Buying A 4-Room Flat In Bukit Batok At The Q2 2026 Median Of S$652,888: What It Costs

This is an illustrative example built on the quarter's median price and a stated buyer profile. It is not a real purchase, not a valuation of any home, and not advice on whether or how to buy. Every figure in it is computed from recorded transactions and the tax and financing rules recorded as in force.

The price of a flat is only the start. Stamp duty, the loan limit and the cash needed up front all shape what a purchase costs.

In this article, we look at one worked example. It covers stamp duty, loan limits, cash up front and five years of holding costs. It also compares stamp duty across four buyer profiles.

The example is based on HDB resale data from data.gov.sg for 4-room flats in Bukit Batok in Q2 2026. The median price was S$652,888. The tax and financing rules are the ones recorded as in force.

What Was The Median Price In Bukit Batok?

The example starts with the recorded sales behind the median. The table below sets them out.

The table shows 145 sales of 4-room flats in Bukit Batok in Q2 2026. The median price was S$652,888, or S$6,989 psm. The median size was 93 sqm.

A year earlier, the median price was S$630,000. The table shows a change of +3.6% against the same quarter.

How Much Stamp Duty And Cash Are Needed Up Front?

The buyer in the example is a Singapore citizen aged 35. It is a first home, bought to live in. Household income is S$10,000 a month.

The first table below shows the purchase at the median. Buyer's stamp duty is S$14,186. Additional buyer's stamp duty is S$0 at 0%. No minimum cash applies. S$163,222 is payable in CPF or cash. With stamp duty, the total before the loan is S$177,408.

The second table below puts four buyer profiles at the same price. Buyer's stamp duty is S$14,186 for each. The additional duty is what differs. A citizen buying a second home pays S$144,763 in total, at an additional rate of 20%. A permanent resident buying a first home pays S$46,830, at 5%. A foreigner pays S$405,918, at 60%.

Note that the loan-to-value cap is 45.0% for the second-home case. It is 75.0% for the other three profiles.

What Limits The Loan?

The example uses an HDB loan over 25 years at 3%. Three limits apply, and the table below lists each one.

The loan-to-value limit allows S$489,666, which is 75.0% of the price. The TDSR limit allows S$1,159,820. The MSR limit allows S$632,629. The loan-to-value limit is the lowest of the three, so it is the binding one.

The monthly instalment is S$2,322 at 3%. That is 23.2% of the stated income. The stress rate for the servicing test is also 3%, so the instalment at that rate is the same.

What Does Holding The Flat For Five Years Cost?

The example then adds up five years of ownership. The table below splits the total into its parts.

The table shows S$108,305 in all. Interest is S$68,348. Property tax and maintenance come to S$4,998. Costs going in are S$17,456, and costs coming out are S$17,503.

Note the assumptions behind these figures. The sale happens at today's indicative mid value after five years. The seller pays 2% commission and S$3,000 in legal fees, plus 9% GST. Property tax uses an assumed annual value of S$14,490. On those terms, the price would need to rise 17.0% over the five years to cover the total.

Summary

At the Q2 2026 median, the first-time citizen buyer in the example needs S$177,408 before the loan. The monthly instalment is S$2,322 at 3%. Holding the flat for five years costs S$108,305 in all.

These figures come from recorded transactions and the rules recorded as in force. They are not a valuation of any home. The median rests on 145 sales, and it does not describe any one flat. Storey, lease and condition differ from sale to sale. The hold cost depends on the stated assumptions. A different buyer, income or loan gives different figures.

Method: an illustrative example, not a real purchase. The price is the median of the quarter's recorded sales named. The buyer is a Singapore citizen first-time owner-occupier aged 35. The stated household income is S$10,000 a month, with no other debt. The loan is the maximum, over 25 years at 3%. Stamp duty, loan limits, instalments and the five-year hold cost are computed by this site's position engine under the rules recorded as in force for the quarter. The rule versions used are bsd 2023-02-15, absd 2023-04-27, ssd 2025-07-04, ltv 2024-08-20, tdsr 2022-09-30, property_tax 2025-01-01, costs 2020-01-01. Further assumptions: sale at today's indicative mid value after 5 years. Seller pays 2% commission and S$3,000 legal fees, plus 9% GST. Mortgage interest from a standard amortisation schedule at the given rate. Loan of S$489,666 (75% of the price), the maximum available. Property tax on an assumed annual value of S$14,490 (35% of market rent). Maintenance at the configured norm. Rates are versioned data in config/rules.yaml, checked against IRAS and MAS publications on 2026-09-18. The newest version applied here took effect 2025-07-04. Rules change with each cooling-measure round. Private figures are from URA Data Service caveats, HDB figures from data.gov.sg resale records, both loaded weekly by this site's ingest. Medians are of the non-excluded transactions in the period named. Sales flagged by the hygiene rules (related-party transfers, bulk deals, outliers) are left out. Every figure is indicative and drawn from recorded transactions, not a formal valuation.