Comparing rent against a monthly repayment is the wrong sum, because most of a repayment is principal and principal is still your money. What actually leaves for good is the interest, the fees, the tax and the loss on resale. This compares that, on both sides, using real prices and rents from the town you pick.
We prefill the price and the rent from the last 12 months here. Change them to a flat you are actually looking at.
4-room flats in Bishan sold for a median of $788K across 176 sales, and rented for $3,675 a month across 382 rentals.
Prefilled from Bishan 4-room flats. Change anything.
Nobody knows these. They are the assumptions the answer turns on, so try a few.
What the down payment would make elsewhere. This is the real cost of tying it up.
An owner pays this; a tenant does not.
Owner-occupier rates on an HDB flat are low. Your bill has the figure.
Only what leaves for good counts. The principal you repay is still yours, so it is not a cost.
A tenant pays rent and keeps their savings invested.
Where the two paths cross, and how far apart they are each year.
| Year | Buying | Renting | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $37K | $38K | buying $1K |
| 2 | $37K | $77K | buying $40K |
| 3 | $36K | $116K | buying $80K |
| 4 | $35K | $156K | buying $121K |
| 5 | $32K | $197K | buying $165K |
| 6 | $29K | $239K | buying $209K |
| 7 | $25K | $281K | buying $256K |
| 8 | $20K | $324K | buying $304K |
| 9 | $15K | $368K | buying $353K |
| 10 | $8K | $413K | buying $405K |
What this comparison leaves out.
An estimate, not financial advice. Conservancy, property tax and the agent fee are the figures you typed, not quotes. come from HDB's records and are declared by owners. Rates and limits were last checked against the official sources on 2026-09-12. Banks, lawyers and IRAS have the final say — confirm before you commit.