-cream and a spoon. The Dupont family relocation was in the bag.
The Dupont experience is not rare (although not every family relocating there is treated to la crème de marron). Singapore has a growing reputation as one of the top relocation destinations in the world. Indeed, in 2021 it broke into the top ten in a global study, coming eighth as the preferred destination for talent relocation, behind countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In the Asia Pacific region, Singapore is the top relocation destination, with 69 percent of Hong Kong bankers, 50 percent of Chinese bankers, 64 percent of Australians, and 40 percent of Koreans all ranking the location at the top of their list.
Singapore offers a number of opportunities for expat employees as well as enterprising firms looking to accelerate their growth strategies in one of the fastest evolving centers in Asia. These include:
• Government initiatives: The Singapore government has encouraged the growth in relocation by implementing a range of measures. The latest of those, to cushion the impact of the global pandemic, include a Stabilization and Support Package and the Resilience Budget.
• Low tax rate: The personal income tax rate in Singapore is among the lowest in the world. These low rates, plus other incentives, mean the location is a tax haven for foreign investors. The tax policy boosts the perception that Singapore is the ideal gateway for organizations looking to gain a foothold in the emerging Asian economies. This both encourages international investment and an inflow of individual professionals relocating to Singapore to work in these expanding ventures.
• Corporate stability: Financial services present a huge growth opportunity for the APAC region, particularly in the light of tensions between Washington and Beijing. A number of Chinese firms, previously listed in the United States, are hedging their bets by looking for exchanges closer to home and Singapore is promoting itself as an attractive alternative to Hong Kong. Other financial firms look to have large regional offices in the area.
Singapore’s regulatory bodies have made the registration process quick and easy. For individuals looking to relocate and progress their career, Singapore’s biggest draw is the opportunity for a larger take-home salary. Those who move there see their earnings increase by 29 percent on average. Another big selling point for would-be expats is the advanced digital infrastructure, national stability, and a culture of innovation. Professionals, managers, executives, and technicians from everywhere—from China, to the United Arab Emirates, to Switzerland—are attracted by the standard of living, which compares favorably to their home countries.
While relocating anywhere does offer new and exciting opportunities, and Singapore scores high when it comes to being a more cosmopolitan, welcoming region, it does have its challenges, as the Duponts later discovered. The challenges that are raised most consistently in one regular survey of expats is missing home, family, and friends (33 percent), climate (15 percent), and the process of moving (12 percent). However, these challenges are not exclusive to those moving to Singapore. A study of expats in the United Kingdom, the United States, or China also reveal similar issues. The most difficult aspect of moving to Singapore is said to be the cost of living.
Singapore ranks 10 out of 113 countries in the Cost of Living Index (2022) but is still a far cheaper place to live in than places like Switzerland, Norway, or Denmark. And, of course, you can buy plenty of la crème de marron.

Question 10-1. Assume you are working in London and your company wants to relocate you to one of its branches in the APAC region and has given you the choice. You have a spouse and two children of school age. Consider various locations. Draw up a list of priorities for location across the region. What are your first and second choices?
10-2. What would be your choice as a single person?