🇸🇬 Singapore

Singapore is one of Asia's most expensive and tightly regulated property markets, with the government using a sophisticated system of cooling measures to maintain stability. The market is segmented into public housing (HDB flats, home to 80% of Singaporeans), private condominiums, and landed properties (extremely scarce and expensive). A 3-room HDB resale flat in a mature estate costs around S$400,000-600,000, while a private condo averages S$1.5-2 million and Good Class Bungalows can exceed S$50 million.

Foreign buyers face substantial additional costs: the Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) for foreigners is 60% of the purchase price (raised from 30% in 2023), effectively pricing out most speculative foreign investment in residential property. Citizens pay 0% ABSD on their first property. Singapore's public housing system (HDB) is considered one of the world's most successful, providing high-quality affordable housing with a 90%+ homeownership rate. The government controls land supply through the Government Land Sales programme, giving it extraordinary influence over market dynamics.