First-time citizen buying at District 20 median of $1,743,000 needs $492,500 before the loan in 2Q2026

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.

A Singapore citizen buying a first home at District 20's 2Q2026 median of $1,743,000 would need $492,500 before the loan, in an example computed by this site's engine. The loan-to-value limit, not the debt-servicing test, sets the borrowing ceiling.

The median comes from 40 private sales in District 20 (Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Thomson) in 2Q2026, based on URA Data Service caveats. It was 0.3% lower y-o-y, against $1,749,000 a year earlier, at $2,056 psf for a median size of 910 sqft.

Stamp duty on the median price comes to $56,750

The buyer in the example is 35, a first-time owner-occupier with a household income of $18,000 a month. Buyer's stamp duty is $56,750, and additional buyer's stamp duty is $0 at 0%.

Minimum cash is $87,150, with a further $348,600 payable in CPF or cash. With stamp duty, the total before the loan is $492,500.

Loan-to-value limit sets the borrowing ceiling

The bank loan runs over 25 years. The loan-to-value limit allows $1,307,250, or 75.0% of the price, against $1,875,580 under the total debt servicing ratio test. The mortgage servicing ratio does not apply.

The monthly instalment is $6,199 at 3%, or 34.4% of the stated income. At the 4% stress rate used for the debt-servicing test, it is $6,900.

Five-year hold costs $311,405 in all

Interest accounts for $182,468 of the five-year total, and property tax and maintenance for $27,650. Costs going in are $60,020 and costs coming out are $41,267.

On these figures, the price would need to rise 18.3% over the five years to cover the total. The calculation assumes a sale after five years at today's indicative mid value, with interest at 3%.

Stamp duty differs sharply by buyer profile

Buyer's stamp duty is the same for all four profiles at this price. Additional buyer's stamp duty is what separates them: 20% for a citizen's second home, 5% for a permanent resident's first home and 60% for a foreigner.

Total stamp duty is $405,350 for a citizen buying a second home and $143,900 for a permanent resident buying a first home. The loan-to-value cap for the second-home buyer is 45.0%, against 75.0% for the other three.

The median rests on 40 sales in the quarter

The median price of $1,743,000 compares with $1,749,000 a year earlier, a change of -0.3%. The example uses the 60 to 99 sqm size band, and the median unit is 910 sqft.

With 40 sales in the quarter, one or two transactions can move the median. All figures are indicative and drawn from recorded transactions, not a formal valuation of any home.

At the same price, total stamp duty ranges from $56,750 for a citizen's first home to $1,102,550 for a foreigner.

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$1,307,250 (75% of the price), the maximum available. Property tax on an assumed annual value of S$45,900 (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.