Man asks how much income a family needs in SG with two kids and a SAHM wife, netizens respond: ‘S$7-11k’

SINGAPORE: With Singapore’s fertility rate falling to a record low of 0.87, conversations about the cost of raising children have once again come to the forefront.

In a recent discussion on the r/asksg forum, one man asked fellow Singaporeans: How much would a household realistically need to earn if the family had two children, the wife stayed home as a full-time mum, and they owned a car while living in an HDB flat?

The question quickly drew a range of responses from locals who weighed in with their own estimates and experiences.

A common view among many commenters was that if a man intends to be the sole breadwinner in such a household, his monthly income would likely need to fall somewhere in the range of S$7,000 to S$11,000 to manage the family’s expenses comfortably.

One user shared, “My family is in this exact scenario. My wife is a SAHM (stay-at-home mother) after COVID due to burnout with our kids and work. I was drawing S$8,000 and have been promoted to now around S$11,000. (Before minus CPF). I would say it is very comfortable for 2 kids. Got savings, can choose what we want.”

He added, “I’ve been lucky enough that my team got retrenched, but I was kept because I sat in a very influential position. In another job, my former manager, he was let go, and he passed away after a year of not being able to find a job. The pressure got to him, and he died from a heart attack.”

Another commented, “To be honest, S$8-10k (before CPF) is enough if you don’t have any other debts other than the car and your mortgage. But you gotta be realistic about your spending habits, like not eating out at expensive restaurants often, etc.”

Others said that the head of the household would need more than S$11,000 to get by. One wrote, “S$25,000 minimum. Factor in a helper and stuff for your wife to do/shop, tuition fees for your kids, CCAs, hobbies, mortgage, car loan, etc.”

Another echoed this, saying, “S$25,000 to maintain a decent lifestyle.”

Some, however, pointed out that it ultimately depends on the parents’ lifestyle and spending habits. If they are willing to skip holidays or avoid sending their children to ‘atas’ enrichment classes, the family could manage on even less than S$7,000.

One said, “Stay-at-home mum here with 2 kids but no car and living in HDB. We have a helper and tingkat food, so my job is mainly to take care of the infant only and pump milk.”

“Hubby's take-home pay is about S$3,800. Our expenses currently are just more than income, so we're dipping into savings (we did save up for 5 years as DINKs before trying to conceive). We also sacrificed holidays; anyway, personally, I don't find it enjoyable to travel while they're too young.”

Another commenter added that raising children on even S$3,000 a month is technically possible, though it would require significant sacrifices.

“S$3,000 also can. Cook at home. Clothes, textbooks, and electronics use hand-me-downs. Don’t buy branded goods. Holidays also need to be cut down. Some now get more subsidies or government assistance compared to before. But are you willing to make the sacrifice?”

In other news, a man has ignited a firestorm online after boldly claiming that the job market was much harsher in his day and questioning if today’s younger generation could even handle the challenges of that era.

On Thursday (Feb 26), he posted on the r/singaporejobs forum, saying, “Nowadays, I keep hearing from people that jobs are rare these days? Is it really that bad? But if so, why do HDB prices keep climbing, which does not reflect the reality on the ground? How many people can really last a period of 6-7 years doing temp or contract jobs and then sleep at home when the job offer ends nowadays?”

Read more: Man says job market was harsher in his day, sparks backlash from young Singaporeans: ‘Boomer mentality—only their generation’s suffering matters’