Renting an apartment is the most important and most stressful anyone moving to Singapore will do. As an expat moving from another country, you need to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into and this blog post is exactly that. This post will tell you everything you’ll need to know about Singapore’s rental market, how to get an apartment, how much you can expect to pay, and any nuances specifically associated with Singapore.
Above all else, I will write about my personal experience moving to Singapore and finding an apartment in this beautiful city!
Real Estate Competition is Fierce in 2022-2023
Singapore was never known as a city to have extreme rental competition or prices. In past years, Singapore had one of the best salaries to rent propositions of all major cities in the world. Compared to cities like New York, Hong Kong, or London, you would come out way ahead living in Singapore.
After Singapore reopened from the pandemic, the floodgates opened and many many working professionals moved from mainland China and Hong Kong to escape the CCP’s Zero Covid policy resulting in a huge surge of demand for Singapore rentals. Coupled with the fact that mortgage rates have increased and supply has remained flat due to COVID delays, and you have the perfect storm for a huge increase in prices.
It’s not uncommon for existing renters to pay 50-100% more in price when they renegotiate leases. Rental prices have increased dramatically and I suspect they won’t go down for at least most of 2023. I do expect prices to cool off from their current levels but this just means you’ll need to act swiftly if you find a good apartment in 2023.
Different Types of apartments in Singapore
To find your perfect apartment, there’s many things you need to consider. Before I delve into the details, I will go over some key criteria and differences in Germany when it comes to apartment hunting.
Condominium Buildings
Condo buildings are the giant residential buildings you’ll see everywhere in Singapore. These are the most popular with expats and it’s more than likely you’ll find yourself staying in one of these apartments. While HBD apartment buildings are also sometimes huge buildings, they are generally more plain and boring looking compared to condos which can sometimes be very modern and aesthetically pleasing from the outside.
Condos almost always offer amenities like a pool, communal BBQ area, gym, a doorman, and more. Some condo buildings (which you can see later in this post) offer insane pools that rival the best hotels in the world while others offer pools that you’ll probably never use.
Unlike HBDs, there is no restriction on who can live in Condos making them the more appealing option for expats.
Walk-Ups
Walkups are older, low rise apartments that you’ll find in more residential areas outside of the CBD. Tiong Bahru has a bunch of these units for those looking to stay in the CBD. These units are generally cheaper, older, and have no amenities.
If you don’t care about having your own pool or building gym, a walk up is definitely a good option to consider.
Shop Houses
Shop houses are the creme de la creme of Singapore in my opinion. These houses are the traditional colonial era homes built in a different era. They are characterized by beautiful designs that blend European and SE Asian elements often times painted in vibrant colors.
Historically, shop houses were designed to house businesses on the ground floor and residences above. These 2-3 story houses still often times house businesses on the ground floor but not many people live in them anymore. I’m not sure why this is because I would absolutely love to live in a shop house as it reminds me of the beautiful brownstones in the West Village of NYC or any beautiful street in a European capital.
There are still a few shophouses left in Singapore that are occupied. These houses are cultural sights and are owned by families for many generations. Many owners have completely redesigned the interiors and these houses will cost you tens of millions of dollars. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to rent one of these places but if you find an opportunity, jump on it!
HBD Apartments
HBD, or Housing and Development Board, is Singapore’s massive public housing program. Singapore in the past developed massive amounts of public housing buildings and allowed its citizens to purchase the units cheaply as a way to create wealth within the local population.
Nowadays, there are many many HDB buildings in the city in every neighborhood. These buildings, ranging anywhere from 5 to 50 floors, are generally pretty plain and even a bit ugly looking especially compared to the newer condo buildings. The exception is the Pinnacle @ Duxton which is one of the most beautiful residential buildings I’ve seen.
HDB buildings do not have amenities like a large pool, gym, BBQ pits and other things that condo buildings offer. The rent in HDB flats are cheaper than condos because of this and other reasons.
Can Foreigners live in HBD apartments?
The short answer is yes. Foreigners can live and many do live in HBD apartments. As mentioned in the above section, HBD apartments were designed as a way to subsidize rent for Singaporean residents but also maintain the racial split of the island. This was to prevent ghettos from forming and to encourage the integration of the different racial groups in Singaporean society.
Foreigners are for all intents and purposes, are part of the racial split on the island. Therefore, foreigners are allowed to rent HBD flats but only up to a certain percentage of the building’s population. This is called the foreigners quota.
The foreigner quota for a HBD flat is set around 8-11% of the neighborhood and block level. This applies to Singaporean permanent residents and foreigners (on EPs or WPs).
How to check if a HBD flat is eligible
If you’re a foreigner that is keen to rent an HBD flat, you can use the official Government website to check if a building is under their foreigner quota.
You can simply input the postal code or block number of your HBD building and it will return the results. For this example, I will use the Pinnacle @ Duxton in Tanjong Pagar which is a popular HBD flat for foreigners and locals alike that work in the CBD.
After inputting the postal code, the website shows me that I am indeed eligible to rent an apartment in this building as of now. This number can and will change depending on the market and the current environment!
How to find apartments in Singapore: Step by Step Process
Finding apartments in Singapore is pretty standard. There are numerous websites and methods to finding your dream apartment in Singapore that I will talk about below.
Use Property Guru and 99.co
There are numerous websites you can use to find apartments but I found that the two main websites you need are Property Guru, and 99.co. Almost all apartments will be listed on these two websites. Property Guru is probably the biggest of the two and every real estate agent will list every apartment on this website. All the relocation specialists that I worked with said that PropertyGuru is the main player in town. I found that 99.co had more or less the same listings.
Both companies have Apps that you should familiarize yourself with quickly. The PropertyGuru app (at least on Android) is very mediocre. It drove me insane because I was not able to move around a map and view listings by map.
Schedule a viewing with the agent
I found that the websites have largely legitimate and honest lists. There are no spam or fake listings on these websites, and the landlords all mean business. To apply, simply send a message from the websites and you will be in contact with the agent to schedule a viewing.
I found that agents are generally very responsive and professional to work with. Most of the agents I contacted responded to me within 1-2 hours and I was able to schedule a viewing shortly thereafter.
Agents double as caretakers
In Singapore, the agents are not just to find tenants for landlords. Often times, they double as the de factor caretaker of the unit. Because many landlords are investors from overseas, they are not in Singapore to manage the apartment. Therefore, real estate agents not only look and find prospective new tenants, but they also take care of the unit.
This means the real estate agents look for damages and repairs that are needed in the unit, professional cleaning, painting, and more. They are the direct contact to the landlord and communication often times goes through them instead of directly with the landlord.
Make an offer on your dream apartment
Once you’ve narrowed your search, it’s time to make an offer! Simply use WhatsApp to send your offer in. In normal markets, agents generally price apartments slightly above what they’re going for in the market as they expect you to negotiate. This is typical of Asian culture to want a “deal”.
It’s very normal to go into the offer with an offer 5-10% below what the asking is. The landlord might meet you in the middle and then the deal is done. Of course, in crazy landlord friendly markets, this strategy might not be the best approach and you might even find yourself offering above the asking rent.
Along with your offer, you can also negotiate the move in date as well as any glaring things that you don’t like (think curtains, furniture, etc.).
Letter of Intent (LOI)
Once your offer has been accepted, congratulations! You’re almost there.
The first step in the process after the offer is the letter of intent. This letter will be sent to you by the agent within a short amount of time for you to review and sign. The letter is a short summary (usually 1-2 pages) of the lease conditions. This includes the important stuff like rental price, lease duration, and deposit required.
There will also be other standard text like the condition of the apartment must be kept in good conditions, walls will be painted at the end of the lease, unit will be cleaned etc. If you are relocating with your company and are provided relocation specialists, this is a good time to send them your LOI for review.
This is a time to make sure all the particulars are noted down in the LOI so it’s normal to go back and forth with the agent and receive multiple versions of the LOI.
Once you’re satisfied with the LOI, you can sign the document and you’ll be asked to send them the first month of deposit.
Tenancy Agreement
The Letter of Intent is not the only step in the process. Once you’ve signed the LOI, you’ll then receive the tenancy agreement which is the actual official rental contract. In this document, you’ll have many more pages of text, which you’ll want to read closely.
This is the final step and at this point, you’ll need to send the rest of the deposit money to the landlord and your lease will finally be official! You’ll also need to send through your first month of rent up front even if your lease doesn’t start until later down the road.
How much money to pay up front
Renting an apartment in Singapore will incur you a lot of upfront costs. If you’re signing a two year lease, you will pay for two months of security deposit, and the first month of rent upfront. If you’re apartment is $5,000 a month, you can expect to pay
- $5000 * 2 = $10,000 – Security Deposit
- $5,000 – First month of rent
- $15,000 – upfront cost
In addition, you’ll also have to pay stamp duty which is a small administrative tax that Singapore charges. This is equal to 0.4% of the entire rent for the lease term. In the above example, this means you will pay the following:
- $5,000 * 24 = $120,000 * 0.04% = $480
This is a one off payment that you’ll pay with ever new lease you sign.
Cost of Real estate in Singapore
I will only talk about renting in this section as I’m not considering buying anything. As I write this in 2022/2023, the Singapore real estate market is white hot and is probably the single hottest real estate market in the world. This can be attributed to all the mainland Chinese and HK professionals leaving the country due to the Zero COVID policies of the CCP.
Expect to pay $5-8 per square foot in the CBD of Singapore
You should expect to pay a King’s ransom for rent in Singapore during these times. I can’t say what the market will be like in 2-3 years but for now, the landlord market reigns supreme.
For starters, Singapore is a pretty big place and there’s a huge disparity in rent prices between what you will find near the city center and outside. To keep things simple, I will use prices in S$ per square feet.
Yes, Singapore uses square feet for some reason instead of the metric system. Perhaps just a leftover legacy of British colonialism.
Prices in the central CBD
In the CBD, you can expect to pay between S$5-8 per square feet for a condo building. This means a 1,000 square feet apartment will go for anything between S$5,000 and S$8,000 a month. Of course, you can find deals that are cheaper and you’ll find ultra lux condos for higher prices but this is generally an acceptable range.
As you venture further away from the CBD, you can expect to pay lower prices in the S$3-5 range but then you’ll have to content with lengthy commutes on the MRT and living in a neighborhood away from where most other expats will be (if that is important to you).
I didn’t find much difference in the price per square feet based on bedroom sizes. The most in demand units in Singapore are probably 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom units so you can expect to pay a bit more for those. I saw many apartments where it was a 2 bedroom apartment but it should have been a 1 bedroom unit based on square footage. Because it can be called a 2 bedroom, the prices get jacked up.
Therefore, expect to find apartments with small bedrooms that are always more for functionality than aesthetics.
Do you need a rental broker?
Rental agents/brokers are perfect if you don’t want to do any of the work for finding an apartment in Singapore. An agent for you as the tenant would help you find your apartment based on your criteria, contact the landlord agents, book your viewing appoints, and often times even drive you from apartment to apartment.
Rental brokers are not common for the real estate market in Singapore. Landlords use brokers to rent out their flats but this is not the case for the tenants. The exception to this rule is expats who are too intimidated to navigate the Singapore market, or expats that are provided an agent by their companies.
In the end, if you do enlist this service on your own, you’ll need to pay them a half month of rent. This amounts to a lot of money so plan accordingly.
I really don’t think there is much value to a rental broker because by using PropertyGuru, you can see everything they can see anyhow. The app also makes it super easy to WhatsApp message a landlord’s agent to get the viewing schedule and the ball rolling.
Understanding Singapore’s Rental Market
Like moving to any new country, there will be things you discover that may appear strange to downright non-sensical. Germany is no different. For the most part, the apartments don’t stray too far from what I’m used to but there are a few things everyone needs to know before beginning your search. You’ll want to take a deep breath for this.
Furnished vs unfurnished apartments
Singapore is a very expat friendly city. Apartments change hands constantly as people move in and out of the city for work. The apartments in Singapore are often times rented out fully furnished with basic furniture like a couch, bed, tables, dishes etc. all provided .
Generally, from my experience, I would say half of the listings I saw in Singapore were fully furnished. I thought more apartments would be furnished but this isn’t the case. If you’re planning on moving to Singapore for just a short period of time, then fully furnished is the way to go. Otherwise, I would recommend getting the apartments partially furnished (which is essentially the same thing as unfurnished) so you can decorate with your own things. This will most likely look much better as the furniture that landlords provide are generally terribly ugly and low quality.
More often, bigger apartments come unfurnished as 3 bed and above apartments are for families with kids that want the freedom to do their own thing. Smaller apartments like two bedrooms and below will be more likely furnished. Apartments in the CBD area are more likely to be furnished as these are often times corporate rentals or geared towards working professionals.
Unfurnished apartments will all come with a full kitchen, closets, ceiling lights, window blinds, washer (sometimes dryer), and a refrigerator. On PropertyGuru, these apartments are listed as “partially furnished”. Often times, you can negotiate with your landlord to provide certain furnishings like a desk or couch. Unlike when I was living in Germany where kitchens are not included, you can rest assured you won’t need to be a master craftsman to live in Singapore.
Landlord furnishings are garbage
The furnishings from a furnished apartment in Singapore are very often completely trash. In fact, it is probably one level below trash. The furniture is ikea-esque at best and more often it is just trash you could find on the street.
You’re often times left wondering if you should ask the landlord to buy your own stuff even if it is “furnished”. Some landlords will be flexible while others will not be. Landlords in Singapore are incredibly cheap and provide bare bones furnishing to try milking out a few more dollars out of the transaction since renting furnished will mean a higher rental price. Literally I think my college frat room furnishings were better than most of the $6,000+ apartments I saw.
Honestly, landlords should be ashamed of themselves but in the end, if the demand is there, they can furnish it with whatever they want and people will still come.
Lease length
Lease length is generally 1 year or 2 years. During hot markets, landlords might ask for 2 years since this locks in a good price for the landlord and because they have the power to dictate terms. In renters markets, you can ask for 1 year or 2 years depending on your situation. Generally i find that most landlords prefer 2 years
No dishwashers in Singapore
Dishwashers are not standard in a Singapore apartment. Most of the apartments I saw did not come with dishwashers. I looked at mostly new condo buildings between 5 and 15 years old. While I lived in some terrible old apartments in New York that surely had no dishwasher, this is not a modern vs old thing. I think there is just a cultural difference and that Singaporeans prefer to do their own dishes!
Very few apartments do include a dishwasher so not all hope is lost. I actually assumed dishwashers were always included until one of the real estate agents specifically highlighted that her unit had a dishwasher.
Pictures are awful
This isn’t that big of a deal rather just an observation I’ve made. The photos that you see on the websites like PropertyGuru are often times terrible. Even the listings done by real estate brokers employ camera phone photos (and really bad phones at that) and look like complete garbage.
Thankfully, most apartments I saw looked much better in person. This is unlike what I’m used to in NYC where real estate brokers use high end cameras with wide angle lenses to make the apartments look much more appealing than they are. But seriously, would it kill Germans just use a real camera and turn up the brightness a bit?
Every condo building in Singapore looks the same
Singapore is a city state that built higher and focused on more apartments for more people. Therefore, space and style was sacrificed. While the condo buildings all have unique designs on the outside, they almost always look the same on the inside.
You have these huge condo and HBD buildings that have a thousand people living in them so you can expect everything to just look the same. Every apartment has a boxy, rectangular design that is neither pretty, or inspiring. Marble or tiled floors, white walls, standard kitchens, and small bedrooms are all part of the norm.
The exception to this is if you can score a shophouse which are built many many years ago. These buildings are oozing in style and complexity, especially the ones that have been refurnished. You’ll need a lot of money, or a lot of roommates you like to be around to afford one of these.
There is definitely some racial discrimination
I’ll keep this brief as to not deviate too much from the main point but there is definitely elements of racial bias or discrimination when renting an apartment in Singapore. When you WhatsApp a real estate agent for a viewing, they will often times ask you what your background is. This “background” means your nationality but also your racial background.
From what I’ve learned talking to local people, there are some desirable races and others that are not as desirable. I won’t elaborate more but just to say that this is very much a thing in Singapore.
My personal apartment hunting search in Singapore
And finally, one to my personal apartment search in Singapore! In total, I spent about 3 weeks looking for an apartment before signing a final lease. I started my search about 45 days before my move in date because you don’t want to start too early as landlords will want a sooner move in date.
My Apartment criteria
After living in Singapore for a few months already, I was able to gauge the market and decide what I wanted to have in an apartment. Here are the things I was looking for:
- Something close to the CBD; essentially narrowing down my neighborhoods to River Valley, CBD, and Tiong Bahru
- 3 rooms: This means 2 bedrooms and 1 living room.
- Balcony of some sort
- 80 square meters and above
- $7,000 max budget (preferably furnished)
Update Jun 2023:
As I stay in Singapore for longer, I have an appreciation for other neighborhoods. One of them is the neighborhood of Joo Chiat in the East Coast area the city.
I’ve found that Joo Chiat is an area I continually go back to. It’s one of the only real neighborhoods in Singapore in my opinion. What I mean is that there are a few streets of proper restaurants, cafes, bars, and other things that make it feel like a neighborhood. Every other area of Singapore I’ve been to consist of just HDBs and hawker centers which are okay but far cry from what you’re used to if you lived in Europe for example.
I would certainly consider living in Joo Chiat in the future!
Applying for the apartment
Once you find an apartment, there is not too much to do when it comes to paperwork. The landlord will draft up a contract in German which you can feed directly to Google Translate to understand the terms.
What documents are necessary
Surprisingly, you don’t need much information or documents when applying for an apartment in Singapore. As an expat, you’ll be primarily asked for these things:
- Your EP number (Employment Pass)
And really that’s it. I am surprised they don’t require paystubs or an employment contract with your employer stating how much money you make. I suspect it’s because they can verify your employment and if you work for a “good” company, they know you’re good for the money? I’m really unsure!
One month security deposit per year of rent
The security deposit in Singapore is straight forward. It is 1 month of rent per 1 year of lease signed. Most leases in Singapore are for 1 year or 2 years. Therefore it is the following:
- 1 month of security deposit for a 1 year lease
- 2 months rent for security deposit for a 2 year lease
Silent Auction style for bidding wars
Once you find the apartment of your dreams, it’s time to make an offer. If you find yourself apartment hunting in a very hot market, you can expect to be bidding on the same apartment with many other parties.
To discourage bidding wars, Singapore employs the silent auction technique. Everyone submits their best price and the landlord will choose their preferred party. Often times, this goes to the highest bidder but not always as the landlord might have preferences to certain things like no kids, couples vs single, and of course your profiles.
Apartment Hunting in Singapore
I spent a lot of time apartment hunting and ended up seeing 10-15 apartments during my escapade. Most of the apartments were acceptable or mediocre. Singapore is a concrete jungle and most of the condo buildings look exactly the same once you go inside the actual unit.
The amenities of Singapore condos are also similar. Most buildings have your standard pool, lounge areas, BBQ pits, gyms etc. The gyms are sub hotel quality so it’s not going to do anything for anyone that is serious about working out. The pools can range from scary to ultra luxurious depending on your building. Some condo buildings even have thermal spas and other crazy amenities that suck you into the apartment building making you never want to leave.
For those interested, here is a sampling of the apartments I saw around Singapore. Of course I won’t release the addresses but I will list the neighborhood:
Spottiswoode Suites
Spottiswoode Suites is one of the newer buildings in the Spottiswoode area of the CBD. Located just southwest of Tanjong Pagar, this area has become very popular with expats and locals alike.
There are a few condo buildings in the surroundings with plenty of new cafes and restaurants popping up. It’s a 15 minute walk to the heart of the CBD making it an attract area to live and work.
Spottiswoode Suites had very beautiful common facilities with a pool on the 8th level offering views of the CBD. There is also your standard BBQ pits, lounge spaces, gym, and even a movie area. The apartment itself however is very small.
The unit was listed at 850 square feet but it felt like it was probably more like 650 square feet. The units here are mostly two bedroom duplexes with a small bedroom and an even smaller living room on the first floor, and a slightly larger bedroom on the 2nd floor. There is a small balcony offering nice views of Singapore.
All in all, this place just felt claustrophobic and uninspiring, especially for the prices that they wanted.
The Sail – CBD
The Sail is a popular building for expats in the CBD. It’s close to the Marina area so it is perfect for those working in and around the CBD. It’s a huge building with 60+ floors overlooking Singapore. Many of the units even have views of the Marina Bay Sands due to its location.
The units are relatively nice with slightly newer furnishings that other units around the area.
Artra in Redhill
The Artra is a newer Condo building in the Redhill neighborhood. The Green line MRT station is directly in front of this condo building which is only 3 stops to Tanjong Pagar.
The Artra building was nice with the standard amenities like a big pool, gyms, skydecks and more. The view from the rooftop is pretty insane. You can see all of Singapore from the CBD, to the ocean, to Sentosa, and more.
The unit I saw in the Artra was pretty standard and nothing out of the ordinary so I didn’t bother to put an offer in.
The Icon
The Icon is probably one of the most popular condo buildings for working professional expats. It’s located right in the heart of CBD next to Tanjong Pagar meaning it’s close to work and close to the nightlife scene in Singapore.
The apartment building is pretty cookie cutter as far as the units. The rooms all look the same and there’s nothing in particular that stands out. However, it’s priced “reasonably” for being in the most expensive area of the city. It’s perfect for a single bachelor pad or for couples.
The Icon has one of the most ridiculous communal pools I’ve seen however. It’s at least 50 meters long of resort like features. Only pictures will do it justice.
The Altez
The Altez is another condo building located right behind the Icon. It’s a popular expat building home to working professionals. The condo building is newer than the Icon and the units definitely feel that way. The rooms are bigger than other buildings I saw with the two beds coming in around 1000 square feet.
The Altez comes with the typical Condo building amenities with an amazing sky deck that has some of the best ocean views I’ve seen in Singapore. The communal pool is something out of a resort in Bali. As well, there is a 50 meter Olympic length swimming pool.
Skysuites @ Anson
Located next door to the Altez is the skysuites building. The Skysuites are a new condo development and probably one of the highest residential condo buildings in Singapore. The view from the 72nd floor is absolutely insane. The Guoco tower next door which houses the ultra expensive Wallich Residences might be the only higher building in Singapore (this is also a commercial building however).
The Skysuites, while new and shiny, has very small units. The two bedroom units are miniscule at 700 square feet (feels more like 550). If you’re okay with smaller space, the prices for these units are generally okay-ish compared to other buildings in the area. The three bedroom units are quite nice however, but be prepared to pay a lot more.
V on Shenton
Shenton Way in the CBD is a popular area for expats looking to stay close to work. These condo buildings are all within a short walking distance to the main offices which makes it a popular place for foreigners to stay. Shenton way is also close to all the hotspots in Tanjong Pagar.
V on Shenton is one of the main condo buildings in the area. It’s newly built in only 2018 so the units are modern with plenty of balcony space. I viewed a 2 bed 2 bath unit in this building and while it was nice, it just felt so sterile and without character. I suppose this is similar with every other unit I viewed but coupled with the fact that it’s located sandwiched between even bigger buildings, I was just not impressed.
The communal pool and garden area is quite amazing however. The amount of trees they can fit into a condo building is impressive. This place is almost like the Gardens by the Bay in a condo building!
Marina One Residences
Located in the Marina area half way between the CBD and the Marina Bay Sands, this new enclave of commercial and residential buildings is popular for those wanting modern apartments close to work. I checked out a unit in this building and I must say that I was not impressed.
The Marina area is very much out of the way and you feel like you’re in no man’s land. There is literally nothing around you besides work offices and construction sites. Yes you are quite close to the hot spots of Tanjong Pagar and Telak Ayer street but you’re far away enough where you can’t just pop over.
The apartments were like everything else I saw in the city with the same boxy and uninspiring design. The units are newer than other buildings in the area but again, it’s nothing special. Prices in this area are high and definitely not worth the money in my opinion.
Alex Residences
The Alex residence is a new building in the Redhill area near the Redhill MRT line. The other buildings in this area include the Artra, Crest, Echelon and a few more. The Alex residence units are pretty similar to the other buildings in the area with a cookie cutter layout and decent finishings. Most of the units have balconies but not super large like the ones at the Luma.
The main highlight of the Alex Residence is the rooftop infinity pool with unobstructed views of Singapore. There is not even a big glass barrier in front of the pool so you really have something special. The Olympic size pool honestly reminds me of the Marina Bay Sands pool which is world famous. You just won’t have to pay 600 SGD per night to use it!
Luma Residences
The Luma is one of many many condo buildings in the River Valley district. This area is widely popular with expats especially those with families. You’re right next to the river and the walking/biking trails here are perfect for those that want to escape the hecticness of the CBD.
River Valley is also just a 10 minute MRT ride to the CBD on the Thomson East Coast Line making it it very convenient to get to work. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars in the area so you don’t have to go far.
Luma was one of the first buildings I saw in the area. The two bedroom units in this building are one of the nicest units I saw for the price range. The layout was pretty cookie cutter but the balcony in the Luma is what makes it stand out. There is a large wraparound balcony that is big enough to place a BBQ, dining table, and a sofa set. It’s an absolute sanctuary in the skies.
The rooftop pool at the Luma is also incredibly gorgeous. It’s not as beautiful as the pool at the Alex but it also offers stunning views of Singapore from your personal pool.
Many other apartment buildings in River Valley
In addition to the Luma, I saw numerous other buildings in the area including the Verv, Robertson 100, Watermark, Inspira, and the Tribeca. All these units were on the nicer side but nothing really stood out to me. I would say of all the units in these buildings, the Tribeca had the nicest unit overall.
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