Singapore private residential sales trends by floor level for 2022: how sales transactions distributed across floor level categories during the year. Fed-tightening year: 3M SORA rose from sub-1% to ~3%. Volume cooled materially across all segments; rental market tightened as expatriates returned post-border-easing. Use the dataset to spot which segments led on volume and pricing (as of 2022-12).
Singapore’s URA caveat database publishes every private residential transaction with full detail: unit type, floor level, transacted size, price, and lease type. Slicing the year’s sales transactions by floor level surfaces patterns invisible from the headline price index, which aggregates across all unit types.
The macro backdrop for 2022: Fed-tightening year: 3M SORA rose from sub-1% to ~3%. Volume cooled materially across all segments; rental market tightened as expatriates returned post-border-easing. These macro forces shaped the floor-level distribution of activity in non-trivial ways — for example, in high-rate environments larger unit types see proportionally larger volume drops because the TDSR maths becomes constraining at higher absolute prices. Use the MAS SORA dashboard for the cycle context.
For trend analysis the canonical reading is year-over-year change in volume share by floor level category. If 4-bedroom share of total sales rose from 12% in 2023 to 16% in 2024, that signals upgrader demand for larger units strengthening despite higher rates. Conversely, if shoebox (≤500 sqft) sales fell from 18% to 10% over the same period, that signals investor demand compression under elevated ABSD plus SORA. Both readings inform buyer and seller strategy in subsequent years. The URA CCR/RCR/OCR segment definitions also matter when interpreting cross-segment movements.
- 23,138 condo sales in 2022, segmented by Low, Mid, and High floor levels.
- High-floor units achieved the highest average PSF at $2,372 psf.
- Low-floor units had the most transactions with 14,624 sales.
- High-floor units commanded a 47.7% premium over low-floor units.
Overview
This analysis examines 2022 condo sales by floor level. Properties are grouped into Low (floors 1-10), Mid (floors 11-25), and High (floors 26+).
Sales by Floor Level
| Floor Level | Floors | Transactions | Share | Avg PSF | Avg Price | YoY PSF Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 1-10 | 14,624 | 63.2% | $1,606 psf | $1,787,597 | ↑ 6.9% |
| Mid | 11-25 | 7,274 | 31.4% | $1,809 psf | $2,039,586 | ↑ 4.6% |
| High | 26+ | 1,240 | 5.4% | $2,372 psf | $2,639,142 | ↑ 4.7% |
Market Commentary
Floor level remains a significant pricing factor. In 2022, high-floor units commanded a 47.7% premium over low-floor units, reflecting buyer willingness to pay more for views and privacy.
Key Events
Editorial analysis for this section is being prepared.
Reading the 2022 Sales Trends by Floor Level data requires interpreting three layers: (a) volume share by floor level category, (b) median PSF or rent within each category, and (c) the year-over-year shift versus 2021.
Floor-level distribution for 2022 sales transactions commonly breaks into: low floor (1st–5th) at 25–30%; mid floor (6th–15th) at 35–40% (most common); high floor (16th–30th) at 20–25%; premium high floor (30th+ floor) at 8–12% (skewed to D1/D9 high-rise stock). The mid-floor band dominates because most Singapore condos are 15–25 storeys total, making the 6th–15th range the largest inventory slice.
Premium-floor PSF typically commands 5–15% over equivalent low-floor units in the same project. The exception is ground-floor or 2nd-floor units with private outdoor space (terraces or PES) which sometimes command a small premium of their own. For investors, mid-floor units offer the best yield-to-PSF tradeoff — high enough for view and noise reduction, low enough to avoid the premium-floor markup. Use the price heatmap to compare district-level PSF concentration.
The macro-policy linkage matters when interpreting 2022 trends: Fed-tightening year: 3M SORA rose from sub-1% to ~3%. Volume cooled materially across all segments; rental market tightened as expatriates returned post-border-easing. The interplay of ABSD regime + SORA-rate environment + URA Property Price Index trajectory defines the cycle context within which any floor-level distribution should be read.
For sales-specific dynamics: sales volume responds to TDSR-driven loan quantum + ABSD-driven buyer eligibility + new-launch supply timing. URA publishes purchase caveats with a 4–6 week lag. Use the buy-to-rent ROI calculator to test investor-side cash-flow scenarios at the relevant rate level.
The forward-looking application: identifying which floor categories are gaining or losing share in 2022 helps buyers choose where to enter (or sellers choose where to exit). Growing-share categories typically combine demographic tailwind + favourable cost-of-financing positioning; shrinking-share categories often signal demand suppression from policy + rates that may persist. Use the district comparison calculator for the locational lens on top of the floor lens.
- First-time SC buyer: Read the floor-level distribution to identify the dominant category in your target price range. Modal categories (2- and 3-bedroom; mid-floor) offer best resale liquidity. Use the affordability calculator to size your TDSR-compliant loan quantum at current rates.
- HDB upgrader to private: The 3-bedroom upgrader segment (1,100–1,400 sqft) typically dominates upgrade purchases. Compare median PSF and absolute prices in your target segment via the URA caveats portal before committing to a price band.
- Investor (yield focus): Shoebox and 1-bedroom units historically delivered higher yields but face structural ABSD pressure since April 2023. Run the ROI calculator across multiple bedroom types at current rates to compare yield-adjusted returns.
- Investor (capital appreciation focus): Larger family units (3- and 4-bedroom in CCR/RCR) historically outperform on absolute capital appreciation, though with higher absolute price risk. Cross-reference URA PPI trajectory with the floor-level data to identify outperforming categories.
- Seller: Benchmark your unit’s floor category against the year-over-year share trend. If your category is gaining share, you have pricing flexibility; if losing share, accept that days-on-market will be longer and price defensively.
- Pull the full 2022 sales caveats by floor level from the URA Property Data portal for the authoritative dataset.
- Cross-reference with the URA PPI quarterly for cycle context.
- Run your target purchase through the BSD/ABSD stamp duty calculator for upfront tax cost.
- Verify TDSR headroom via the TDSR/MSR affordability calculator.
- Compare floor-level PSF concentration visually via the price heatmap.
- For investor yield analysis, run the buy-to-rent ROI calculator at the current SORA-linked mortgage rate.
Bull case — segment-specific demand patterns will continue. Singapore’s structural drivers (population growth, HDB upgrader pipeline, finite land) anchor long-run demand for the dominant floor categories. The 3-bedroom upgrader and 2-bedroom first-time-buyer segments in particular tend to grow share through demographic cycles, supporting prices in those categories.
Bear case — the cooling-measure regime crowds out specific floor categories. Elevated ABSD plus high SORA particularly suppresses investor-skewed segments (shoebox sales, high-floor luxury, large-unit foreign-buyer-favoured stock). If the regime persists into multi-year horizons, certain floor categories may face structurally lower turnover, with knock-on effects for resale liquidity and price discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does floor level affect condo prices in 2022?
Higher floors command premium PSF due to better views and reduced noise. In 2022, this premium was approximately 47.7%.
Which floor level had the most sales in 2022?
Low-floor units recorded 14,624 sales.
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Methodology & Sources
The dataset behind this report spans the specified calendar year; we refresh it annually.
Transaction data sourced from URA.
- Year-over-year (YoY) comparisons use the previous calendar year as baseline.
- Full transaction data sourced from URA.
Price-per-square-foot (PSF) here means the median deal in the period; means are reserved for volume-weighted aggregates explicitly labelled as such.