Disclaimer: Until in any other case acknowledged, any opinions expressed beneath belong solely to the creator. Information comes from the current launch of the Housing Attainability Index by City Land Institute.
City Land Institute (ULI), a global actual property non-profit analysis organisation based in 1936, has simply launched its newest Housing Attainability Index report for Asia-Pacific, inserting Singapore’s HDBs close to the highest when it comes to housing attainability within the area—that’s, affordability in proportion to native incomes—amongst 41 cities.
Ideally, the ratio of median house costs to the median native incomes mustn’t exceed 5.0, although in some cities it has crossed over 20.0. Singapore shouldn’t be one in all them, thankfully, developing second at 4.3, proper behind Perth with a ratio of simply 4.1.
This, in fact, solely applies to Singapore’s public HDB housing—the non-public market, in distinction, studies a really excessive fee of 16.9 (nonetheless a long way from the worst, although).
The most costly properties, relative to native buying energy, are largely in China, with Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Hong Kong all exceeding 20.0.
They’re joined by Ho Chi Minh Metropolis in Vietnam and even Bangkok, whose condominiums value on common 20.3 years’ price of native family incomes, placing them past the attain of most Thais.
How a lot does your cash purchase, although?
After all, transacted costs are an imperfect measure, since measurement preferences fluctuate between nations and rely upon out there land and prevailing costs. Individuals generally tend to purchase smaller properties in dearer places.
Nevertheless, Singapore, once more, shouldn’t be one in all them, with native flats being among the largest, coming at over 1,000 sq ft. in each the non-public and public markets:

As such, it shouldn’t be a shock, then, that when it comes to relative affordability in proportion to the floor space, Singapore additionally ranks near the highest, this time coming in third, behind Perth and Melbourne, and forward of Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur.
Median family earnings in Singapore should purchase roughly 240 sq. ft of public housing, making it greater than 10 occasions inexpensive than housing in Hong Kong (and greater than 3 times even for Singapore’s condominiums).
| Metropolis | Nation | Sq. ft per median earnings |
| Perth | Australia | 323 |
| Melbourne | Australia | 279 |
| Singapore HDB | Singapore | 237 |
| Brisbane | Australia | 229 |
| Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | 188 |
| Ulsan | South Korea | 179 |
| Ahmedabad | India | 168 |
| Sydney | Australia | 168 |
| Gwangju | South Korea | 161 |
| Chennai | India | 154 |
| Daegu | South Korea | 140 |
| Daejeon | South Korea | 130 |
| Hyderabad | India | 129 |
| Incheon | South Korea | 124 |
| DKI Jakarta | Indonesia | 121 |
| Pune | India | 121 |
| Bengaluru | India | 119 |
| Busan | South Korea | 116 |
| Kolkata | India | 102 |
| Delhi NCR | India | 93 |
| Wuhan | China | 90 |
| Suzhou | China | 86 |
| Yokohama | Japan | 77 |
| Mumbai | India | 74 |
| Tianjin | China | 72 |
| Chongqing | China | 70 |
| Singapore Non-public | Singapore | 70 |
| Fukuoka | Japan | 69 |
| Chengdu | China | 62 |
| Nanjing | China | 57 |
| Osaka | Japan | 49 |
| Hangzhou | China | 48 |
| Tokyo (Ku Space) | Japan | 39 |
| Hanoi | Vietnam | 37 |
| Guangzhou | China | 37 |
| Seoul | South Korea | 34 |
| Shanghai | China | 33 |
| Ho Chi Minh Metropolis | Vietnam | 31 |
| Beijing | China | 28 |
| Bangkok | Thailand | 28 |
| Metro Manila | Philippines | 26 |
| Shenzhen | China | 26 |
| Metropolis of Davao | Philippines | 25 |
| Hong Kong | China | 21 |
Have HDB flats gotten costly lately, or have been they merely very low cost for too lengthy?
Costs of public flats in Singapore stay one of many main home matters, following their speedy rise in recent times. In actuality, nevertheless, they’ve merely been fairly depressed for a number of years earlier than the present rally.
Between 2014 and 2020, costs had remained virtually flat, if not trending downwards somewhat bit.

In line with ULI knowledge, as lately as 2022, the ratio between HDB costs and incomes was simply 3.7. It jumped to 4.7 the next yr earlier than easing to the present 4.3.
In proportion phrases, resale HDB costs have gone up fairly rapidly by a noticeable quantity, but when we contemplate the long-term value and earnings developments, they continue to be inexpensive, notably for a developed metropolis of Singapore’s measurement.
In truth, when in comparison with nationwide capitals throughout Asia-Pacific, there’s no different that comes shut. Information proves that grass actually isn’t greener on the opposite aspect.
- Learn different articles we’ve written on Singapore’s present affairs right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Trun Tran/ Unsplash
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