Average Rental Cost for Expat Families in Singapore
For a family, rent is the number that decides almost everything else. It sets which neighbourhood you live in, which school run you can manage, and how much is left at the end of the month. And unlike a single person, you cannot just take the cheapest room and move on. You need bedrooms, space, and usually a place near the things your children need.
When my own family was working this out, the hard part was not finding listings. It was knowing what was normal. A number on a property site tells you the asking price. It does not tell you what people like you actually end up paying.
So I asked them. I surveyed foreigners in Singapore about their rent, and 225 people responded. This article covers the ones living here as a family, with or without kids, and breaks down what they really pay by home type, size, and setup.
One honest word before the numbers. Rent in Singapore peaked around 2022 to 2023 and had started to decline by the time I wrote this. Prices may well be lower or higher by the time you read it, so use this as a general map of what is possible, and do your own checking too.
Who answered the survey
I shared the survey link in a WhatsApp group of Sri Lankan expats living in Singapore. Most work here, a few study here, and some Indian friends working in Singapore also responded. Based on the messages I got back, around 96% of respondents are Sri Lankans.
Of the 225 total responses, 148 (65.8%) live with their family in Singapore, with or without kids. The remaining 77 live alone. This article is about those 148.
Within those families, nearly 60% do not have kids (88 households) and 40% do (60 households). I have kept those two groups separate through the whole article, because they rent quite differently.
By pass type, the families skew professional. 112 of the 148 (75.7%) are EP holders, and 17 (11.5%) are Singapore PR. All amounts below are in Singapore dollars, at the March 2024 rate of 1 USD = 1.35 SGD.
Where families live
Families spread out across the island, but not evenly. The northeast region — Hougang, Sengkang, Punggol — has the most, and the west — Clementi, Jurong — has the fewest.
On home type, it is a near split between private and public housing. Around 50.7% live in a condo, nearly 44% in an HDB flat, and only 3.4% in a studio apartment.
And almost everyone keeps the place to themselves. About 80% rent a whole unit without sharing, 10% take just a master room, and 7% rent the whole unit but sublet a room or two to bring the cost down.
Couples without kids
Of the 148 families, 88 (nearly 60%) live here without kids. Here is how they rent.
How they set up. 70% take a whole unit to themselves, 17% take a master room, and 8% rent a whole unit and sublet one or two rooms.
What kind of home. Nearly 75% choose a condo, including studio apartments.
How big. Among those in a whole unit, about 75% pick a single-bedroom place and 23% a two-bedroom. Space stays tight: 45% live in under 500 sq ft and another 35% in 500 to 650 sq ft, so 80% are in a home smaller than 650 sq ft.
Here is what they pay, by setup:
| Setup | Median rent range (S$) |
|---|---|
| Master room | 1,751 – 2,000 |
| 2-bedroom HDB | 2,501 – 2,750 |
| Whole unit (overall) | 2,751 – 3,000 |
| Single-bedroom unit | 2,751 – 3,000 |
| 2-bedroom condo | 3,501 – 3,750 |
A couple of details behind the table. For a 2-bedroom HDB flat, rents ran from 1,751 to 3,250, and 80% paid under 3,000. For a 2-bedroom condo, rents ran from 2,751 to 4,000, and half paid above 3,500 — the condo premium in one line.
Families with kids
The other 60 families (40%) live here with kids, and their needs push them toward bigger, mostly public housing.
How they set up. 93% take a whole unit to themselves, and only 7% sublet a room.
What kind of home. This flips the couples’ pattern: 63.3% choose an HDB flat and 35% a condo. HDB gives more space per dollar, which matters with children.
How big. 55% take a 2-bedroom unit and 37% a 3-bedroom. More than 80% live in a home larger than 650 sq ft, with the largest group (32%) in the 651 to 800 sq ft range.
Here is what they pay, by setup:
| Setup | Median rent range (S$) |
|---|---|
| 2-bedroom HDB | 2,751 – 3,000 |
| Whole unit (overall) | 3,001 – 3,250 |
| 3-bedroom HDB | 3,251 – 3,500 |
| 2-bedroom condo | 3,501 – 3,750 |
| 3-bedroom condo | 4,000 – 4,250 |
The detail behind the table tells the same story as space and price rising together. For a 3-bedroom HDB flat, rents ran from 1,751 to 4,000, and 75% paid above 3,000. For a 3-bedroom condo, two-thirds paid between 4,000 and 4,250 — the top of what families in this survey pay.
The pattern in one line
Strip away the detail and it is simple. Couples without kids lean toward small condos and pay in the high 2,000s to mid 3,000s. Families with kids lean toward larger HDB flats and pay from the low 3,000s up past 4,000 for a three-bedroom condo. HDB buys space, condo buys finish, and the number climbs with every bedroom.
Read this next
If you live in Singapore alone, the family numbers will not fit you. I broke down the solo side separately: Average rental cost for expats in Singapore — solo resident.
To see how rent sits against groceries, childcare, transport and the rest of a family budget, read the family cost-of-living guide. And when you are ready to hold all of it against your own income and savings, I built a free financial plan sheet for exactly that.
Rent is the biggest decision a family makes here, and it is one of the few you fully control. Pick the home that fits how you actually live, not the one that looks right on paper. Then check the current listings, because the market keeps moving.
If this helped you plan, please rate the article with the stars just below. It takes a second and helps other families find it.
That’s it for today, guys. Thank You for Reading! I hope you found this article informative and useful.
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