HDB · Buyers Guide · 2026
The cheapest towns to buy a 4 room HDB resale flat
By Winfred Quek · 8 minute read · Last reviewed October 2026
Sources checked: October 2026 · Data: HDB resale transactions on data.gov.sg
Key Takeaways
- The six cheapest towns have medians of $535,000 to $570,000, against $630,000 citywide. All are in the west or north.
- Queenstown is dearest, at $1,028,000, nearly double Jurong West.
- Flats with under 60 years of lease left sold at a median of $550,000, against $650,000 for those with 60 years or more.
- Short lease sales pull down the medians of Bedok, Ang Mo Kio and Clementi.
This guide ranks every HDB town by 4 room resale prices, shows how the order changes once remaining lease is controlled, and explains why the cheaper towns are cheaper.
How the ranking was built
The figures come from HDB resale transactions on data.gov.sg. I used the latest 12 full months, October 2025 to September 2026: 10,810 sales of 4 room flats. October 2026 is still in progress, so it is left out. The prior period, October 2024 to September 2025, had 11,364 sales.
For each town I worked out the median price (the middle sale), the 25th and 75th percentile (the middle half of sales sits between them), the median price per square metre and the median remaining lease. Percentiles are rounded to the nearest $1,000. Any figure based on fewer than 10 sales is left out.
Ranking 1: every 4 room sale, cheapest town first
| Rank | Town | Sales | Median price | Middle half of prices | Median per sqm | Median lease left (years) | Change on prior 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jurong West | 590 | $535,000 | $502,000 to $580,000 | $5,518 | 70.5 | −0.7% |
| 2 | Jurong East | 143 | $548,000 | $517,000 to $609,000 | $5,747 | 66.3 | +0.9% |
| 3 | Woodlands | 875 | $550,000 | $520,000 to $590,000 | $5,634 | 71.0 | −1.6% |
| 4 | Yishun | 780 | $550,000 | $510,000 to $600,000 | $5,893 | 61.6 | −2.8% |
| 5 | Choa Chu Kang | 497 | $555,000 | $525,000 to $590,000 | $5,481 | 72.0 | +0.4% |
| 6 | Bukit Panjang | 375 | $570,000 | $525,000 to $626,000 | $6,011 | 72.4 | +0.0% |
| 7 | Bedok | 510 | $594,000 | $530,000 to $816,000 | $6,440 | 59.5 | +1.5% |
| 8 | Sembawang | 386 | $600,000 | $548,000 to $667,000 | $6,461 | 90.4 | −4.4% |
| 9 | Ang Mo Kio | 280 | $615,000 | $549,000 to $940,000 | $6,482 | 54.2 | +3.7% |
| 10 | Hougang | 579 | $618,888 | $569,000 to $678,000 | $6,389 | 70.7 | −1.5% |
| 11 | Bukit Batok | 586 | $630,000 | $540,000 to $686,000 | $6,659 | 91.3 | +1.6% |
| 12 | Pasir Ris | 311 | $635,000 | $610,000 to $683,000 | $6,019 | 67.7 | +1.1% |
| 13 | Sengkang | 844 | $640,000 | $592,000 to $690,000 | $6,872 | 85.4 | −1.5% |
| 14 | Marine Parade | 37 | $645,000 | $600,000 to $678,000 | $7,681 | 48.2 | −0.4% |
| 15 | Serangoon | 177 | $660,000 | $610,000 to $728,000 | $6,905 | 59.2 | +0.3% |
| 16 | Tampines | 902 | $665,000 | $620,000 to $760,000 | $6,621 | 69.2 | −0.4% |
| 17 | Punggol | 848 | $680,000 | $638,000 to $730,000 | $7,354 | 88.4 | +1.2% |
| 18 | Geylang | 228 | $740,000 | $600,000 to $950,000 | $7,237 | 61.7 | −7.7% |
| 19 | Bishan | 191 | $788,000 | $710,000 to $850,000 | $7,857 | 63.0 | +1.0% |
| 20 | Clementi | 196 | $821,500 | $597,000 to $994,000 | $9,154 | 75.9 | −4.2% |
| 21 | Central Area | 75 | $870,000 | $780,000 to $1,350,000 | $9,976 | 75.5 | −33.1% |
| 22 | Kallang/Whampoa | 297 | $905,000 | $720,000 to $1,060,000 | $9,778 | 79.2 | +2.8% |
| 23 | Bukit Merah | 387 | $935,000 | $770,000 to $1,028,000 | $10,089 | 77.0 | +1.1% |
| 24 | Bukit Timah | 16 * | $938,000 | $920,000 to $961,000 | $9,019 | 61.5 | +7.6% |
| 25 | Toa Payoh | 401 | $1,000,000 | $820,000 to $1,100,000 | $11,064 | 91.1 | +2.0% |
| 26 | Queenstown | 299 | $1,028,000 | $930,000 to $1,129,000 | $11,505 | 87.7 | +4.4% |
Source: data.gov.sg, October 2025 to September 2026. * Fewer than 20 sales. Change compares medians with October 2024 to September 2025.
The bottom of the table is crowded. Six towns, Jurong West, Jurong East, Woodlands, Yishun, Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang, sit between $535,000 and $570,000. Jurong West is about 15% below the citywide median. Their median price per square metre is $5,481 to $6,011, against $6,611 citywide.
Size does not explain it. The citywide median 4 room flat is 93 square metres, and the median in Jurong West and Woodlands is larger, at 96 and 98. The five cheapest towns made 2,885 sales, about 27% of the total.
Ranking 2: only flats with at least 60 years of lease left
Remaining lease is a major driver of price, so this ranking keeps only the 8,663 sales with 60 years or more left. Marine Parade is left out because it had none.
| Rank | Town | Sales (60 years or more left) | Median price | Rank in Ranking 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jurong West | 483 | $545,000 | 1 |
| 2 | Choa Chu Kang | 479 | $555,000 | 5 |
| 3 | Woodlands | 776 | $558,444 | 3 |
| 4 | Bukit Panjang | 371 | $570,000 | 6 |
| 5 | Yishun | 561 | $575,000 | 4 |
| 6 | Sembawang | 386 | $600,000 | 8 |
| 7 | Jurong East | 77 | $603,000 | 2 |
| 8 | Pasir Ris | 311 | $635,000 | 12 |
| 9 | Hougang | 427 | $640,000 | 10 |
| 10 | Sengkang | 844 | $640,000 | 13 |
| 11 | Bukit Batok | 430 | $665,000 | 11 |
| 12 | Serangoon | 78 | $670,400 | 15 |
| 13 | Punggol | 848 | $680,000 | 17 |
| 14 | Tampines | 668 | $715,000 | 16 |
| 15 | Bishan | 145 | $810,000 | 19 |
| 16 | Bedok | 245 | $820,000 | 7 |
| 17 | Bukit Timah | 15 * | $938,000 | 24 |
| 18 | Geylang | 115 | $950,000 | 18 |
| 19 | Bukit Merah | 302 | $970,000 | 23 |
| 20 | Kallang/Whampoa | 220 | $970,000 | 22 |
| 21 | Ang Mo Kio | 125 | $972,000 | 9 |
| 22 | Clementi | 105 | $985,000 | 20 |
| 23 | Queenstown | 279 | $1,040,000 | 26 |
| 24 | Toa Payoh | 333 | $1,050,000 | 25 |
| 25 | Central Area | 40 | $1,350,000 | 21 |
Source: data.gov.sg, October 2025 to September 2026. * Fewer than 20 sales. Ranks are out of 25 towns here, 26 in Ranking 1.
Why the two rankings differ
The top of the list barely changes. Jurong West, Choa Chu Kang and Woodlands stay in the cheapest three. These towns sold mostly longer lease flats to begin with. In Jurong West, 82% of sales had 60 years or more left, and the median was $545,000 for those flats against $501,000 for the rest.
The middle and the older towns move a lot. Bedok sells a mix of short lease and longer lease flats, and its single median blends the two. Only 48% of its sales had 60 years or more left. Those flats had a median of $820,000, against $530,000 for the shorter lease ones. The same pattern shows in Ang Mo Kio ($972,000 against $558,000) and Clementi ($985,000 against $587,000). Short lease sales make their headline medians look moderate.
For a longer lease flat in an older town, Ranking 2 is the fairer guide. For a flat with under 60 years left, see buying an HDB resale flat with a short lease and how lease decay affects value.
Why the cheapest towns are cheaper
Several factors work together. This dataset measures some, and none of this is a forecast.
Remaining lease and flat age. The citywide median remaining lease was about 74 years. Yishun sat at 61.6 years and Jurong East at 66.3, and both are in the cheapest five. At the dear end it is the opposite: Toa Payoh had a median of 91.1 years left, Queenstown 87.7 and Kallang/Whampoa 79.2, because their sales include many newer flats.
Distance from the city. Lease alone does not explain it. Across the 26 towns, the link between median lease and median price is only modest. Sembawang had a median lease of 90.4 years yet a median price of $600,000. Punggol, at a similar 88.4 years, was $680,000. The five dearest towns, Queenstown, Toa Payoh, Bukit Timah, Bukit Merah and Kallang/Whampoa, are all central, at $905,000 to $1,028,000. The six cheapest are all in the west or north. That fits the usual pattern that homes nearer the city centre cost more, though the data cannot isolate distance from other factors.
Supply and the mix of flats. The dataset records completed sales, not flats on the market. It cannot show how many flats were listed or how many BTO flats are being built nearby, so I draw no conclusion on supply.
What changed against the year before
The citywide 4 room median was $630,000, against $625,000 in the prior 12 months. Medians in 23 of 26 towns moved by 5% or less, and the six cheapest moved between −2.8% and +0.9%. Three moved more: Central Area (−33.1%), Geylang (−7.7%) and Bukit Timah (+7.6%, on 16 sales).
Treat those with caution: a median reflects whichever flats happened to sell, so a town with few, varied sales can swing sharply. For a wider read on direction, see the HDB resale price outlook and HDB resale prices in Singapore.
Using the ranking
A cheap median shows where prices start, not whether a particular flat is a good one. Buyers commonly compare the flat's remaining lease, floor, condition and recent sales on the same street. Each town name above links to its street level price page, or see HDB prices by town.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which town has the cheapest 4 room HDB resale flats?
Jurong West, at a median of $535,000 across 590 sales from October 2025 to September 2026. Jurong East ($548,000), Woodlands ($550,000), Yishun ($550,000) and Choa Chu Kang ($555,000) followed. The citywide median was $630,000.
Why does the ranking change when only flats with 60 years or more of lease are counted?
Older towns mix short lease and longer lease flats, and the short lease ones pull the median down. Bedok's median is $594,000 across all sales, but $820,000 for flats with 60 years or more left. Towns of mostly newer flats, such as Jurong West and Choa Chu Kang, barely move.
How much cheaper is a 4 room flat with a short lease?
Across Singapore, 4 room flats with under 60 years of lease left had a median of $550,000 over 2,147 sales, against $650,000 over 8,663 sales for 60 years or more. The gap varies by town: $530,000 against $820,000 in Bedok, but $501,000 against $545,000 in Jurong West.
Are the cheapest towns the best value?
The data cannot say that. A lower median reflects remaining lease, location, flat age and the mix of flats that sold. Value depends on the specific flat and your own plans, so treat the ranking as a starting point.
Did 4 room prices fall in the cheapest towns over the past year?
Not by much. Against the prior 12 months, the median moved between down 2.8% (Yishun) and up 0.9% (Jurong East) across the six cheapest towns. Medians shift with the mix of flats sold, so a small move is not a trend, and nothing here is a forecast.
Sources & References
Winfred Quek is an Associate Marketing Consultant at Crestbrick Pte Ltd (CEA Licence No. L3010886H), advising HDB sellers, upgraders, and investors. CEA Salesperson Licence No. R073319H. The information on this page is general and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice.
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