FAQ

Data-driven answers

Is freehold or leasehold better?

Over the last decade, freehold condos have commanded a 5–15% median PSF premium over 99-year leasehold equivalents in the same district — but the gap varies sharply by location and building class. In prime districts (D9, D10, D11), freehold commands a consistent premium because the absolute prices are higher and buyers are more tenure-sensitive. In suburban districts, the gap often collapses to under 5% — buyers optimise on price per sqft, not tenure.

The more important question for most buyers is remaining lease, not original tenure. A 99-year leasehold with 85+ years remaining transacts at near-parity with freehold. The discount accelerates sharply below 60 years.

Bottom line: For a buy-and-hold horizon of 10–20 years, freehold is the better store of value. For a 5–7 year owner-occupier horizon, a young 99-year leasehold at the right price is often the better financial decision.

All districts · yearly median PSF · Singapore condos + landed

See district-by-district breakdown and hold-period simulator →

If I go for leasehold, at what remaining lease does it become non-viable?

The chart shows median PSF for 99-year leasehold condos grouped by remaining lease at time of sale, across the last 10 years of transactions. Each band captures what buyers actually paid — not a theoretical decay curve.

The data consistently shows the discount accelerates sharply below 60 years remaining. Above 60 years, PSF holds close to freehold parity. Between 40–59 years, the discount widens to roughly 15–25%. Below 40 years, properties trade at a meaningful haircut and — critically — CPF usage is restricted, which reduces the eligible buyer pool and further dampens liquidity.

Practical threshold: For most buyers, 60 years remaining is the floor for a liquid, CPF-eligible asset. Below 40 years, factor in the financing constraints and haircut both in your offer price and your expected exit PSF.

Data caveat: remaining lease is computed from the remaining_lease field recorded at time of transaction. Older records with missing values are excluded. Bands with fewer than 50 transactions are not shown.

99-yr leasehold condos · last 10 years · Singapore

Which performs better — 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, 4-bedroom, or 5-bedroom?

The chart uses HDB resale data — the most liquid and data-rich segment in Singapore — to track median PSF by flat type over the last 10 years. Private condo bedroom data is not standardised across URA’s caveat records (the unit-type field is freeform), so the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison is the HDB flat-type taxonomy: 1-Room through Executive.

The consistent finding across cycles: smaller flat types (3-Room and below) deliver stronger PSF growth. This is partly compositional — smaller units are in higher demand from first-time buyers and investors, and their absolute price points face less resistance. 4-Room and 5-Room flats, while commanding lower PSF, often deliver better absolute dollar gains because of their larger area.

Executive flats are an outlier: their PSF is compressed by limited liquidity (fewer buyers qualify for the loan quantum), but they are good value on a per-sqft basis in high-demand towns.

For private condos, the proxy rule-of-thumb is: 1–2 bedroom units tend to command the highest PSF (investor demand, yield-buyers, smaller ticket size) while 3–4 bedroom units offer the best absolute dollar appreciation in prime districts.

Data: HDB resale transactions only. flat_type as defined in the HDB resale dataset. ‘MULTI-GENERATION’ excluded (very low volume).

HDB resale · yearly median PSF · last 10 years · all Singapore towns

Which district should I buy into?

The chart shows condo median PSF by district over the last 10 years. Use the chips to select up to 5 districts to compare their price trajectories side by side. The ranking table below shows all active districts ranked by latest-year PSF, with 3-year CAGR and annual transaction count.

By latest PSF: D9 (Orchard/River Valley), D10 (Tanglin/Holland), and D11 (Newton/Novena) consistently lead. D1–D4 (CBD and Marina Bay corridor) follow closely with stronger growth momentum in recent years.

By 3-year CAGR: Mid-market districts D19 (Serangoon/Hougang) and D20 (Bishan/Ang Mo Kio) have delivered competitive growth at lower entry PSFs — the value play for buyers who cannot underwrite prime-district prices.

By liquidity (transaction count): D15 (Katong/ Marine Parade) and D19 consistently rank among the most active markets. Liquidity matters at exit — illiquid districts extend time-on-market and compress your negotiating leverage.

Practical framework: Pick districts where you understand the micro-location; filter by your budget (PSF × minimum unit size); check 3-yr CAGR and transaction count before committing. The district sets the macro; the specific development and floor level drive the micro.

Data: private condos only (URA caveats). Yearly median PSF = price / area_sqft, median across all condo transactions in that district and year. Districts with fewer than 20 transactions in a year are excluded from that year’s data point.

Select up to 5 districts to compare

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Private condos · yearly median PSF · last 10 years

Top 10 districts by latest median PSF

District	Latest PSF	3-yr CAGR	Txns (yr)
D6City	$3,347	+1.9%	1
D9Orchard	$3,103	+6.5%	682
D2Tanjong	$3,032	+9.9%	241
D1Raffles	$2,802	+13.7%	180
D16Bedok	$2,568	+19.0%	996
D7Bugis	$2,482	-1.7%	73
D5Pasir	$2,348	+8.6%	612
D3Tiong	$2,348	+1.7%	271
D10Tanglin	$2,309	-3.5%	377
D15Katong	$2,291	-1.1%	601