The Full Cost of Buying a Condo in Singapore
Stamp duty, the cash share of the down payment, the loan limits and the payment schedule are all set by rule rather than by negotiation. This page lays out every one of them as it stands in September 2026, with the government source beside each figure, and works the numbers on the actual entry prices of the launches we are marketing.
Every cost, with the rule behind it
Buying a private condominium in Singapore costs more than the purchase price, and most of the extra is fixed by rule rather than by negotiation. This page sets out every one of those rules as it stands in September 2026, with the government source for each, and works the numbers through on the actual entry prices of the new launches we are currently marketing.
Buyer's Stamp Duty
Everyone pays BSD, on the higher of the purchase price or the market valuation. It is tiered, so only the portion of the price inside each band is charged at that band's rate.
| Portion of price | Rate |
|---|---|
| First $180,000 | 1% |
| Next $180,000 (to $360,000) | 2% |
| Next $640,000 (to $1,000,000) | 3% |
| Next $500,000 (to $1,500,000) | 4% |
| Next $1,500,000 (to $3,000,000) | 5% |
| Above $3,000,000 | 6% |
Current table in force since 15 February 2023. Source: Ministry of Finance.
Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty
ABSD sits on top of BSD and depends on who you are and how many residential properties you already hold.
| Buyer | 1st property | 2nd | 3rd and later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore Citizen | 0% | 20% | 30% |
| Singapore PR | 5% | 30% | 35% |
| Foreigner | 60% | 60% | 60% |
| Entity or trust | 65% | 65% | 65% |
Nationals and permanent residents of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and nationals of the United States, are treated as Singapore Citizens for ABSD on a first residential property under free trade agreements. That is a first-property concession, not a blanket exemption.
Rates in force since 27 April 2023. Sources: Ministry of Finance; IRAS on FTA remission.
Two things catch people out. ABSD is payable upfront at stamping even where you intend to sell your existing home and claim the married-couple refund afterwards, so it has to be funded in cash or CPF on day one. And stamp duty is due within 14 days of signing if the document is signed in Singapore, with late penalties of up to four times the duty.
Source: IRAS.
What that looks like on real prices
These are the current entry prices for each unit type across the 19 new launches we are marketing, with the stamp duty worked out on them. A Singapore Citizen buying a first home pays no ABSD, so for that buyer the BSD column is the whole tax bill.
| Unit type | Entry price | BSD | + ABSD, SG PR 1st (5%) | + ABSD, SC 2nd (20%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom | $1,292,000 | $36,280 | $64,600 | $258,400 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,310,000 | $37,000 | $65,500 | $262,000 |
| 3 bedroom | $1,955,000 | $67,350 | $97,750 | $391,000 |
| 4 bedroom | $2,529,000 | $96,050 | $126,450 | $505,800 |
| 5 bedroom | $3,490,000 | $149,000 | $174,500 | $698,000 |
Entry price is the lowest we currently hold for that unit type across the 19 projects; the actual unit you choose will differ. ABSD columns are the ABSD alone and are payable in addition to the BSD column. Figures rounded down to the dollar, as IRAS does.
How much of it has to be cash
The loan-to-value limit sets how much a bank may lend, and a fixed slice of the balance must be cash rather than CPF.
| Outstanding housing loans | Maximum LTV | Minimum cash |
|---|---|---|
| None | 75% (or 55%) | 5% (or 10%) |
| One | 45% (or 25%) | 25% |
| Two or more | 35% (or 15%) | 25% |
The lower figure in each pair applies if the loan runs beyond 30 years or past your 65th birthday. Maximum tenure on a non-HDB property is 35 years. At 75% LTV the balance is 25% of price: at least 5% in cash, up to 20% from CPF Ordinary Account.
Source: Monetary Authority of Singapore.
TDSR, and why MSR does not apply here
Total Debt Servicing Ratio is capped at 55% of gross monthly income across all your debt, and banks must stress the housing loan at the higher of a 4% floor or the quoted thereafter rate. The Mortgage Servicing Ratio of 30% applies only to HDB flats and executive condominiums bought from a developer — it does not apply to private condominiums.
Sources: MAS on TDSR; MAS on new housing loans.
When the money is actually due
On a new launch you are buying a building under construction, so the price is drawn down in stages over roughly three to four years rather than paid at once. The schedule is statutory, set out in Form 5 of the Housing Developers Rules.
| Stage | % of price | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Booking fee, on grant of the Option | 5–10% | 5–10% |
| Signing the S&P agreement (within 8 weeks of the Option) | balance to 20% | 20% |
| Foundation complete | 10% | 30% |
| Reinforced concrete framework complete | 10% | 40% |
| Partition walls complete | 5% | 45% |
| Roofing and ceiling complete | 5% | 50% |
| Door and window frames, wiring, plastering, plumbing | 5% | 55% |
| Car park, roads and drains serving the project | 5% | 60% |
| Notice of Vacant Possession (TOP) — due within 14 days | 25% | 85% |
| Completion / Certificate of Statutory Completion | 15% | 100% |
Where the CSC has not been issued at completion, 2% goes to the developer and 13% is held by the Singapore Academy of Law as stakeholder: 8% is released within seven working days of the CSC, and the last 5% on the Final Payment Date twelve months after vacant possession, net of anything held back for unrectified defects. That last 5% is the buyer's protection on snagging, and it is worth knowing it exists.
Source: Housing Developers Rules, First Schedule, Form 5.
The option, and what happens if you walk
- The booking fee is not less than 5% and not more than 10% of the purchase price.
- The option runs for three weeks from the day after the title deeds and execution copies of the S&P agreement are delivered to you.
- If you do not exercise it, the developer may forfeit 25% of the booking fee and must refund the other 75%.
- The developer may not re-issue an option on the same unit to the same buyer for twelve months after the earlier one expires. Letting an option lapse is not a free look.
- The defects liability period is twelve months from delivery of vacant possession.
Sources: URA Circular COH20-03; Housing Developers Rules.
Seller's Stamp Duty locks you in for four years
Since 4 July 2025 the SSD holding period is four years, and every tier is four percentage points higher than it was.
| Sold within | SSD |
|---|---|
| 1 year | 16% |
| 1–2 years | 12% |
| 2–3 years | 8% |
| 3–4 years | 4% |
| More than 4 years | 0% |
The clock starts on the date the option is exercised, not the date you paid the booking fee and not the date you collect keys. On a project completing in three years, that means you are typically about a year clear of SSD after TOP rather than four.
Sources: Ministry of Finance; IRAS on the exercise date.
CPF limits worth checking before you choose a unit
- Valuation Limit. CPF Ordinary Account use is capped at the lower of the purchase price and the valuation at the time of purchase.
- Withdrawal Limit. Beyond that you may use OA savings up to 120% of the Valuation Limit, and only once the Basic Retirement Sum has been set aside.
- Short lease. If the remaining lease does not cover the youngest buyer to age 95, CPF use is pro-rated. CPF's own worked example: two 25-year-old buyers, 65-year remaining lease, $550,000 property — maximum CPF use $495,000.
- Hard floor. The lease must have at least 20 years remaining for any CPF to be used at all.
This is a live consideration on older 99-year leasehold resale stock. It is not usually a consideration on a new launch, where the lease is fresh.
Source: CPF Board.
Legal fees
Conveyancing fees in Singapore are not regulated — there is no statutory scale, and each firm sets its own. In practice a private condo purchase runs somewhere around $2,500 to $5,000 in professional fees, plus disbursements for title searches, registration, the CPF fee and mortgage stamping, plus GST. When you get a quote, ask specifically whether disbursements and GST are inside the number, because that is where quotes diverge.
Where this fits
This page is the cost view. For what the same unit types actually cost per square foot across the projects we are marketing, see our new launch condo psf comparison. For how the payment timing differs from buying a completed unit, read new launch versus resale. For what you are actually buying inside that floor area, read condo floor plans explained. The full project-by-project table is on our new launch condo hub.
Rates and rules on this page are current as at September 2026 and are reproduced from the official sources linked beside each section. They change. Nothing here is tax, legal or financial advice — check your own position with your conveyancing lawyer and your banker before you commit. Finest SRI is part of SRI Pte Ltd, agency licence L3010738A; every listing is handled by a CEA-registered salesperson.