Posted on September 17, 2009 - by Sgbluechip

Are HDBs affordable at all?

Photo by 私奔到月球

With reference to my earlier article, I have calculated that a couple who bought a decent 3 bedroom unit at Dakota Residences will have paid about $3.3M in interest and principal. It is an awful large amount of money. I would never even dare to dream I have that kind of money!

What about HDB?

Let us now consider the cost of HDB from a cost-salary historical perspective. I draw the following information from Lianhe Zaobao, 6/9/09, written by financial columnist Xu Li Qing.

In 1970s, a 3 room HDB flat costs $8,000. A fresh graduate then earns $1,000 monthly. It is about 8 times his salary. Of course it was extremely rare to have a graduate then!

In 1980s, a 3 room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio costs $40,000. A fresh graduate then earns $1,600, which translates to 25 times his salary. Read more…

Related posts:

1. Is Property in Singapore Affordable?
2. Did property prices rose for good reason?
3. Valuer for HDB units, an easy job?