I love visiting Singapore (from Thailand) but I can't imagine living there for any more than about 12 months at a push. What are the chances you will ever in your life be able to afford to buy anything bigger than an apartment/condo (aka a house on a piece of land) in Singapore?
Maybe it's OK from an American perspective but I can't imagine anything worse than living your entire life in a box surrounded by other people in their own little boxes.
About the same as in Paris, London, New York or Tokyo. The difference being there's no "outer suburbs" where you can get a landed property cheap at the cost of a 1h+ commute. At the end of the day, where you live is about acceptable trade-offs. London hedge fund managers bid millions of pounds on houses in SW7 that an accountant in Ohio would pass for $200,000.
I have many friends in Bangkok raving about the quality of life there, but I think it's for an earlier stage of life. At this point in time, I value the rule of law, equality before the law for citizen and foreigners, stable infrastructure, stable non-corrupt government, etc. much more than I used to, and cities like Bangkok (or any PRC city) whilst a bit more exciting are just too much work.
In terms of actually running a business, every company I know of that has its owners in Bangkok somehow has incorporated in Singapore or is owned by a Singapore holding company. I think that has to do with farang ownership restrictions, again, didn't look too deep into it.
Again, it's a very personal outlook and if I could go back in time 10 years, I would head straight for somewhere like Bangkok or Beijing.
The other thing is that when I get box fever (which is rare, my box is comfortable) I just fly somewhere. You can rent a 2 bedroom bungalow steps from the (deserted) beach on Rottnest Island offshore Perth for around $120/night. The flight takes 5 hours and the ferry another 45 minutes. One of many options, including Thailand and Bali.
So.. slim to fuck all?
> I have many friends in Bangkok raving about the quality of life there.
For reference, I'm not advocating for Bangkok either - frankly as a city-vs-city comparison Bangkok is less liveable than Singapore.
There are limits on foreign ownership but its definitely possible to base your company here.
> I think it's for an earlier stage of life
> when I get box fever (which is rare, my box is comfortable) I just fly somewhere
I don't understand how these two phrases fit into the context. To me, living in a shoebox apartment in the middle of a city without a car (which could be either BKK or SIN) "is for an earlier stage of life". When I moved out from my parents place, I moved into a series of small apartments, which progressively got bigger until now when we're back in a real house on a piece of land, and our child(ren) will grow up with a garden to run around in like I had as a kid.
I came here from Australia, so while I understand what you mean about stability of government and rule of law - I've come to appreciate the freedom that a lack of red-tape provides. Yes, I have to be more personally diligent and responsible, and yes I get some weird looks because I've put on a seatbelt, or used a car-seat for a child, or worn a bicycle helmet, or used a drill and screws rather than a nail to hang something on a concrete/brick wall, but I'm ok with that.
I don't particularly need a police officer fining me for driving 5km over the speed limit on a highway in the middle of nowhere to understand the benefits of a car seat for a child.