Rent another year, or buy now? This calculator runs the full cost of both paths, stamp duty, interest, CPF, maintenance, opportunity cost, so the answer is a number, not a feeling.
A consultant runs the full report for your exact situation, free, no obligation, one consultant, never a blast to agents.
Enter the home you would buy, the rent for a similar home, your loan and how long you expect to stay. The calculator adds up every cost of owning (stamp duty, interest, maintenance, property tax and the interest your CPF would have earned) and every cost of renting (rent, and the return on the cash you did not put down), then compares the two at your chosen horizon. The difference is shown as one number, with the year in which buying starts to pull ahead, if it does.
A S$1.5 million condo against renting a similar unit at S$4,500 a month
The calculator carries both paths forward year by year, so the answer depends on your horizon and on the growth and return you assume.
| Rule | Rate used | Source | In effect from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer's Stamp Duty (residential) | 1% on the first S$180,000, 2% on the next S$180,000, 3% on the next S$640,000, 4% on the next S$500,000, 5% on the next S$1,500,000, 6% above S$3,000,000 | IRAS | 15 Feb 2023 |
| Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty | Citizens 0% / 20% / 30% (1st / 2nd / 3rd and later home); PRs 5% / 30% / 35%; foreigners 60% | IRAS | 27 Apr 2023 |
| Loan-to-value, bank housing loan | 75% (1st loan), 45% (2nd), 35% (3rd and later) | MAS | Jan 2013 |
| Total Debt Servicing Ratio | 55% of gross monthly income | MAS | 16 Dec 2021 |
| Stress-test interest rate (bank loans, private property) | 4% a year | MAS | 30 Sep 2022 |
| CPF Ordinary Account interest (accrued on CPF used for property) | 2.5% a year | CPF Board | Ongoing |
| Seller's Stamp Duty | 16% if sold within 1 year, 12% within 2, 8% within 3, 4% within 4, none after 4 full years | IRAS | 4 Jul 2025 |
Rates checked October 2026. Confirm the figures for your own case with the source before you commit.
Buying usually wins only when you stay long enough for price growth and loan repayment to outweigh the upfront costs, chiefly stamp duty and agent fees, plus the interest. For many buyers that point arrives after several years. The calculator shows the exact year for your numbers rather than a rule of thumb.
A tenant pays no Buyer's Stamp Duty, no ABSD, no loan interest, no maintenance fees and no property tax, and keeps the down payment free to invest. In exchange the rent is spent for good and can rise at each renewal. The comparison counts both sides.
CPF used for a home must be returned to your CPF account with the 2.5% interest it would have earned when the home is sold. That accrued interest is a real cost of owning, and it grows every year you hold the property, so the calculator includes it.
Yes, when it applies. Pick your residency and how many homes you already own, and the calculator adds the matching ABSD rate to the cost of buying. A first home bought by Singapore citizens attracts no ABSD.
No. It is an estimate built on the inputs and assumptions you choose, such as price growth and investment returns. Use it to compare options, then confirm the figures with your bank, lawyer or a property consultant before you commit.