Podcast

After 16 Years in Singapore, Why a Single-Income Family Returned to India

Q: Why would a family leave Singapore after 16 years even if life there is good?

The transcript is clear that Singapore itself was not the villain. Siva describes life there as secure, comfortable, structured, and professionally clear. The return decision came from a mix of emotional distance from family, children growing up away from grandparents, and the financial pressure of running a single-income household with kids. That is what makes this story useful. It is not a "Singapore failed us" story. It is a "our next life stage needed something different" story.

Q: Can a single-income family still feel squeezed in Singapore?

Yes, that is one of the clearest practical points in the transcript. Siva says life is very good and secure in Singapore, especially when both spouses are earning. But for a single-income family with two children, rising rent, schooling, and healthcare can create real pressure. His examples are transcript-specific, not universal pricing advice, but the point is strong: one salary can feel thin much faster once rent and international-school costs rise.

Q: What happened to the children after moving from Singapore to India?

The transition was not easy at first, but the transcript says the bigger problem was health and environment rather than pure school adjustment. The children had repeated hospital visits for months after the move before things stabilized. The family also tried to preserve continuity by keeping the same IGCSE curriculum in India because the guest still wanted the option to go back to Singapore if needed.

Q: Is IGCSE in India the same as IGCSE in Singapore?

The guest is clear: no, not automatically. He says that just because a school in India says it follows IGCSE does not mean the standard will feel the same as what the family experienced abroad. His warning is especially relevant for families moving to smaller cities. Curriculum labels may match, but actual delivery, expectations, and learning environment can differ sharply.

Q: Is it easy to find an India job after many years in Singapore?

Not necessarily. The guest says he planned only a short break, then started exploring jobs in Hyderabad and Bangalore because Visakhapatnam was not a strong IT market for his profile. Even then, the call rate was low and salary alignment was uneven. That is why this page frames the return as financially planned, not just emotionally motivated. He did not assume the job market would reward overseas experience instantly.

This video-based DesiReturn story explains why Siva moved his single-income family out of a secure life in Singapore, sent the family ahead to settle, and rebuilt from a tier-2 city in India instead of forcing an immediate metro landing.

Avinash

16 Apr 202615 min read33 min watchUpdated 18 Jun 2026

In this story

Key Takeaways
How the Singapore chapter began
What life in Singapore actually gave the family
Why the India return became serious
Why single-income pressure changed the math
How he reduced risk before moving
What happened on the career side after return
How the children handled school and environment
What life in India feels like now
The strongest lessons from this story
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
Final thought

Real Return Stories | Episode #196

After 16 Years in Singapore, Why a Single-Income Family Returned to India

This video-based story is useful because Siva is not rejecting Singapore. He describes it as secure, comfortable, efficient, and close enough to India to make family visits easier than in many Western countries. Even so, the combination of emotional distance, aging parents, children, and single-income cost pressure eventually pushed the family toward a very different landing plan in India.

By Avinash, NRI Return Specialist Published: April 16, 2026 | Last updated: June 18, 2026

Singapore to India Single Income Tier-2 Landing Kids and Schooling Visakhapatnam

Key Takeaways

Siva finished graduation in 2005, had shorter Belgium and UK chapters, and then spent the long stretch of his overseas life in Singapore from around 2009 until returning last year.
He describes Singapore as safe, comfortable, well-structured, and especially convenient because India is only about a four-hour flight away.
The return decision was gradual, not sudden. Missing family moments, wanting children to bond with grandparents, and his mother's age all mattered.
Single-income pressure made the move harder to postpone. Rising rent, school fees, and healthcare costs changed the math.
He sent his family to India about a year earlier so the children could settle before his own final move.
His India landing plan was explicitly risk-mitigated: start near the native place in a tier-2 city so the family could sustain for a year even if the right job did not appear immediately.
The children's harder adjustment was health and environment, not just school. Even after keeping the IGCSE curriculum, he says standards in smaller Indian cities may not match what families expect abroad.
He is happy after returning, but he does not romanticize India. The tradeoffs are real, and he repeatedly says every family must decide based on its own conditions.

What to know first: Why would a single-income family leave a comfortable life in Singapore after 16 years? Because comfort stopped solving the deeper family problem, and the numbers also became harder to ignore. The transcript shows a family that still respected Singapore, but chose India for proximity, grandparents, children's roots, and a lower-risk landing plan near home.

2026 planning snapshot for single-income Singapore-to-India families

This story is strongest for families asking whether one Singapore income is still enough after rent, school, healthcare, and children enter the picture. The answer is not that Singapore is bad. The answer is that a single-income household needs a clear runway, school plan, India landing city, and backup option before it gives up the comfort of a structured Singapore life.

How the Singapore chapter began

The transcript does not start in Singapore. Siva says he graduated in 2005, went to Belgium for about six months on a contractor-style opportunity, returned to India briefly, then moved to the UK around 2006 before coming back again for personal reasons. Singapore came later, around 2009, and became the long chapter.

That matters because this was not one clean relocation from India to Singapore. It was a broader international career that eventually stabilized there for roughly 16 years. By the time he returned to India, Singapore was not just another posting. It was where adult family life had actually formed.

The other useful background detail is that moving abroad was never presented as a grand childhood dream. In his telling, the process began by trying opportunities as they came, then slowly building a life around them.

What life in Singapore actually gave the family

Siva is consistently fair to Singapore. He calls it beautiful, secure, comfortable, and well-structured. Work processes were clearer. Life felt more organized. He also talks about discovering physical activity and a healthier lifestyle there, partly because organizations and the government encourage it more actively.

Another major advantage is proximity. He says Singapore to India is about a four-hour journey, which made it far easier to keep visiting home than if he had been based in the US, Canada, or Europe. That helped, but it did not fully solve the distance problem.

"Life in Singapore is very good."

That line matters because this is not a case of someone being pushed out by a bad host country. The story becomes stronger precisely because the family left a system that worked well in many day-to-day ways.

Why the India return became serious

The return decision was gradual. He says years abroad created a constant feeling of being disconnected from important moments back home. Marriage, children, and the passage of time made that disconnection harder to ignore.

The children were a central reason. At the time of the conversation, he says they were around 8 and 9 years old. He wanted them to have a real bond with grandparents, not just phone familiarity. The transcript adds one practical detail many families will recognize immediately: language. The children spoke English, while his parents could not really meet them there. That made family closeness thinner than it looked from the outside.

His mother's age added urgency. Later in the interview he also mentions a child health episode before the move, which made the family think harder about where they wanted support and recovery to happen.

What pushed the decision forward

Missing important family moments back in India
Wanting children to bond properly with grandparents
His mother's age
A child health issue before the move
Rising cost pressure on a single-income household

Free tool · no signupShould I move back?Eight questions on money, family, work, and timing — scored, with the gaps named.Open the tool

Why single-income pressure changed the math

The transcript is unusually concrete here. Siva says life in Singapore feels far easier when both spouses are earning. In his case, his wife was a homemaker focused on the children, so the entire household ran on one income. That made rising post-COVID costs much harder to absorb.

His examples are not presented as universal price tables. They are his way of showing how quickly the numbers tighten. He says a two-bedroom place that once rented closer to SGD 2,000 could later move toward SGD 2,800 or SGD 3,000, depending on area. In his own case, an HDB rental of about SGD 2,500 could now be more like SGD 3,500 in his estimate.

Schooling is where the story gets sharp. He says even on the lower side, a child's tuition could be around SGD 2,500 per month, making it roughly SGD 5,000 per month for two children once bus and related costs were included. Add healthcare for a foreign family and the single-income pressure becomes much easier to understand.

Transcript-specific example

The guest gives a hypothetical person earning about SGD 10,000 per month. Against rent, school fees for two children, and family healthcare risk, the story is not "Singapore pays well so it must work." The story is that one income can start feeling narrow much faster than outsiders expect.

How he reduced risk before moving

One of the most practical parts of the transcript is the sequencing. Siva says he sent his wife and children to India about a year before his own final move so they could settle into school and environment first. He explicitly describes that as risk mitigation.

The second piece of the strategy was location. Instead of forcing an immediate landing in a big metro, he built the first stage around his native place near Visakhapatnam. The thinking was simple: if the right job did not come within a year, the family could still sustain there more easily than in a tier-1 city.

Send the family earlier

That gave the children time to settle and made the final transition smoother when he himself moved back.

Keep enough financial runway

The guest says he planned so the family could manage for some time even if the job market did not cooperate quickly.

Use the native place as a fallback base

The tier-2-city landing was not accidental. It was a deliberate way to buy time and reduce pressure.

Search wider only after stabilizing

The idea was that if needed, he could later move himself or the family toward larger cities after the first stage became more stable.

If you are still at the stage of designing the move rather than executing it, our guide on how to think through the India return decision is the right companion to this story.

What happened on the career side after return

Siva did not plan a long career break. He says he expected to take around three to four months off, then start moving again. In practice, the search was harder than that.

He says Visakhapatnam was not the right market for his IT profile, so he explored opportunities in Hyderabad and Bangalore. Even then, the call rate was low and salary expectations often did not line up cleanly. That is an important correction to the common assumption that a long Singapore career automatically converts into a clean India re-entry.

At the same time, he does not claim India is uniformly lower paying. In fact, he says some people in India at similar seniority can earn in roughly comparable bands, and that savings may even look better in India if housing is already taken care of. The transcript is careful here: he says this as an observation, not as a guaranteed market rule.

If the career side is your biggest concern, our article on career insights for NRIs returning to India helps widen the lens beyond this one case.

How the children handled school and environment

The transcript says the initial adjustment was not easy, but the difficulty was not just academic. He talks more about health and environment. After moving near his hometown, the children had repeated hospital visits over roughly six months to a year before things stabilized.

On the school side, he tried to preserve continuity. The children had been studying under IGCSE in Singapore, and he kept them in the same curriculum in India because he still wanted the option of returning to Singapore if the move did not work. That is a practical detail many parents miss: curriculum choice can also be a reversibility decision.

His strongest school warning

He says families should not assume that a school in India offering IGCSE will match the standard they were used to abroad. In his personal experience around Visakhapatnam, the label alone did not guarantee the same level of delivery.

That is why this story pairs well with our broader guides on school boards for NRI children and what actually matters when choosing schools after return.

What life in India feels like now

Siva says he is happy after coming back, and that his mother is also happy. That part of the goal clearly worked. But he does not romanticize the rest. After the early settling phase, he says standards are not always what he would want them to be, and there are obvious quality-of-life differences from Singapore.

That balance makes the story credible. India is not presented as cleaner, easier, or more efficient. It is presented as more aligned with the kind of family life he wanted to build at this stage.

He also leaves one final door open. Depending on the situation, he says he could still act on an overseas opportunity later. But his present preference is India. That is another important lesson: return does not have to mean pretending uncertainty is gone forever. It can simply mean that India is the current winning choice.

The strongest lessons from this story

Good life abroad does not end the return question. A place can be comfortable and still stop fitting your next life stage.
Single-income pressure changes the Singapore story. The transcript is much more positive about Singapore when both spouses are earning.
Risk mitigation matters. Sending family earlier and landing first in a lower-cost base gave the move more breathing room.
Tier-2-city return can be strategic, not accidental. In this case it was part of the family's runway design.
School continuity does not guarantee standard continuity. The transcript's IGCSE warning is one of its most useful details.
Your decision should be yours. He repeatedly says other people's stories are inputs, not instructions.

Frequently asked questions

The FAQ answers below focus on the exact questions this transcript genuinely answers: why a family leaves Singapore, what single-income pressure looks like, how to reduce risk, and what happens to children and schooling after the move.

Why would a family leave Singapore after 16 years even if life there is good?

Siva does not frame Singapore as a failed destination. He describes it as secure, comfortable, structured, and professionally clear. The move happened because family distance, children growing up away from grandparents, and single-income pressure made the next life stage feel better suited to India.

Can a single-income family still feel squeezed in Singapore?

Yes. The transcript says Singapore works more easily when both spouses earn. For one income with two children, rent, schooling, bus costs, and healthcare risk can make the household budget feel narrow even when the salary looks strong from outside.

How did this family reduce risk before moving back to India?

Siva sent his wife and children to India about a year earlier so school and environment adjustment could start before his final move. He also used a tier-2 base near his native place so the family had more runway if the right India job did not appear immediately.

What happened to the children after moving from Singapore to India?

The adjustment was not only about school. The transcript says health and environment caused repeated hospital visits for months before things stabilized. School continuity helped, but the family's first year still needed patience and buffer.

Is IGCSE in India the same as IGCSE in Singapore?

Not automatically. The guest warns that a school label can match while delivery quality differs. Families moving from Singapore to smaller Indian cities should check teacher depth, actual classroom standard, peer group, and reversibility instead of relying only on the IGCSE name.

Is it easy to find an India job after many years in Singapore?

Not necessarily. Siva explored Hyderabad and Bangalore because Visakhapatnam was not a strong IT market for his profile. The call rate and salary fit were uneven, so the return needed financial runway instead of assuming overseas experience would convert immediately.

Final thought

The strongest part of this episode is its discipline. The family did not confuse desire with execution. They respected Singapore, accepted the cost and distance reality, moved in phases, and used a tier-2 landing as protection rather than as surrender.

If your household is also weighing comfort abroad against roots, grandparents, and children's long-term fit, this story is a reminder that the answer may not be a bigger city or a better salary. It may be a better sequence.

Planning a family return that involves kids, career, and city choice?

Use community support for the emotional side, and a structured planning call for the parts that cannot stay vague any longer.

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Book a 60-Min Call

This is especially useful if your move depends on school timing, family alignment, and whether you should land first in a metro or in a lower-pressure home base.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction
1:12 Background
4:12 Life in Singapore
8:52 Why move to India ?
11:44 Planning the move
15:07 Cost of living in singapore
20:19 Career transition
23:58 kids transition
26:19 Life in India
27:48 How did the DR platform help?
28:56 Advice

Transcript

Auto-generated captions, lightly cleaned

0:00 My family before I had, I mean, 1 year before I just sent him so that the kids get settled over here. And whether could be kind of the schooling or whether could be environment, so that's why I sent them earlier. My purpose is not to stay in a kind of a tier two tier one cities actually because I'm from a tier two city actually. I'm from Visakhapatnam. So my thought process was probably after I move back to India, probably if I'm not able to find a job within a 1 year, I could able to sustain in my native Singapore. before COVID was quite different. And after COVID was quite different actually. When we talk about the expenses, right? Specifically, the rentals has gone very high actually.

0:51 >> [music]

1:13 >> Thank you very much, Shiva, for joining us today. Let's start a bit about your background and what made you go abroad. Yeah. Thank you very much, Amulya. I mean, going abroad was never really kind of a big plan for me, frankly speaking. I mean, because I had been graduated and started my career in IT company and over a 6-month period, I got an onsite opportunity. And it was something actually I was not really actively chasing about it, but when the opportunity comes, so I just gave it a try actually. So my motivation was really about exploring of the opportunities and seeing where it could take me. And that's how I ended initially moving to the UK. so I spent almost like over 3 years. but over the period of time due to some personal reasons actually so I need to move back again to India.

2:07 And later actually I stayed in India almost kind of like 6 months for a period of one time. fortunately I got again an awesome opportunity and that's where I moved again back to the Singapore actually and that's where actually my life was taking almost kind of 16 years of time before I come back to India last year. Got it. So, maybe if you can be specific like which year did you go to UK and for how long you were working till then and then which year you went to Singapore? Yeah, that would help. Sure, sure Thomas. I think I missed it and before you going to UK itself actually I went to Belgium. I mean I started I mean I finished my graduation in the year 2005 actually. So, within the 2005 year itself in 6 months of 6 months of the period of the time actually I think I if I remember correctly it was around November 2005 some the period of time actually I got opportunity to go to the Belgium

Read the full transcript (39 more sections)

3:08 And that time actually I went for a kind of a contractor role. I mean that time actually I went for a on a business visa. That was around 6 months of period of the time and then later I came back India and then again I stayed in India for almost like 2 to 3 months and again I went back to UK in the year of 2006 I think 2006 around 2006 I went to the UK and I came back from the UK due to a personal reasons. That was around the year 2007. And in the year of 2000 8 actually I Yeah, around 2000 Sorry, not around 2008 around 2000 again I move back to the Singapore actually. Got it. And yeah, and that's all I was staying for until last year I was staying in Singapore. Yeah, that's what a very long journey I've been Great. I know we don't have a lot of

4:10 Many guests who lived in Singapore, so I

4:12 Would love to understand you know how the life was in Singapore work and you know 16 years is quite a long time. Sure, sure, sure. I mean in terms of the life in Singapore I mean as many of us know right Singapore is a very beautiful place. Definitely. I mean in whichever aspects you think about it the life is very secure over there. Comfortable. as in the beginning before marriage actually I was quite exciting honestly speaking. Because Singapore is really a kind of a new environment what I seen in a UK as well as other countries like Belgium as well. I mean because it's like it's it's like near to kind of Asian culture as well as a different environment together. What we don't see in India especially.

5:02 So and I got a very good time to learn the things as well. I mean whether it could be focusing on the work or learning a lot of other things right? I mean because so far in my career actually I was not really active in the sports as well. But Singapore is the is the time where I started exploring more on a kind of physical activities because there are a lot of a kind of activities that is involved in Singapore especially when you're employed in the organizations right? And even the from the government also they take a lot of initiatives in terms of maintaining the good health of their citizens as well. I mean not only the citizens I would say kind of a residence whoever staying in the Singapore. That's really good part. And yeah, I mean, I had a very good time before the marriage. And then slowly after marriage, things as we know that became like more settled. and life was getting more of a kind of a structure.

6:03 Where I need to think I mean I need to plan more in terms of the kind of a long term, not just about myself. And then slowly the kids came into picture. And that's where really things changed where I was more focusing on their kind of a big school, I mean, what kind of the things they needs to be grow up. All these things were they were all around around me actually. But yeah, so overall actually life in Singapore is very good. If you talk about from the work wise, right? Work wise actually is also kind of a structure, right? I mean, things are very in a process, are clear. And that really helps a lot actually whereby you can manage your work as well your lifestyle as well. but again, the kind of drawback is that again you are away from the family always. in my case specifically, most of the time actually I was traveling and I was staying abroad.

7:02 It really gives me a feeling of kind of a disconnected always. that's the reason actually I always on and off flights. That's the another advantage that you stay in Singapore because traveling from Singapore to India is like kind of a 4-hour journey. And I used to travel a lot, I mean, before marriage. But after marriage, yeah, it's the frequency has been reduced. But yeah, that's the best part also I would say in Singapore, right? If you stay in Singapore, it's very near, 4 hours. Any urgent emergency or anything that you want to be part of the any of the Indian activities, then you can be involved in it. But not every aspect we can be part of it. but there are times where I felt that I may not be part of a certain good or bad things that were part of my family as well.

7:53 That's the kind of the sad part that I used to feel and I always have a kind of a triggering that I mean, I always feel that although I got the family and the kids, somewhere there was always a kind of feelings that it was always disconnected because I come back to India, I just stay only for 1 hour 1 week more I think more than not 10 days, right? It's always like kind of a and it just finishes very fast. You just 2 weeks you come and you just go here and there at the just finishes. So, that's the reason actually I felt that yeah. I mean, I should take some break.

8:38 Yeah. Got it. Sounds like I think you know, you started I think you know, the family, the structure, but once in a while you miss the family when you're traveling quite a bit because the proximity between India and Singapore. But why the move to India and why after

8:54 16 years? Why not early? Why not later? why where did this thought about moving to India start? Yeah, sure it was. I mean, the moving to India definitely not a single decision actually because it's more of a As I shared, I mean, kind of a gradual thought process I would say because over the time actually I started feeling as I shared I mean, away from the home quite long and since I moved abroad in earlier career itself, so kind of a missed a kind of a kind of missing feeling like being present at a lot of important moments back at home. And so I mean, it was that and that's the kind of a feeling being disconnected from the family and other aspect is more of the kids, right?

9:46 I mean, I felt they should also have the kind of a connection with the grandparents because since my kids has been grown up there there was a communication barrier between the kids and the grandparents as well because they speak English and my dad my parents cannot speak it. I mean, and I thought that they should have kind of a bonding as well, right? So, you cannot give that kind of a bonding over the phone and just talking on and off that doesn't give them the kind of a feeling. So, and especially as my mother was also getting old, I thought it's important for the both the sides to have that time together. And yeah, that's where all the things has been started and and not only this, I mean, there was some kind of practical aspects as well kind of a cost of living abroad was quite high.

10:46 Because I was the only working person in my home because my wife is a housewife and because she was taking care of my kids because the kids are 8 and 9 years old. I mean, So, she felt that I think it is important for her to be with the kids at least for this time. And yeah, it was quite becoming expensive as well. And so, I thought that sending the kids to the international schools, somehow there are kind of a different aspects of schools in Singapore as well. so, you need to match according to the cost as well. I felt that since I also have a kind of intention to take a break and take care of my mother and come back to India. So, let's take a kind of pause and that's where I taken the decision to move the family to India actually.

11:43 So, yeah. Got it. So, it's kind of

11:46 Taking a break from your career also just for the helping the parents and the grandparents and the kids, you know, can have the time. And then there is some aspect of the cost of living that kind of place also in a role. okay, let's I think talk a little bit about like when did you start thinking about this and then when you actually pulled it like you know, let's talk about some of the planning in terms of the move itself. I mean for me I didn't want to rush actually into it because I know that the back of my mind it was running on but I didn't rush on it actually because since it involves my family and also the kids as well, it's not so easy. but I did a planning on the things that we had so, what I did is actually I sent my family before ahead. I mean 1 year before I just sent them so that the kids get settled over here.

12:43 Environment, so that's where I sent them and honestly, I mean it helped me a lot actually because by the time I decided to move so they were already being things has been settled over here and which is much smoother as well. and I mean this is more this is more part of a kind of family moving back to India in terms of the planning. And in terms of the financial side also actually, I was a bit careful as well and because I was in a position where I was able to manage my expenses for some time. Actually, I planned properly ahead because I know that moving back to India keeping this kind of experience is not so easy to find a job in India as well. So, that is already in my mind and that's how I planned well that the things doesn't work properly, I should able to financially manage. So, that's how I have planned out over the period of time.

13:42 Got it. So, in terms of family moving early, is it primarily to see if things would work out, if the kids would adjust, if not then you want to move back to Singapore or is it just like more of like, okay, from a prior financial transition, let the kids send the you know, wife move early, let them settle, once you have this financial things figured out, that's when you move. It's nothing to do about like whether they settle and then move back or is it like a risk mitigation plan or is it just more to do with the financial thing? I don't see it as a motivational, but kind of a risk mitigation plan, you can say about it. the whole point of sending them earlier because from a financial aspect, I know that what could be the expenses because my whole thought process is not to stay in a kind of a tier two tier one cities actually because I'm from a tier two city actually, I'm from Visakhapatnam.

14:35 So, my thought process was probably I'm not able to find a job within a one native place itself because I already made the kids to join nearby my native place as well. And in terms of the kind of a let's say I cannot able to find a job in a one year, then that's how I thought that probably I can just move to other cities initially for myself, then probably if I can go to opportunity, then I can move back to the tier one city. So, that's my thought process actually. Makes sense.

15:07 I I think I know, I want to understand this a little bit. I know you kind of gave an indication the cost of living in Singapore is high, but I would assume the pay is also going to be high. I mean, you know, if you can talk a little bit on average, right? Hey, somebody in this you know, IT professional, this is how much they make, but the cost of living is so high. In reality, the savings are this. Just so that we I think you know some of the viewers can understand it and also how it compares to India like you know right now, right? I think you know if you can talk that that would be very helpful. Sure, definitely honest. >> [clears throat] >> So basically on an average if you take right I mean Singapore before COVID was quite different. And Specifically the rentals has gone very So you can think about like before COVID it was Let's say that on an average two-bedroom house

16:08 If you can say it's again around 2,000 and that houses has been rent around 2,800 some like 3,000 as well. It's again depends on the specific area that you're living and and also the education wise also the cost has been increased. so if and if I share with you like a person who has I mean it's again depends on the experience. Let's say consider that the person who was drawing around 10,000 Singapore dollars per month. Right? I mean I mean one person working I let's say that you just as you have given example if you just take a rental, right? On the average because there are two different kind of rental options over there in Singapore. One we call as an housing development board. That's more from a government buildings actually and other is a private. So it's more of the choices of the people how much they're drawing they can afford on it. So let's say that my my case actually I was staying in an housing development board where I was

17:10 Renting for around 2,500 dollars per month actually. Because for my case it's quite different, but now that's 2,500 might have become as of 3,500. I don't know. Because actually I was continuing staying for a longer years in the same house. I said 2,500 and you have a kids over there. And the kids' education is almost like for a tuition fees itself on an average you can take for a kid around 2,500. That's an I'm I'm giving kind of a very lower part as well, like a kind of a 2,500 dollars for a kid. >> Pardon? Per month? >> Yes. Per month, yes. That's 2,500 dollars per month. So it's almost you're talking about 5,000 dollars for two kids, like if you are sending them >> Yes, if you have two kids. If you have two kids. Which includes tuition fees and you have the bus, everything is 2,500. That also I'm considering the school that is which is a lower part as well. Because there's based on the school and the standards, the fees also may go higher as well.

18:06 So that's how it is. I mean they can again the other burden will be the health care, right? And the health care is also I mean you might have the you can take the insurances all the things. Let's say that you will take a family insurance, you may also need to pay higher as well. I mean so again depends on the your age factor as well. How much the coverage will be, how much you may need to pay as well. And yeah, especially the health care is also not so cheap. Un- unless you are a kind of citizen or unless you are a permanent resident, being a foreigner is may not be for not for every organization they cover for a whole family, but most of the scenario what I know is 80 to 80 percent of the companies they cover only for your yourself, not for your family. So there is something covered when unforeseen situations comes, it could be a kind of a huge burden on you as well.

18:57 But in my case actually was lucky that there was some kind of a unforeseen situation happened before I came back to India as well for my kid he met with an accident, so but luckily actually my company was covering for my family as well. So, I was bit lucky in that scenario. Yeah. And yeah, and another thing I just I missed to add on before, right? I mean, that was another factor because my kid was met with some unforeseen situation. I so also thought that I think maybe I need to take I need to bring them to back India at least for some time to take care of the kind of the health issues as well. So, that another aspect actually. Sorry, I missed it before conversation as well. >> No, no worries. No worries.

19:42 >> Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, overall the cost of living will be definitely higher. so, what I see is that when you have a two wife and husband working, then the life will be very good, very comfortable, very secure. I mean, I mean, you can get everything there. I mean, sometimes you may not feel that you are away from your country as well. because the culture is there itself is kind of a multinational culture over there. Right? So, yeah, life is good Got it. >> Definitely, if you ask me compared to other countries, for me I will always choose a Singapore. Got it. Understood.

20:19 So, I think you mentioned that you moved to Visakhapatnam. so, I also understand I think you took a break from your career, right? and like so, you Was it intentional or like did you try to find some job or opportunities in Visakhapatnam and you couldn't find it or it's just that you want to take a break? okay. So, the thing is I had the intention to take the break, but not for a longer period of time. I thought that probably after coming back from Singapore, I may take some break for almost like three to four months. That was my plan initially. And that's how I did it. And after the three to four months, and I slowly started exploring as well, but not so actively. but yes, I was exploring the opportunities, but definitely in Visakhapatnam may not be the right place as well, especially for the IT industry.

21:13 So, I was exploring the opportunities in Hyderabad, Bangalore, these kind of the cities. But, the call rate was very low, frankly speaking, and the expectations are also, I mean I mean my expectations of for the salary in point of thing is actually it was a not able to meet as well sometimes. sometimes the calls were I wasn't even receiving the call and they just give you some interviews and all these things, but nothing was kind of formal in terms of going to the next calls, all these things would happen actually. In the first Yeah. Got it. So, let's talk a little bit on the career side, right? Because you worked in Singapore for 16 years, you worked in India for some time, and so on. how is the work culture?

22:02 That's one aspect. And also the pay scale, right? I mean, because again, the cost of living is so high in in in Singapore. And you know, there's this difference, you know, purchase power parity and all that stuff. Like, if you have to give a range, like how much is the band here in India compared to what it is in Singapore? you know, in terms of someone making, let's say, $100,000 or maybe $200,000, and then how it will be compared here. that's Those are two things that you we can talk a little bit about it. in terms of the comparison, I mean, what I see in the India market is that, right? I mean, I think people are getting the good salary as well. I mean, when I compare with Singapore with in India, the only the thing that you can see the difference is that the savings will be more. Let's say that if you are in India and you have your own house, when you get a good pay around, then you can have a good savings in India.

23:01 But, specifically when you stay abroad in Singapore, you may not able to have much savings compared to India. That's the one aspect what I see. but I didn't experience it, so I cannot tell firmly on that. But based on what I see is that how much of my some of the friends are withdrawing, it's like more or less I think it's in the kind of similar range, and it's again for a I mean there are few people who are similar to my experience on a lower band as well, but most of the people I see here, they are on same same kind of a salary ranges as well. So, Singapore and India, same salary range? There are few people. I mean in a way what I say is that I met few of my friends. They are at that level because again depends on the the position they are holding in India.

23:57 Okay, got it. So, let's talk about the

24:00 Kids. I think at the time of transition, they are in the primary school, right? Like how did they transition? how did you choose the curriculum of the schools? Like anything that you can share on that? Yeah, sure. I mean kids honestly initial phase were not that easy actually. because specifically on the environment wise, because I know that I was staying in Visakhapatnam and the place where I was staying she's kind of mostly pollution is a lot actually because of some of the industries areas and all, so, after they came down here, it was not easy for them because almost like they six months they need to go to the hospitals all and off. Every every month, I think my wife she needs to go to the hospital and take it. And it took it took almost like a 1 year I could say say kind of 1 year.

24:54 It's mostly from the health aspect, but not from my kind of the adjusting to the school environment. And the way I selected the curriculum as well, right? Because they were studying the IGCSE over there in Singapore. My thought process was that I don't know because maybe later if I don't find the things doesn't work well here, my thought process is that probably it is maybe I can take them back to the Singapore if So, initially my thought was that and so I made them to join the same IGCSE curriculum as well. Luckily, I was able to find a school over here in near my place as well. I mean that is international school and they are kind of affiliated to IGCSE as well.

25:40 And that's how I admitted them to that particular school as well. And in terms of the education wise, the standards wise may not be so you cannot compare with what you have outside. Although they say IGCSE frankly speaking. I mean because this could be a kind of information for the rest of the audience as well. you cannot expect the same standards. I mean I don't know about the Hyderabad, Bangalore. Personally, what I see in Secunderabad, although they say IGCSE goes international curriculum and all, but it's not up to the par as well. >> Yeah.

26:19 Yeah. So, how is the life in India? Like you know, how is your mom doing? Life in India, you know, the reasons why you came and all that stuff. Yeah. I mean yeah, I mean in India, I'm very happy actually after coming down here. Initially, it was everything okay because my mother, she's also happy because she because I came after 1 year, so she already settled with the my kids and everything. It was working fine as well. But again, for me initially for a few of the months, it was okay, but after a few of the months, I mean things may not be the same standard all the way. Yeah. Got it. I know I think So, just to confirm, like I think from your immigration status, you can go back to Singapore anytime you you you prefer.

27:06 Is that right? Or like yeah. I mean, it's it's again depends on the situation I need to act upon. But my preference is actually in India India mostly. but let's say that I find any opportunity, but that could be kind of a temporary opportunity, I would say. And but mostly yeah, mostly I need to think about it. I again, it's based on the situation, frankly I'm not yeah, because nothing Sometimes we plan the things, but of course, planning is very important. I don't deny on that. But something things may change. Yes. >> Whatever the deal is, actually. Got it. And how did Desi Return

27:50 Platform help with your move back to India, if it has yeah? Yeah, exactly. I mean, the thing is As I mentioned, my always I have on top of my mind that I need to go back to India and take some break. That was my thought process always running in my mind, right? And then and in between when I see the Desi Returns, because I think I saw your videos in the YouTube initially. And then I started following because there are a lot of videos ongoing then. Then I think my thought process became very strong enough that pushed me that oh, I think then I need to. Because I I'm not the person who have this kind of thought process. I mean, there are people around the world, right? Who really have this kind of situations and who have been abroad for a couple of years, and they feel that their roots are in India. I mean, they should have some kind of family bond. I mean, all these things also really pushed me and firmly helped me to take the decision as well. Yeah. Yeah,

28:52 Okay. Great. Thanks. is there any topic that we haven't

28:56 Covered or any advice that you would give you know, for people who are listening to us? I think what I really want to emphasize or share with the rest of the people, right? when you are taking any kind of a decision, especially moving back from the abroad to India, right? don't just take the experience of your of the other people because >> every individual has their own experience. but you you should take the inputs from them, but in terms of the taking the decision should be depends on your environment. Let's say that in your India, how your family roots are, how is your family bonding, and where you need to This planning should be should be I mean, planned well. And and what I really say is that you should be in a position to take whether it's good or bad.

29:52 I mean, that is really very important, actually. Yeah, agree. everybody's journey is different, and you have to consider your own decision and make an informed decision and whether it's good or bad, and you don't want to have it. Yeah, because I seen couple of people, I mean, who has been detained and it could be a base because of their family pressure or whatever other reasons. They felt that, "Oh, I shouldn't have taken this kind of a decision." I mean, because it may not be straightforward. I mean, when you are outside, right? The things that you listen and hear maybe good, but when you when you when you be in that situation, when you really face that, then your perspective may change.

30:45 Right, so yeah. Yeah, I agree. I know there is one topic that we haven't covered. Just want to make sure, especially for folks who are moving back from Singapore, right? Because you lived there for 16 years. You know, anything that you can share on the financial aspect, especially for example, the pension funds or like retirement funds or anything like that, if there is something that exists. You know, some of these stocks or like equities like you know, how did you manage or how did you plan or anything that you wanted to share on that? Okay, from a financial aspect, right? I mean, I'm not a kind of a stocks person. I mean, especially in Singapore, I didn't invest in any of the stocks, frankly speaking. But as I was planning to move back to India, so 2 years before actually I started investing in India stocks, mostly on the mutual funds, not on the kind of a stocks kind of a mutual funds.

31:41 But in Singapore, you have a you have options on the kind of a savings because I mean, unless you have a plan from a long-term point of view, let's say that you want to get a PR over here, you want to have a kid, then there are kind of accounts that you can open where you can have a park your funds which kind of a kind retirement scheme kind of the accounts that you can open. That will be beneficial as well. The second difference, but there are a lot of options. I don't deny that, but I didn't explore much, frankly speaking, in terms of the financial aspect because my investments are mostly in India actually. Got it. Yeah, so yeah. Cool. Yeah, so thank you very much, Shiva, for taking the time, sharing your story in terms of the thought process and you know, how you made the move. So really appreciate and good luck with everything. Thank you.

32:38 Thank you very much. Have a nice Thank you very much for the time. Yeah. Great. Thanks, sir.

Podcast

After 16 Years in Singapore, Why a Single-Income Family Returned to India

Avinash

16 Apr 202615 min read33 min watchUpdated 18 Jun 2026

In this story

Key Takeaways
How the Singapore chapter began
What life in Singapore actually gave the family
Why the India return became serious
Why single-income pressure changed the math
How he reduced risk before moving
What happened on the career side after return
How the children handled school and environment
What life in India feels like now
The strongest lessons from this story
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
Final thought

Real Return Stories | Episode #196

After 16 Years in Singapore, Why a Single-Income Family Returned to India

By Avinash, NRI Return Specialist Published: April 16, 2026 | Last updated: June 18, 2026

Singapore to India Single Income Tier-2 Landing Kids and Schooling Visakhapatnam

Key Takeaways

Siva finished graduation in 2005, had shorter Belgium and UK chapters, and then spent the long stretch of his overseas life in Singapore from around 2009 until returning last year.
He describes Singapore as safe, comfortable, well-structured, and especially convenient because India is only about a four-hour flight away.
The return decision was gradual, not sudden. Missing family moments, wanting children to bond with grandparents, and his mother's age all mattered.
Single-income pressure made the move harder to postpone. Rising rent, school fees, and healthcare costs changed the math.
He sent his family to India about a year earlier so the children could settle before his own final move.
His India landing plan was explicitly risk-mitigated: start near the native place in a tier-2 city so the family could sustain for a year even if the right job did not appear immediately.
The children's harder adjustment was health and environment, not just school. Even after keeping the IGCSE curriculum, he says standards in smaller Indian cities may not match what families expect abroad.
He is happy after returning, but he does not romanticize India. The tradeoffs are real, and he repeatedly says every family must decide based on its own conditions.

2026 planning snapshot for single-income Singapore-to-India families

How the Singapore chapter began

What life in Singapore actually gave the family

"Life in Singapore is very good."