Guides

Practical, answer-first guides for each section of the site, written by our editors and linked to official sources. 8 guides, updated 13 November 2026.

🍽️ Food

• Michelin Guide Singapore explained: stars, Bib Gourmand and hawker stalls
  What Michelin stars, the Bib Gourmand and the Selected list mean in Singapore, how hawkers fit in, and how to use the guide well.

🏙️ Places

• Hawker centre etiquette: how to order, chope a table, return your tray and read kopi codes
  How Singapore hawker centres work for first-timers: finding a seat, ordering at each stall, paying, returning trays and decoding kopi and teh orders.
• When to visit Singapore: weather, monsoon seasons and the festival calendar
  Singapore's climate month by month, the two monsoons and inter-monsoon thunderstorms, haze, and the festivals worth planning a trip around.
• Getting around Singapore: MRT, buses, EZ-Link, SimplyGo and contactless cards
  How to pay for and use Singapore's MRT and public buses, which cards work, what to know about taxis and ride-hailing, and the rules on trains.

🏢 Properties

• Buying a condo in Singapore: tenure, stamp duties, TOP and executive condo rules explained
  How private condo and EC purchases work in Singapore: freehold vs leasehold, buyer's and additional buyer's stamp duty, the OTP, progressive payments, TOP and EC eligibility. Not financial advice.

🧰 Services

• Hiring a renovation contractor or interior designer in Singapore: HDB DRC, CaseTrust and payment milestones
  What to check before you sign with a renovation contractor or interior designer in Singapore: HDB-registered contractors, permits, CaseTrust accreditation, contracts and how to stage payments.
• Hiring a domestic helper through a maid agency in Singapore: MOM licensing, fees and insurance
  How to hire a migrant domestic worker in Singapore: checking an employment agency's MOM licence, the work permit process, employer obligations, insurance, levy and fees.

🏥 Healthcare

• Public vs private healthcare in Singapore: polyclinics, CHAS, MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans
  How Singapore's public and private healthcare fit together: polyclinics and public hospitals, private GPs and hospitals, CHAS and Healthier SG subsidies, MediSave, MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans. Facts only, not medical advice.