The Housing & Development Board (HDB) was established in 1960 to tackle Singapore’s housing crisis.

During its first decade of operation, HDB built only 1- to 4-room flats. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that 5-room flats were introduced to cope with a growing population. Demand for larger living spaces continued into the 1980s, during which HDB flat sizes were increased. However, average floor sizes were decreased for new flats built in the 2000s due to rising construction costs.

Today, older resale HDB flats have become an attractive value proposition for many Singaporeans, especially those with young families and are seeking to upgrade to a bigger and more comfortable living environment.

In this article, we round up the HDB estates with the largest 4- and 5-room flats, as well as the average transacted prices across different estates to facilitate your home buying decisions. To derive the figures, we looked at resale transactions that took place in 2018.

1) Singapore’s largest 4-room flats

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Based on 2018 resale transactions, the average area size of 4-room flat across HDB estates across the island is around 1,027 sq ft. Meanwhile, 4-room flats in new Built-To-Order (BTO) projects (such as these hugely oversubscribed BTO flats in Toa Payoh) offered this year are roughly 1,001 sq ft.

From our analysis, we found that the largest 4-room flats in Singapore are located in Pasir Ris, at an average of 1,139 sq ft, followed by Bukit Timah (1,107 sq ft), Tampines and Choa Chu Kang (both at 1,087 sq ft), and Jurong West (1,059 sq ft).

Meanwhile, the smallest 4-room flats are located in Marine Parade, at an average of 918 sq ft, followed by Central Area (978 sq ft), Queenstown (984 sq ft), Ang Mo Kio (996 sq ft), and Bukit Merah and Bedok (both at 998 sq ft).

Price-wise, 4-room flats located in mature estates are the most expensive, with Central Area taking the lead at an average transacted price of approximately $763,000 in 2018. This is followed by Queenstown ($700,000), Bukit Timah ($673,000), Bukit Merah ($643,000) and Clementi ($582,000).

The most affordable 4-room flats on the other hand, are located in Woodlands, with an average transacted price at approximately $336,000 this year. This is followed by Sembawang and Choa Chu Kang (both at approx. $337,000), Yishun ($345,000) and Jurong West ($366,000).

Average prices and sizes of 4-room HDB flats in Singapore

2) Singapore’s largest 5-room flats

Based on 2018 resale transactions, the average area size of 5-room flat across HDB estates across the island is around 1,280 sq ft. Meanwhile, 5-room flats in new Built-To-Order (BTO) projects offered this year are about 1,216 sq ft.

From our analysis, we found that the largest 5-room flats in Singapore are (also) located in Pasir Ris, at an average of 1,363 sq ft, followed by Bukit Timah and Tampines (both at 1,328 sq ft), Bishan (1,327 sq ft) and Yishun (1,318 sq ft).

Meanwhile, the smallest 5-room flats are located in Central Area (1,138 sq ft), Punggol (1,201 sq ft), Sembawang (1,205 sq ft), Sengkang (1,209 sq ft) and Jurong West (1,247 sq ft).

In terms of affordability, the priciest 5-room flats are located in Central Area, at an average transacted price of approximately $920,000 this year. This benchmark was set by transactions at Pinnacle@Duxton, where resale prices can be as much as 2x higher than the rest of the country.

This is followed by Marine Parade ($835,000), Queenstown ($833,000), Toa Payoh ($818,000) and Bukit Timah ($816,000).

Meanwhile, 5-room flats located in Sembawang are the most affordable in Singapore. They transacted at an average price of approximately $392,000 this year. This is followed by flats in Woodlands ($407,000), Choa Chu Kang ($408,000), Jurong West ($440,000) and Sengkang ($445,000).

Average prices and sizes of 5-room HDB flats in Singapore

Also read: The most affordable areas to buy a 5-room resale HDB near the MRT

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