Most Singaporeans prefer their home town to Hong Kong. It is cleaner, works more smoothly, does not have dismally polluted air and the food is better, many will say.
But in one important respect, Singaporeans from all walks of life tend to take their hats off to the people of Hong Kong.
The place, they admit, simply buzzes with ideas, activity and - critically - entrepreneurship. The SAR tourist board's rather blunt catchphrase - 'Hong Kong: City of Life' - does rather highlight the difference.
Singapore's collective appetite for risk-taking is somewhat subdued, a point often acknowledged by policymakers, most recently by S. Dhanabalan, former government minister and head of Temasek, the state's sprawling holding company.
Mr Dhanabalan's views are worth noting as he has been a key player in the Singapore establishment for decades.
'Why would anyone want to go into business?' he asked at a recent dinner.