HDB rent prices have stopped climbing the way they did in 2022 and 2023. Based on HDB's own median-rent figures for Q1 2026, a whole 4-room flat now goes for around $3,000 a month in cheaper towns like Bukit Panjang or Woodlands, rising past $4,000 in Central and Queenstown. The HDB rental index moved just 0.1% over the quarter, so the wild bidding wars have cooled. This guide walks through what each flat size actually rents for, which towns are cheapest, the upfront cash you need, and how to read the official numbers before you sign anything.
HDB publishes a median rent for every town and flat type each quarter, drawn from the rents landlords self-declare when they apply to rent out their flats. The median means half the flats rented for more and half for less, so it is a fairer reference point than the eye-catching listings on property portals.
For Q1 2026, the islandwide picture is roughly $2,500 to $3,200 for a 3-room flat, $3,000 to $4,200 for a 4-room, and $3,250 to $4,400 for a 5-room, depending entirely on where you look. The spread between the cheapest and dearest town for the same flat size is often more than $1,000 a month, which is the single biggest lever you control as a tenant.
The market has flattened. HDB's rental index eased 0.1% in Q1 2026 after two years of steep rises, and rental approvals came in at 9,535 for the quarter, down 0.2% from the previous three months. Renting an HDB flat in 2026 is less of a scramble than it was, but it is still far from cheap. If you are weighing renting against buying, run the numbers in our rent vs buy calculator before you commit either way.
The table below pulls HDB's Q1 2026 median rents straight from the data.gov.sg dataset. A dash means HDB did not report a median for that town and flat type that quarter, usually because too few flats of that size were rented to give a reliable figure.
| Town | 3-room | 4-room | 5-room | Executive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ang Mo Kio | $2,800 | $3,500 | $3,800 | - |
| Bedok | $2,800 | $3,300 | $3,650 | $4,200 |
| Bishan | $3,000 | $3,600 | $4,000 | - |
| Bukit Batok | $2,750 | $3,200 | $3,500 | - |
| Bukit Merah | $3,000 | $3,900 | $4,200 | - |
| Bukit Panjang | $2,600 | $3,000 | $3,250 | $3,600 |
| Central | $3,200 | $4,200 | - | - |
| Choa Chu Kang | - | $3,100 | $3,300 | $3,300 |
| Clementi | $3,000 | $3,900 | $4,100 | - |
| Geylang | $2,850 | $3,500 | $4,050 | - |
| Hougang | $2,700 | $3,280 | $3,400 | $3,600 |
| Jurong East | $2,800 | $3,400 | $3,750 | - |
| Jurong West | $2,700 | $3,400 | $3,600 | $3,780 |
| Kallang/Whampoa | $3,000 | $3,850 | $4,100 | - |
| Marine Parade | $3,030 | $3,500 | - | - |
| Pasir Ris | - | $3,300 | $3,500 | $3,700 |
| Punggol | $2,900 | $3,200 | $3,300 | - |
| Queenstown | $3,000 | $4,150 | $4,400 | - |
| Sembawang | - | $3,100 | $3,230 | $3,500 |
| Sengkang | $2,900 | $3,200 | $3,300 | $3,600 |
| Serangoon | $2,800 | $3,400 | $3,600 | - |
| Tampines | $2,850 | $3,400 | $3,600 | $4,000 |
| Toa Payoh | $2,900 | $3,800 | $4,000 | - |
| Woodlands | $2,500 | $3,100 | $3,300 | $3,600 |
| Yishun | $2,700 | $3,100 | $3,500 | $3,600 |
If your priority is the lowest rent, the pattern is consistent across flat sizes: the outer towns win. The cheapest medians sit in the north and west, where commute times are longer but landlords compete harder for fewer tenants.
For a 3-room flat, Woodlands is the cheapest at $2,500, followed by Bukit Panjang at $2,600 and a cluster of towns around $2,700 (Hougang, Jurong West, Yishun). For a 4-room, Bukit Panjang leads at $3,000, with Choa Chu Kang, Sembawang, Woodlands and Yishun all at $3,100. For a 5-room, Sembawang ($3,230), Bukit Panjang ($3,250), Choa Chu Kang, Punggol and Sengkang ($3,300) are the value picks.
At the other end, the central and mature estates carry a clear premium. A 4-room in Central rents for around $4,200 and in Queenstown about $4,150, against $3,000 in Bukit Panjang. That is roughly $1,200 a month, or over $14,000 a year, for the same flat size in a more central postcode.
Queenstown tops the 5-room table at $4,400, with Bukit Merah ($4,200), Clementi and Kallang/Whampoa ($4,100) close behind. The premium buys shorter commutes, older established neighbourhoods and proximity to the city core. Whether that is worth $1,000 a month is a budgeting question, not a property one. See how the gap shifts your savings rate with our personal budget calculator.
The medians above are for whole flats. Renting a single room is the cheapest way into an HDB, and it sits outside HDB's published median tables because rooms are rented under different rules.
A common HDB room in an outer town typically goes from around $900 to $1,300 a month as of June 2026, while a master bedroom or a room in a central location can run $1,500 or more. There is a hard cap to know: HDB limits the number of occupants and bedrooms a flat owner can rent out, and owners must keep the flat as their main residence unless they have met the Minimum Occupation Period and are renting out the whole unit. If you are not sure what that means, see our MOP glossary entry.
None of the open-market figures come close to HDB's Public Rental Scheme, the heavily subsidised rental of 1-room and 2-room flats for citizens who cannot afford to buy or rent elsewhere. Rents here are means-tested and can be as low as the tens of dollars a month for the lowest income tier, rising for households earning more.
The catch is eligibility. The scheme is for Singapore Citizen households with a monthly income of $1,500 or less who own no property here or overseas, and applications are assessed on income, household size and circumstances. It is not an alternative to the open market for most renters, but it matters for anyone genuinely priced out. Check the full criteria on HDB's eligibility page before assuming you qualify.
The monthly rent is only part of the cost. Before you get the keys, you typically hand over a security deposit (usually one month's rent for a one-year lease, two months for a two-year lease), the first month's rent in advance, and stamp duty on the tenancy agreement.
Stamp duty on a tenancy is 0.4% of the total rent over the lease period for leases up to four years. On a $3,000-a-month flat over one year, that is 0.4% of $36,000, or $144, payable to IRAS within 14 days of signing. If you use an agent, an agent fee may apply on top, though many tenant-side arrangements waive it for longer leases. Budget for the deposit plus advance rent plus stamp duty as your move-in cash, not just the headline rent.
The runaway growth of 2022 and 2023 is over. HDB's rental index moved just 0.1% in Q1 2026, and quarter-on-quarter the median for 3-room flats rose about 1.1%, 4-room about 0.9%, and 5-room about 0.6%, while Executive flats slipped 0.4%. That is close to flat, and a long way from the double-digit annual jumps of a few years ago.
More supply is feeding through as a large wave of Build-To-Order flats reach completion and Minimum Occupation Periods expire, putting more units onto the rental market. For tenants that means less pressure to overbid and more room to negotiate, especially in the outer towns. If you are deciding between an HDB rental, a condo or buying, our HDB vs condo comparison breaks down the trade-offs.
Based on HDB's Q1 2026 median figures, a 3-room flat rents for roughly $2,500 to $3,200 a month, a 4-room for $3,000 to $4,200, and a 5-room for $3,250 to $4,400, depending on the town. Outer towns like Woodlands and Bukit Panjang are cheapest; Central and Queenstown are dearest.
For Q1 2026, Woodlands has the cheapest 3-room median at $2,500 and Bukit Panjang the cheapest 4-room at $3,000. The north and west towns, including Choa Chu Kang, Sembawang and Yishun, consistently sit at the bottom of the rent tables across flat sizes.
After steep jumps in 2022 and 2023, the HDB rental index moved only 0.1% in Q1 2026. A wave of completed Build-To-Order flats and expiring Minimum Occupation Periods has added rental supply, easing the bidding pressure that pushed rents up earlier in the decade.
Expect a security deposit of about one month's rent for a one-year lease, the first month's rent in advance, and tenancy stamp duty of 0.4% of the total lease rent paid to IRAS. An agent fee may also apply depending on your arrangement.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.