Property prices are a common woe amongst Singaporeans; some might say that you’d easily get a similar home for cheaper in other countries. Or better yet, that you’d be living luxuriously for the same price. Today, we take S$500K, or about the amount of money you’d expect to pay for a 4-room HDB flat, and see what kind of housing we can snag in a few popular countries that Singaporeans often dream of moving to.
1. Australia—4-bedroom landed home in Victoria
Starting with the land of Tim Tams, wallabies and a popular destination for tertiary education with Singaporeans, Australian property is sometimes sought after by those looking to move away from the apartment life.
Although you’re likely to get landed homes with similar dimensions as our 4-room HDBs, they will come with a few fun perks, such as a front lawn and a private garage. At its price point, these would definitely be a unique experience for most Singaporeans, letting you cultivate little farms, gardens, and maybe even a workshop for any tinkering hobbies you might have.
In fact, for a bit over S$400K, you can get something like a 4-room HDB, but in the form of a landed home with better decor. You’d be able to enjoy the landscaping opportunities available here, or use it as space for family gatherings, perhaps even a fun barbecue with the friends you’d make there.
Now, for S$4.5K/month, or about the amount of dough you’d have to fork out to rent a 3-bed apartment in Singapore, you can definitely live the high life Down Under, because that price could snag you a double-storied, bungalow-style home.
Do note that the caveat here is that in a way not unlike what we’re experiencing here, Australia has been experiencing a very strong growth in property prices of late. The units shown are likely to be located further away from city centres, necessitating the purchase of a car━which would also be a fraction of what you might pay here━for commutes and getting around the area.
For example, the median value for homes in Melbourne, Victoria happens to be AUD$780,437, or about S$700K.
2. United Kingdom—Terrace home in London
Living in Ol’ Blighty can be an attractive option for Singaporeans, though likely more for the cultural allure of BBC dramas like Sherlock than affordability, as we’d see here. For about S$350K, or about the price of a 2- or 3-room HDB flat, you’re likely only going to get a comparatively paltry 1-room terrace flat.
Adding another S$100K won’t help too much either, affording you a unit that’s potentially more comfortable, but not necessarily that much larger. You’d also have to contend with the fact that sometimes these terrace apartments are sometimes in the basement, so they can be quite dark even on a sunny day.
You’d also realise that it can be hard to find a parking space sometimes, especially when someone takes up the spot in front of your home. The good news though, is that the 2 units shown here happen to be relatively close to inner city London. Given the rather robust public transport system there, you don’t need to worry too much about actually owning a car.
3. Japan—3-room apartment in Osaka or 2-storey house in Okawa
Like the UK, Japan is another country that Singaporeans love to visit. Readers would be familiar with that one friend whose only conversation topics revolve around travelling to Japan. And to be honest, between the food, culture and scenery, there’s plenty to like about the country.
As far as homes go though, you’d probably be expecting similarly-sized apartments there as you would in Singapore, at least within the S$350K range.
With housing that’s closer to the S$500K mark though, you can get rather good deals like this S$439K 2-storey house in Okawa, which is in the outskirts of Osaka.
4. Bangkok—Luxury duplex condo in the city centre
Bangkok is well-known for many things: good food, cheap deals, and a place that Singaporeans quite commonly consider moving to in their retirement. And it’s certainly easy to see why, when you consider the fact that S$385K could net you a 90sqm duplex unit in Thailand’s capital city.
Pay a little more than the S$500K mark in this housing market, and you’ll get units with a style and location that you’d more likely associate with the likes of Midtown Modern and other units closer to the city in Singapore.
5. Malaysia—2-storey cluster house or 3-storey bungalow
Rounding out the list would be our neighbour across the Causeway. As far as properties are concerned, Malaysia needs no real introduction, and some readers likely already have made plans to live in Johor at some point.
But for everyone else, being able to bag a 2-storey cluster house for only S$315K surely demonstrates why people are willing to endure the potentially gruelling morning and evening commutes through customs in order to live there.
It gets better—a bit more than S$400K could get you a semi-detached home in Malaysia. Looking at prices like this, it suddenly becomes hard to justify the eye-watering prices of similar units here at home, which easily fetch S$5M or more.
And if you want to have a taste of just how far your Singapore dollar can go on the other side of the Causeway, here’s a luxurious 3-storey bungalow, complete with its own pool, for just S$4.5K/month.
The housing you can buy with S$500K overseas
There are certainly a couple countries that will get you more bang for your buck as far as home ownership is concerned. And beyond the usual Bangkok and Johor, Japan and Australia actually seem to have pretty good property deals as well—so long as you’re willing to accept the caveats that come with it.
Perhaps, this list might help you or others planning to emigrate decide where you’d want to spend your S$500K for a home.
Read our other articles here:
- What Is A DBSS HDB Flat?
- Executive maisonettes with curved airwells
- Everything you need to know about ‘99-to-1’ loophole
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