SINGAPORE: The growing disparity between Gen X’s and Gen Z’s financial realities has come to light after a woman in her mid-20s shared online that she is struggling to get by on a salary that her senior colleague seems to find more than enough.
The woman, who posted anonymously on NUSWhispers on Monday (Mar 6), said she and a colleague in her mid-40s both recently received pay increments, bringing their monthly income to around S$6,000.
However, when she ranted to her colleague that the amount “is barely enough to live comfortably” in Singapore, she was met with a response that left her both shocked and bewildered.
“My colleague said that she’s ok with her current salary because her 4-room HDB and car are paid off, and 2 sons are going to NS soon, so there’s no need to give them allowance. Just pay their uni tuition and then retire liao,” the woman recalled.
Her colleague also mentioned that her husband earns less than she does and does not hold a degree, yet somehow their finances remain entirely stable and stress-free.
“I asked her if she strike Toto, inheritance, or invests, and she said no. Every month, salary just park in the bank or fixed deposit.”
Despite earning more as a household, the younger woman and her husband feel far less secure. “My husband and I combined definitely make more than them, but I don’t think we will ever be able to afford a car or 2 kids in this lifetime. Even paying off our BTO mortgage will take around 20 years. I’m so perplexed.”
Frustrated, she questioned the point of all her hard work. “Sometimes I think, what’s the point in studying so hard, getting a postgraduate degree, and scrimping and saving every month when the biggest disadvantage was not being born 15 years earlier when housing/car ownership/having kids was actually affordable in SG?”
“I think it has to do with your mentality.”
The post drew a lot of criticism, with many people saying that the young woman’s salary should be more than enough to live comfortably in Singapore. Some pointed out that her struggles might be more about personal spending and lifestyle choices rather than the actual amount she earns.
One bluntly told her, “That’s a you problem. I earn a combined income of S$7K with my spouse. I’m in my late 20s. I can afford a new car, an HDB mortgage, and holidays outside of Asia.”
Another echoed this view, writing, “Do self-reflection instead of blaming external factors. If a family that earns less than you can do it and you can’t, then you yourself are the problem.”
A third added, “I think it has to do with your mentality. She maybe doesn’t travel, doesn’t buy branded, doesn’t eat at restaurants, just owns a car, pays loans, watches K-dramas, and eats home-cooked meals enough liao. Simple, simple, easier to save money.”
Some added that the older colleague probably faced her own financial struggles when she was younger, so it wasn’t fair for the young woman to assume life was easier just because she was born 15 years earlier.
One said, “She probably started off at a S$2k+ salary in her 20s. Twenty years ago, a 4-room BTO was in the S$250k range. Today’s 4-room BTO is in the S$500k range. Bottom line, I don’t think you are behind.”
Another wrote, “It’s always the same when comparing yourself with people in different stages of life. Just spend within your means, and everything will work out. Don’t become a slave to money; it brings no happiness.”
In other news, a Singaporean woman has decided to put her entire life plan, including having children, on hold after yet another round of job applications led nowhere.
Posting on the r/askSingapore forum, she said she has spent the past month sending out applications with little to show for it.
Read more: ‘I can’t see myself having children in 5 years’: SG woman puts life plans on hold amid job hunt struggles
