HDB · Buyers Guide · 2026
What a $600,000 budget buys in HDB resale, town by town
By Winfred Quek · 8 minute read · Last reviewed October 2026
Rates and thresholds change. The current figures are kept in one place: the Singapore property rules reference.
Sources checked: October 2025 to September 2026 transactions · Sources linked below
Key Takeaways
- The share of sales at or below $600,000 runs from 9.7% in Pasir Ris to 68.7% in Yishun.
- In 8 towns, the median 4 room sold at or below $600,000: Yishun, Jurong East, Jurong West, Woodlands, Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Bedok and Sembawang.
- 5 room flats at or below $600,000 are rare, at 441 of 5,787 sales (7.6%).
- Smaller flats and shorter leases go together. The median 3 room at or below $600,000 had 56.2 years left, against 65.8 for a 4 room.
- Cash over valuation is paid in cash, so the price you see is not the whole cash picture.
This guide asks which towns a $600,000 budget fits. It uses 24,655 HDB resale transactions registered in the 12 full months from October 2025 to September 2026, taken from the Data.gov.sg resale dataset. October 2026 is a partial month, so it is left out. For the wider picture, see our guide to HDB resale prices in Singapore.
The town table: all 26 HDB towns
Towns are ranked by the share of sales at or below $600,000. Each name links to its price page.
| Town | All sales | At or below $600,000 | 3 room median (sales) | 4 room median (sales) | 5 room median (sales) | Most common flat at or below $600,000 | Median lease left, at or below $600,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yishun | 1,575 | 1,082 (68.7%) | $433,000 (415) | $550,000 (780) | $690,444 (256) | 4 room (55%) | 60.8 years |
| Ang Mo Kio | 866 | 555 (64.1%) | $430,888 (421) | $615,000 (280) | $995,000 (135) | 3 room (72%) | 52.6 years |
| Jurong East | 477 | 303 (63.5%) | $410,000 (177) | $548,000 (143) | $715,000 (111) | 3 room (58%) | 56.4 years |
| Jurong West | 1,470 | 918 (62.4%) | $394,000 (302) | $535,000 (590) | $635,000 (431) | 4 room (52%) | 63.6 years |
| Bedok | 1,301 | 745 (57.3%) | $417,944 (498) | $594,000 (510) | $795,000 (211) | 3 room (61%) | 52.3 years |
| Woodlands | 1,827 | 1,005 (55.0%) | $412,500 (206) | $550,000 (875) | $655,000 (527) | 4 room (69%) | 70.5 years |
| Choa Chu Kang | 1,010 | 550 (54.5%) | $456,500 (70) | $555,000 (497) | $670,000 (341) | 4 room (73%) | 72.0 years |
| Marine Parade | 131 | 70 (53.4%) | $470,000 (60) | $645,000 (37) | $978,888 (33) | 3 room (84%) | 48.2 years |
| Sembawang | 871 | 446 (51.2%) | $520,000 (98) | $600,000 (386) | $640,000 (240) | 4 room (43%) | 83.8 years |
| Geylang | 653 | 332 (50.8%) | $382,500 (316) | $740,000 (228) | $916,500 (76) | 3 room (76%) | 48.9 years |
| Bukit Batok | 1,370 | 665 (48.5%) | $412,944 (330) | $630,000 (586) | $810,000 (299) | 3 room (49%) | 60.3 years |
| Clementi | 497 | 233 (46.9%) | $434,000 (206) | $821,500 (196) | $1,160,000 (82) | 3 room (75%) | 52.8 years |
| Bukit Panjang | 780 | 363 (46.5%) | $460,444 (104) | $570,000 (375) | $695,888 (213) | 4 room (63%) | 71.2 years |
| Hougang | 1,233 | 516 (41.8%) | $452,500 (253) | $618,888 (579) | $785,000 (240) | 3 room (46%) | 59.9 years |
| Toa Payoh | 1,003 | 383 (38.2%) | $380,000 (420) | $1,000,000 (401) | $1,050,000 (148) | 3 room (83%) | 44.8 years |
| Kallang/Whampoa | 750 | 281 (37.5%) | $458,944 (310) | $905,000 (297) | $968,888 (117) | 3 room (82%) | 48.8 years |
| Central Area | 174 | 65 (37.4%) | $550,000 (65) | $870,000 (75) | $1,473,000 (28) | 3 room (85%) | 53.6 years |
| Serangoon | 387 | 133 (34.4%) | $464,000 (94) | $660,000 (177) | $830,000 (69) | 3 room (71%) | 58.1 years |
| Bukit Merah | 908 | 294 (32.4%) | $430,000 (298) | $935,000 (387) | $1,065,000 (175) | 3 room (72%) | 48.4 years |
| Queenstown | 751 | 232 (30.9%) | $450,000 (340) | $1,028,000 (299) | $1,230,940 (86) | 3 room (89%) | 46.8 years |
| Sengkang | 1,742 | 487 (28.0%) | $544,000 (135) | $640,000 (844) | $700,000 (586) | 4 room (52%) | 79.0 years |
| Punggol | 1,639 | 397 (24.2%) | $545,000 (181) | $680,000 (848) | $780,000 (465) | 3 room (42%) | 89.0 years |
| Tampines | 2,006 | 473 (23.6%) | $490,000 (369) | $665,000 (902) | $810,000 (554) | 3 room (67%) | 58.4 years |
| Bishan | 410 | 65 (15.9%) | $530,000 (62) | $788,000 (191) | $970,000 (109) | 3 room (91%) | 58.2 years |
| Bukit Timah | 58 | 9 (15.5%) | too few (9) | $938,000 (16) | $1,107,500 (24) | too few | too few |
| Pasir Ris | 766 | 74 (9.7%) | $608,000 (21) | $635,000 (311) | $732,000 (231) | 4 room (77%) | 66.6 years |
| All 26 towns | 24,655 | 10,676 (43.3%) | $440,000 (5,760) | $630,000 (10,810) | $740,000 (5,787) | 3 room (48%) | 59.7 years |
Source: our calculations from the Data.gov.sg resale dataset, October 2025 to September 2026. Medians cover all sales of that flat type in the town. "Too few" means fewer than 10 transactions.
Towns where $600,000 gets a 4 room or bigger
In 8 towns, more than half of all 4 room sales were at or below $600,000.
| Town | 4 room sales | Share at or below $600,000 | Median 4 room price | Median lease left, 4 room at or below $600,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choa Chu Kang | 497 | 80.7% | $555,000 | 70.7 years |
| Jurong West | 590 | 80.2% | $535,000 | 68.7 years |
| Woodlands | 875 | 79.0% | $550,000 | 70.6 years |
| Yishun | 780 | 76.4% | $550,000 | 60.9 years |
| Jurong East | 143 | 72.0% | $548,000 | 57.8 years |
| Bukit Panjang | 375 | 60.8% | $570,000 | 70.7 years |
| Bedok | 510 | 51.4% | $594,000 | 52.3 years |
| Sembawang | 386 | 50.3% | $600,000 | 74.7 years |
Choa Chu Kang stands out. Of its 550 sales at or below $600,000, 84.7% were 4 room or bigger, and 4 room flats had a median of 70.7 years left. Woodlands is close behind at 76.0%, with 1,005 sales at or below $600,000. Bukit Panjang, Jurong West, Sembawang and Yishun also have most sales at or below $600,000 in 4 room or bigger flats.
5 room flats are the stretch. In the towns above, Jurong West had 120 sales at or below $600,000, Woodlands 73, Sembawang 68 and Choa Chu Kang 65. That is a minority in each town.
Pasir Ris looks similar, with 77.0% of its 74 sales at or below $600,000 being 4 room or bigger. But those 74 are only 9.7% of its 766 sales. In Sengkang and Punggol the median 4 room cost $640,000 and $680,000.
Towns where $600,000 mostly means 3 room
In 13 towns, at least 6 in 10 sales at or below $600,000 were 3 room.
| Town | Sales at or below $600,000 | Share that were 3 room | Median 3 room price | Median lease left, 3 room at or below $600,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishan | 65 | 90.8% | $530,000 | 58.4 years |
| Queenstown | 232 | 88.8% | $450,000 | 45.0 years |
| Central Area | 65 | 84.6% | $550,000 | 52.2 years |
| Marine Parade | 70 | 84.3% | $470,000 | 48.4 years |
| Toa Payoh | 383 | 83.3% | $380,000 | 43.9 years |
| Kallang/Whampoa | 281 | 82.2% | $458,944 | 48.9 years |
| Geylang | 332 | 75.9% | $382,500 | 45.5 years |
| Clementi | 233 | 75.1% | $434,000 | 52.8 years |
| Bukit Merah | 294 | 72.1% | $430,000 | 48.6 years |
| Ang Mo Kio | 555 | 72.1% | $430,888 | 52.6 years |
| Serangoon | 133 | 70.7% | $464,000 | 57.9 years |
| Tampines | 473 | 67.2% | $490,000 | 58.0 years |
| Bedok | 745 | 61.3% | $417,944 | 52.2 years |
In Queenstown, Bukit Merah, Toa Payoh and Kallang/Whampoa, the median 4 room cost between $905,000 and $1,028,000. Only 3.3% to 12.8% of 4 room sales there came in at or below $600,000. Tampines and Bedok are mixed: 3 room is still the most common, but 4 room sales at or below $600,000 are not rare (143 in Tampines, 262 in Bedok).
Punggol and Sengkang are the exception. Their 3 room flats had a median of 89.2 and 89.0 years left, because the stock is newer.
The trade off between remaining lease and size
Across Singapore, 73.2% of 3 room flats sold at or below $600,000 had under 60 years left. For 4 room flats the figure was 34.4%.
The table shows 4 room prices by lease across all towns.
| Remaining lease, 4 room | Sales | Median price | Share at or below $600,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 50 years | 229 | $530,000 | 70.7% |
| 50 to under 60 years | 1,918 | $550,000 | 70.4% |
| 60 to under 70 years | 1,839 | $588,000 | 56.3% |
| 70 to under 80 years | 2,230 | $580,000 | 60.7% |
| 80 to under 90 years | 2,227 | $688,000 | 14.7% |
| 90 years or more | 2,367 | $728,000 | 7.1% |
The step is sharp at 80 years. With 80 years or more left, only 497 of 4,594 4 room sales (10.8%) were at or below $600,000. Below 80 years, at least 56% were. The line is not perfectly straight, because location also moves price.
The lease also affects financing. The CPF Board links how much CPF you can use to whether the remaining lease covers the youngest buyer to age 95. Our guide to buying an HDB resale flat with a short lease sets out the CPF and loan effects.
Cash over valuation and grants
A $600,000 flat price is not a $600,000 budget. The dataset gives the registered resale price. It does not say how much was cash over valuation, the amount above HDB's valuation. Cash over valuation is paid in cash, as our guide to cash over valuation explains. Buyer's stamp duty and legal fees are separate costs, and IRAS publishes the stamp duty rates.
Eligible first timer households can receive CPF housing grants for a resale flat, such as the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant of up to $120,000 and the Family Grant of up to $80,000. They are credited to CPF, not paid out as cash, and depend on income and household type. Our HDB grants guide lists the rules. You also need a valid HFE letter before you take an Option to Purchase on a resale flat. See the HFE letter guide.
How to read these numbers
These are past transactions, not a forecast. A town median hides a wide spread by block, storey, flat model and lease. Use the table to see which towns are realistic, then check recent sales on the HDB price pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can $600,000 buy a 4 room HDB resale flat?
In some towns, yes. Across Singapore, 4,399 of 10,810 4 room resale sales (40.7%) were at or below $600,000 between October 2025 and September 2026. In Choa Chu Kang, Jurong West, Woodlands and Yishun, 76% to 81% were. In Bishan, Queenstown and Toa Payoh, only 3% to 10% were.
Which HDB town has the most flats at or below $600,000?
Yishun, on both counts. It had 1,082 sales at or below $600,000, which is 68.7% of its 1,575 resale transactions. Ang Mo Kio was next by share at 64.1%.
Can $600,000 buy a 5 room HDB resale flat?
Sometimes, but it is the minority case. Only 441 of 5,787 5 room sales (7.6%) were at or below $600,000. Jurong West had the most, with 120.
Does a $600,000 flat price include cash over valuation?
The dataset records the registered resale price and does not split out cash over valuation. Cash over valuation is the amount above HDB's valuation, and it is paid in cash.
How much lease is left on flats at or below $600,000?
Across Singapore, the median 4 room sold at or below $600,000 had 65.8 years left, and the median 3 room had 56.2 years. Across all flat types, the median was 83.8 years in Sembawang and 44.8 years in Toa Payoh.
Sources & References
- Data.gov.sg: Resale flat prices based on registration date from Jan 2017 onwards (HDB)
- HDB: Process for buying a resale flat
- HDB: Flat, grant and loan eligibility
- HDB: Application for an HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter
- CPF Board: CPF use when the lease does not cover the youngest buyer to age 95
- IRAS: Stamp duty for property
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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