Good Class Bungalows (GCBs) have been making headlines in recent months, from high-profile fraud cases to eye-watering $200k/month rental prices. The numbers attached to these homes can feel almost abstract when you’re talking about square footage well into the 5-figures.
Before you even get to the price tags, the size requirement alone puts the sheer scale of a GCB into perspective: a minimum plot size of 1,400sqm (15,069sqft).
Here’s how the math works out, using our everyday HDB housing against Singapore’s most exclusive housing type.
GCB’s minimum plot size vs a 5-room HDB flat
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image adapted from: MyNiceHome, Castlery
GCBs have to meet specific planning requirements set by the URA before they qualify to be one, with plot size being one of the biggest.
A GCB has to sit on at least 1,400sqm or about 15,069sqft of land, which is about 12 times larger than your average 5-room BTO flat, measuring around 110sqm. In other words, the minimum land area of a single GCB could easily fit the floor areas of 12 complete 5-room HDB flats.
An 80,448sqft GCB plot, sold for $148 million.
Image credit: EdgeProp Singapore
These massive bungalows usually exceed the minimum plot size, with one of the largest GCB deals in 2025 measuring a whopping 7,474sqm (80,448sqft), about 5 times larger than the minimum GCB size. Using the same scale of comparison, the plot can fit around 67 5-room HDB flats.
Of course, such a massive GCB befits its high price, changing hands in December 2025 for $148 million. You can buy about 189 5-room HDB flats at that benchmark price, with an average resale flat price around $781,317 for that year.
GCBs’ maximum 2-storey height
Image credit: Guz Architects
With such vast expanses of land available, you might assume the obvious thing to do is to build upwards and maximise every last square metre. However, GCBs are subject to a maximum height of 2 storeys, excluding permitted attic and basement spaces.
This restriction helps preserve the low-rise character of GCB neighbourhoods, a stark contrast to the rows of HDB blocks we’re more accustomed to, where newer developments can stretch 40 storeys or higher.
With fewer buildings towering overhead and more land between each home, GCB neighbourhoods tend to feel less dense compared to our everyday surroundings. Mature trees must also be retained, adding to the lush, spacious enclaves GCBs are known for.
GCB with a driveway.
Image credit: @propertyzaikia
GCB owners also cannot cover the entire property with their house, with the building coverage for a GCB capped at 45%. 55% of the land has to remain outside the building footprint, which works out to at least 770sqm of open space.
Depending on the property, the land can accommodate lush gardens, lawns, or even a driveway, which explains why GCBs often look like they’re straight out of another country.
GCB plot size facts
For most of us living in Singapore, where every square metre counts, it’s hard to imagine having 12 5-room HDB flats’ worth of land to yourself, and that’s just the minimum size required for a GCB.
With GCBs found only across 39 designated areas in Singapore, this much space is a luxury even among landed homes. Beyond the prestige of owning a GCB, perhaps the biggest perk of such a lifestyle is simply having the luxury of space.
For more GCB reads:
- 7 lesser-known facts about Brizay Park
- 8 facts about Singapore’s most exclusive GCB estate, Queen Astrid Park
- All we know about the $55m GCB seized from the Aperia Group CEO
Cover image adapted from: Wallflower Architects, Uchify
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