Buying At The District 21 Median Of S$1,554,444: What Q2 2026 Data Shows

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.

Buying a home means one big price and many smaller sums around it. Stamp duty, the loan, the cash and the cost of holding all depend on who is buying. A worked example shows how those pieces fit together at one price.

In this article, we look at one illustrative buyer. The buyer is 35, a Singapore citizen, buying a first home to live in. The household income is S$18,000 a month. The unit is 60 to 99 sqm in District 21 (Upper Bukit Timah, Clementi Park, Ulu Pandan), with a bank loan over 25 years.

The price used is the Q2 2026 median of S$1,554,444, about 829 sqft. The stamp duty on it is S$47,322. The sales figures are based on URA Data Service caveats. The costs come from this site's own engine, using the tax and financing rules recorded as in force.

What Sales Sit Behind The Median?

The example starts with the median of the quarter's sales. District 21 had 36 such sales in Q2 2026. The median per area was S$1,974 psf, and the median size was 829 sqft.

The median price a year earlier was S$1,736,500. The table below shows the change as -10.5%. Note that 36 sales is a small count. A different mix of units in the quarter can move a median, so the figure is indicative only.

What Does The Purchase Cost Upfront, And How Does It Differ By Buyer?

For a citizen buying a first home, buyer's stamp duty is S$47,322. Additional buyer's stamp duty is S$0 at 0%. Adding stamp duty to the cash and CPF-or-cash portions gives S$435,933 before the loan.

The first table below shows the split. Minimum cash is S$77,722. A further S$310,889 can be paid in CPF or cash. The maximum loan is S$1,165,833, which is 75.0% of the price.

The second table below shows stamp duty at the same price for four buyer profiles. Buyer's stamp duty is the same for all four. Only the additional duty changes. A citizen buying a second home pays S$358,210 in total, with additional duty at 20%. A permanent resident buying a first home pays S$125,044, at 5%. A foreigner pays S$979,988, at 60%. Note the loan-to-value cap for the second-home citizen is 45.0%, against 75.0% for the others.

How Big Is The Loan?

Two limits apply to the loan. The loan-to-value limit allows S$1,165,833. The total debt servicing limit allows S$1,875,580. The lower figure binds, so the loan-to-value limit sets the loan. The mortgage servicing limit does not apply to this purchase.

At 3%, the monthly instalment is S$5,529. That is 30.7% of the stated income. At the 4% stress rate used for the debt servicing test, the instalment is S$6,154. The table below lists each item.

What Does Holding The Home For Five Years Cost?

The engine also adds up the cost of holding the home for five years. The total is S$275,104. Interest makes up S$162,729 of that. Property tax and maintenance come to S$24,626.

Costs going in are S$50,592, and costs coming out are S$37,157. The table below shows all five lines. The sums assume a sale after five years at today's indicative mid value. The seller pays 2% commission and S$3,000 in legal fees, plus 9% GST. On those terms, the price would need to rise 18.1% over the five years to cover the total.

Summary

At the Q2 2026 median of S$1,554,444, a citizen buying a first home pays S$47,322 in stamp duty. The loan limit is S$1,165,833, set by the loan-to-value limit. The monthly instalment is S$5,529 at 3% and S$6,154 at the 4% stress rate. Holding for five years costs S$275,104 in all.

The example describes one buyer profile at the median. It is not a valuation of any home. The median rests on 36 sales and is -10.5% against the same quarter a year earlier. Actual costs depend on the unit, the lender, the rules in force on the day and the buyer's own circumstances, none of which the data can show.

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$18,000 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$1,165,833 (75% of the price), the maximum available. Property tax on an assumed annual value of S$41,820 (85% 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.