The city-state is 710 square kilometres and inhabited by five million people from four major communities; Chinese (majority), Malay, Indian and Eurasian. Since its independence in 9 August 1965, the country has adopted a parliamentary democracy system.

Singapore gained self governance in 1959, and in 1963 joined the Federation of Malaysia. In 1965 it left the federation and became independent as the Republic of Singapore. Today, it operates under a conservative parliamentary republic that is world-renowned for its strict laws and tight regulation.

Is Singapore expensive? To be clear, yes, Singapore is an expensive country overall. It's often ranked as one of the most expensive countries in the world, so it's pricey even from a European or American perspective. To be a permanent resident in Singapore in particular is not cheap.

Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. Singaporeans are usually multilingual; however, it might be difficult for foreigners to communicate with locals at the beginning. Indeed, English is the official and commonly used language, but Singaporeans mostly use Singaporean English.