New Launches Housing Market

July 2025 BTO: Toa Payoh Ascent—Prime Flats From $528K In A Million-Dollar Neighbourhood

24 July 2025 | BY

Toa Payoh Ascent offers prime flats near MRT stations, making it the most sought-after BTO in July 2025. Apply now before 30th July!

toa payoh prime flat cover

The July 2025 BTO sales exercise is officially live, running until 30th July. There are 5,547 flats up for grabs across eight projects in Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Clementi, Sembawang, Tampines, Toa Payoh, and Woodlands. These include four Standard and four Prime projects.

Now, when it comes to Prime projects, you’ll see familiar names like Bukit Merah and Clementi. These areas have long been favourites, thanks to their central locations and consistent high demand, which has pushed HDB prices to new heights in recent years.

But here’s the twist: Toa Payoh, which you probably think of as a “classic” estate, has joined the Prime list. Historically, Toa Payoh wasn’t the first place that came to mind when thinking “upscale”—we’re talking about the likes of Queenstown or Tanjong Pagar.

Looks like it’s time to rethink what “Prime” really means, alongside Alexandra Peaks, Alexandra Vista, and Clementi Emerald.

Toa Payoh Ascent: Underrated pick in Singapore’s heartland

toa payoh prime flat - aerial viewImage Credit: HDB

Located at the junction of Toa Payoh Rise and Braddell Rise, Toa Payoh Ascent features two 40-storey residential blocks with 741 units of 2-Room Flexi, 3-Room, and 4-Room flats. Residents can enjoy a range of facilities, including a preschool, eating house, shops, children’s playgrounds, fitness stations, and more. Plus, a Multi-Storey Car Park (MSCP) with a rooftop garden will provide a peaceful space for relaxation and socialising.

Unfortunately, it will not feature 5-room flats this time around, which have always been a popular choice amongst flat buyers because of the larger home space.

toa payoh prime flat - rooftop gardenImage Credit: HDB

What makes Toa Payoh Ascent especially attractive is that it’s a new public housing option in a highly built-up estate. Land for new projects in Toa Payoh doesn’t come by often, making this launch even more desirable. The last BTO launch here was Kim Keat Heights in May 2022, and before that, Kim Keat saw another launch in February 2020. Both times, 3-room and 4-room flats were heavily oversubscribed, with as many as four applicants per unit, showing just how popular the area is.

Another major plus for Toa Payoh Ascent is its relatively short waiting time of 41 months. While not as quick as Clementi Emerald (34 months), it’s still a lot faster than the Alexandra projects, which have waiting times of 47 and 56 months.

How much will units cost?

toa payoh prime flat - 4 room layoutImage Credit: HDB

Here’s the breakdown of indicative prices for units at Toa Payoh Ascent:

  • 2-Room Flexi (Type 1): $71,000 – $272,000 (starting at $71K for a short 15-year lease, up to $272K for a full 99-year lease)
  • 2-Room Flexi (Type 2): $86,000 – $354,000 (same parameters as above for short lease and full 99-year lease)
  • 3-Room: $406,000 – $514,000
  • 4-Room: $583,000 – $777,000

It’s probably also worth mentioning that Toa Payoh Ascent is the most expensive out of all the BTO projects in this launch, which was something we predicted when we first covered the July 2025 BTO launch. For instance, 4-room flats at Toa Payoh Ascent start from $583K, whereas the next most expensive starting price is at Clementi Emerald, at $562K. On the other hand, 3-room flats start from $406K, which is priced slightly higher but still fairly close to the $403K starting price at Alexandra projects.

As with all Prime projects, Toa Payoh Ascent will come with the usual set of terms and conditions, such as a 10-year MOP and restriction on renting the entire flat out, amongst others. The most notable condition is the subsidy clawback: when you sell the flat after the 10-year MOP, you’ll need to pay HDB 11% of the resale or valuation price, whichever is higher. This is higher than the 9% clawback in past Prime projects but matches the Alexandra projects.

For Toa Payoh Ascent, that percentage is 11%, similar to that of Alexandra projects. Interestingly, this is higher than the 9% of past Prime projects.

Looking to the future, you can also probably expect a decent rate of appreciation for BTO flats in Toa Payoh in the long run. According to data from the HDB, the recently-transacted prices of resale flats in the vicinity range from between $780,000 – $830,000 for 3-room flats and a very decent $1,070,000 – $1,170,000 for 4-room flats. Though it isn’t exactly an apple-to-apple comparison, if you compare these prices with the starting prices of flats at Toa Payoh Ascent, you can clearly see a substantial growth in value, which means modest gains in the future even with the subsidy clawback factored in.

Conveniently located between two MRT stations

Even though Toa Payoh Ascent is classified as being under Toa Payoh, it actually sits closer to the Caldecott and Braddell region, which are neighbouring townships bordering Toa Payoh.

Even though Toa Payoh is not traditionally associated with being atas or upscale, Caldecott certainly is. Apart from being the former home for Singapore’s TV and radio scene, the area is also known for its private landed property enclave, including several Good Class Bungalows. Being located right next to all of that does land a sort of status and prestige, and many buyers would undoubtedly see Toa Payoh Ascent as an affordably-priced entry into living in the area.

Toa Payoh Ascent July 2025 BTO launchImage Credit: HDB

Looking at the map, one of the key selling points of Toa Payoh Ascent is its proximity to not one, but two MRT stations: Caldecott (Circle Line and Thomson-East Coast Line) and Braddell (North-South Line), both of which are less than a 10-minute walk away. That means you’re in a central part of Singapore with three MRT lines at your doorstep—pretty hard to beat in terms of connectivity.

For drivers, major roads like Lornie Road, Braddell Road, and Thomson Road are right there, connecting you to the PIE and CTE highways, making it easier to get around the island.

However, one downside is the lack of primary schools within a 1km radius. The only one nearby is CHIJ (Toa Payoh), which is a well-known girls’ school. This could be a turn-off for families with young children who are looking for co-ed options. For those with older kids, though, schools like Marymount Convent, Raffles Girls Secondary, and Kheng Cheng School are nearby.

While the immediate vicinity doesn’t feature a lot of amenities or retail and dining choices, you can easily take a bus to the main Toa Payoh Central estate, which has all the amenities that you’ll need.

Rejuvenation and transformation of Toa Payoh

toa payoh prime flat - upcoming complexImage Credit: ActiveSG Circle

Living in Toa Payoh will also be much more exciting in the future, with the upcoming mega sports and community complex being launched in the heart of Singapore’s beloved heartland.

Scheduled for completion by 2030, which conveniently coincides with the expected completion of Toa Payoh Ascent, the Toa Payoh Integrated Development will feature a 10,000-seater stadium, a 5,000-seater indoor hall with 22 badminton courts, and a 2,000-seater aquatic centre with four indoor pools and three outdoor leisure pools. It will also include a new Toa Payoh Polyclinic, a library, and several other recreational and community facilities—making it the perfect addition to an already thriving neighbourhood.

Toa Payoh Ascent—the most popular pick of the July 2025 BTO launch?

To conclude, there is every reason to believe that Toa Payoh Ascent might just be the most popular—and oversubscribed—BTO project of the July 2025 launch. If you have read our other pieces covering the Alexandra Peaks & Alexandra Vista as well as Clementi Emerald projects, you’d know that they each have their own highlights which make them great picks. They are Prime projects for a reason after all!

That said, we feel that Toa Payoh Ascent stands out from all the rest for several key reasons. At the forefront is its proximity to MRT stations (two stations and three lines in fact), which many homebuyers would undoubtedly value since commuting and accessibility are integral considerations for everyday living. 

As always, be sure to plan your finances carefully; the HDB also specifically highlighted that flat buyers should also take into consideration the revised Loan-to-Value (LTV) limit for HDB housing loans, which has been lowered from 80% to 75% since the October 2024 sales exercise.

If you are seriously considering putting in an application for what would likely be the most competitive BTO project this launch, then you can do so via the HDB Flat Portal now until 30th July 2025.

Read about the other BTO project launches this July 2025:

For more articles about properties in Singapore:


Cover image adapted from: ActiveSG Circle, HDB

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