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This guide is written for expats, digital nomads, and retirees who are trying to decide if Tanjong Pagar is the right neighborhood for them. Before moving to Singapore, you should consider how close Tanjong Pagar is to dining, entertainment, shops, education, healthcare, and transportation.
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To make it easy for you, Pacific Prime has compiled all that info for you in this single article. By the time you get to the end, you will have a much better understanding of whether or not Tanjong Pagar will meet your individual needs and living style.
If you decide Tanjong Pagar isn’t the right neighborhood, or even if you’re on the fence, we suggest checking other great places to live in Singapore for expats.
Introducing Tanjong Pagar Singapore To Expats
Tanjong Pagar is a small region in southeastern Singapore. Snuggly fitting between Chinatown and Bukit Merah, Tanjong Pagar is sandwiched by Kampong Bahru Road to the north and Keppel Viaduct to the south. This area is known for its cultural monuments, prosperous hub port, and local street art.
History And Background Of Tanjong Pagar
Tanjong Pagar translates to “cape of stakes/barricade,” and in history, Tanjong Pagar was a port fishing village, trading hub, and agricultural plantation. The name probably is a reference to the fishing nets that used to line the shores of the village when the houses were on wooden stilts.
Living In Tanjong Pagar As An Expat
Expats living in Tanjong Pagar have many housing options as there are a wide variety of apartment and condominium complexes and many record-high sky risers. For example, the Pinnacle@Duxton is a 50-story set of seven connected towers with the two longest sky gardens ever built on skyscrapers.
Here are a few more housing options:
- Onze @ Tanjong Pagar: This condominium complex has gorgeous views over the Singapore Strait. On average they sell at S$ 2,356 (USD $1,743) per square foot, and they rent from S$ 4.40 – S$ 8.0 (USD $3.26 – $5.92) per square foot per month.
- Altez: These apartments and condominiums shoot up 62 stories into the sky. They usually sell for S$ 1,790 – S$ 2,180 (USD $1,324 – $1,613) per square foot, and they rent from S$ 5.10 – S$ 9.40 (USD $3.77 – $6.96) per square foot per month.
- Craig Place: These condominiums are situated off Craig Road. They sell for S$ 1,885 – S$ 1,904 per square foot, and they rent for S$ 4.10 – S$ 8.0 per square foot per month.
If you’re interested in buying a landed property as a foreigner, you should know that you must have approval from the LDAU (Land Dealings Approval Unit.) In general, purchasing a condominium without land is easier and less expensive, especially for expats.
Tanjong Pagar Tips For Expats
If you’re an expat moving to Tanjong Pagar, you will be in the city center, so you’ll want to prepare for deep city life. Some tips to prepare include getting into shape since you’ll be walking a lot and making sure you can afford to live where things are more expensive.
Here are a few more tips for expats:
- Tanjong Pagar has excellent transportation, so you’ll be able to get around using the MRT railways quite well. Become familiar with their routes.
- The nightlife is vibrant in Tanjong Pagar, especially the pubs and bars near Ann Siang Hill
- Budget carefully since things are more expensive right in the city center
- Prepare for the weather. The climate is tropical with high humidity and temperatures year round and plenty of rain
- This is a location very popular among expats, so find a community of foreigners to help you feel at home
Dining And Entertainment In Tanjong Pagar
Tanjong Pagar is home to the Maxwell Food Center, one of the most popular hawker centers in Singapore. There are plenty of dining opportunities there, as well as at other popular locations in Tanjong Pagar, such as the Blue Ginger and Bara Food. For entertainment, try the bar Potato Head Singapore.
Here are some highly rated dining and entertainment locations in Tanjong Pagar:
- Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice: This chicken rice is considered some of the very best, and it’s located in a hawker stall at the Maxwell Food Center
- Zhen Zhen Porridge: This hawker stall at the Maxwell Food Center has the most flavorful Cantonese porridge
- Ginza Tendon Itsuki: This is a tempura donburi restaurant and a popular ramen chain that’s famous in Tokyo, Japan
- Bar-Roque Grill: If you’re looking for a French steakhouse, try this restaurant at the Amara Hotel
- Jigger & Pony: This cocktail bar at the Amara Hotel is relaxed and has a light menu
- Jekyll & Hyde: This restaurant has stunning local cuisine and drinks at 74 Neil Road
- Tippling Club: This gourmet restaurant has ambitious cocktails and artfully fine dining at 38 Tanjong Pagar Road
Shopping And Markets In Tanjong Pagar
Tanjong Pagar Plaza is one of the main shopping centers in Tanjong Pagar, and where you can find most of what you’ll need. Tanjong Pagar Market and Food Center is the main supermarket in Tanjong Pagar, and it is quite a popular place to window shop and explore. Both are near the MRT station.
In addition to Tanjong Pagar Plaza and Tanjong Pagar Market and Food Center, we’ve gathered a list of additional stores and markets in Tanjong Pagar many expats like:
- 100 AM: This is a modern shopping center with 5 floors of restaurants and retailers
- Little Farms Market: This gourmet grocery store is located at Guoco Tower and is great for those living on the east side of Tanjong Pagar
- Fairprice: This grocery store is located at Tanjong Pagar Plaza, and it’s open 24/7
- Treatsure Concept Store: This is another gourmet grocery store, and it’s on the 3rd floor of Oxley Tower in central Tanjong Pagar
- Guoco Tower: This is another shopping mall at 1 Wallich St, and it’s open 24/7. It is also used for offices, retail, residences, and other events
Cultural And Recreational Activities In Tanjong Pagar
When it comes to cultural and recreational activities in Tanjong Pagar, there is so much more than you can imagine. At the top of your list should be visiting Guoco Tower, the tallest building in all of Singapore, and the Skybridge and Sky Garden, which are 50 stories in the sky at Pinnacle@Duxton.
Here’s our list of some of the best activities to do in Tanjong Pagar:
- Club Pilates: This pilates studio off Tanjong Pagar Road is a great way to get in your exercise without having to travel far to do it
- Al-Abrar Mosque: You can visit this mosque off Telok Ayer Street
- Nagore Dargah: This is an Indian Muslim Heritage Center and is considered a National Monument. It is located on Telok Ayer Street
- Thian Hock Keng Temple: This Taoist temple is a living monument and an architectural masterpiece. Well worth a visit!
- Baba House: This is a traditional Peranakan house with rich culture and history. It is located in Singapore’s historic district in Blair Plain, and its conservation is used for architectural research
- Red Dot Design Museum: This is a boutique museum off the Waterfront Promenade at the Marina Bay
Education And Healthcare In Tanjong Pagar
While there are many institutions for preschool-aged children in Tanjong Pagar, there aren’t many centers for primary and secondary-aged students. In terms of healthcare, Tanjong Pagar is across the street from Singapore General Hospital, one of the leading academic medical centers in the world.
Read on to learn more about the education and healthcare in Tanjong Pagar.
Education In Tanjong Pagar For Expats
There are a large handful of preschools in Tanjong Pagar which will interest expats with young children. Other educational opportunities include International Baccalaureate and a Russian school called KIT Green. Tanjong Pagar does not have many schools for older students.
- International Baccalaureate: Expats may be interested in this international school for school-aged students located on Hoe Chiang Road
- Sparkle Tots Preschool: This preschool has 21st-century educators dedicated to creating a safe, secure learning environment
- KIT Green: This school is open 24 hours and is located on Shenton Way
Healthcare In Tanjong Pagar For Expats
Tanjong Pagar is an excellent location for expats to live when it comes to healthcare. Next door to the Singapore General Hospital, you don’t have to travel far to get the care you need. This hospital ranks as the 8th best in the world’s top 100 academic hospitals.
There are also at least a dozen healthcare clinics within the region with ATA Medical Clinic ranking at the top.
If you don’t yet have international healthcare secured for when you move, let Pacific Prime Singapore make it easy for you. We have many insurance plans specifically designed with expats and digital nomads in mind.
Read more about each of these to decide which one fits your needs:
- International Health Insurance
- Family Health Insurance
- Expat Health Insurance
- Travel and Short Term Health Insurance
- Senior Citizens Health Insurance
Transportation For Tanjong Pagar
Tanjong Pagar has excellent transportation because it has multiple MRT railway stops, making it easy to get around the area as well as to travel throughout Singapore. There are also quite a few bus stops in the area you can use through SBS Transit and other bus operators.
To use the buses, learn more about each bus operator:
Tanjong Pagar is near each of these MRT stations:
- Tanjong Pagar MRT
- Raffles Place MRT
- Telok Ayer MRT
- Outram Park MRT
- Shenton Way MRT
- Chinatown MRT
- Clarke Quay MRT
- Downtown MRT
- Marina Bay MRT
Conclusion
Now that we have learned about the food, fun, and health opportunities in Tanjong Pagar, you should have a much better idea of whether or not this is the right area for you to live in. If you do choose to move here, you’ll be among many fellow expats who chose the same.
If you’re still not quite sure, you won’t want to miss our articles about Tiong Bahru and Serangoon or other excellent expat regions in Singapore.
As always, contact an insurance expert at Pacific Prime today to get your foreign healthcare questions answered!
Serena earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. As such, she is an avid advocate of mental health and is fascinated by all things psychology (especially if it’s cognitive psychology!).
Her previous work experience includes teaching toddlers to read, writing for a travel/wellness online magazine, and then a business news blog. These combined experiences give her the skills and insights she needs to explain complex ideas in a succinct way. Being the daughter of an immigrant and a traveler herself, she is passionate about educating expats and digital nomads on travel and international health insurance.
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