It's a bit naïve to compare Night City to any singular city. Comparisons can only go so far and only so much as you're stretching them to some degree.

Singapore, while an apt comparison for NC's free city status, is no where close to corporate hell that NC is.

And NC's income coming from property is a bit of a stretch.

The allure of NC is quite clearly stated multiple times. Freedom. Freedom to dream, or whatever other feel good nonsense gonks like to believe in.

And they believe it, because NC does offer those freedoms to dream. But not for common folk, rather to corporations.

In other cities, and countries, quite like Singapore, a corporation would have to exert some level of lobbying, political manipulation, conforming the laws to suit their needs. Night City does not need that.

The city originally was designed by Richard Night himself, to be a corporate haven, a shining beacon of "enlightened capitalism". And that's exactly what it is.

The logic behind this is easy to grasp. In real life, the closest comparison to Night City is Singapore, a city state based on an island with land extensions through soil dumping. I'm not gonna make this political so I will avoid naming names as to how Singapore's 'order' comes at the expense of its own people.

What I can safely say is the similarities. Just like Singapore, Night City's income relies mainly on property prices. And just like Singapore, it is relatively isolated. Night Corp, the company behind Night City, is just like how Singapore functions.