Singapore offers much to do and a quality of life unavailable in many parts of the world. Its healthcare and medical standards are extremely high, and the streets are safe and clean. Given those reasons, it's understandable that the country is a favorite among expats seeking to live and work there.

Unfortunately, the key to living in Singapore as a foreign national is to work or invest in the country. When it comes to retiring to the island, the situation does change somewhat. While the government is liberal when it comes to opening its borders to talented individuals seeking to work or invest there, the reality is that it's much less liberal when it comes to allowing long-term stays for individuals who will not be contributing to the economy through work or significant investment. In fact, without applying for and being granted Singaporean Permanent Resident status during the time they are working under a pass and are less than the age of 50, a foreign national cannot outstay their EP/S Pass or investor/entrepreneur programme.

For individuals who have not previously worked in the country and/or obtained permanent residency, the only remaining option allowing them to retire in Singapore is to provide significant investment into the economy (minimum of SGD$1,000,000). As such, the opportunities for many who might want to retire to the island nation are limited.

One last point is that while the cost of living in the country is relatively cheap compared to cities like Tokyo or New York, living in Singapore is still fairly expensive compared to many other places that expats are likely to consider retiring to. This is especially true for those who will be living on a moderate or fixed-budget during retirement.