111 Emerald Hill
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Overview & Key Facts
111 Emerald Hill is a 40-unit freehold boutique development tucked along the historic Emerald Hill Road in District 9, just off Orchard Road. Completed in 2011 by Emerald Land Pte Ltd, it occupies one of Singapore’s most recognisable heritage streets — a conservation enclave lined with restored Peranakan shophouses that has become an icon of Singapore’s architectural identity.
We want to be upfront: this is a humble boutique project, not a grand statement development. With just 40 units across a low-rise form factor, 111 Emerald Hill does not pretend to compete with the mega-condos further up Orchard or the branded residences at Paterson. Instead, it offers something most CCR developments simply cannot: a freehold address on a conservation street, within five minutes’ walk of Somerset MRT and the full retail spine of Orchard.
The project has recorded 14 sales since inception and averages S$2,325 psf over the last 12 months, with a median transaction price of S$5.1 million. Rental activity is more active — 57 leases on record and a median monthly rent of S$10,880 — reflecting strong expat demand for a walkable, freehold Orchard address. Gross yield sits at roughly 2.56%, typical for prime District 9 freehold stock where land value drives most of the price tag.
Location & Connectivity
Location is 111 Emerald Hill’s headline feature. Somerset MRT is around 500 metres away — a genuine 6–7 minute walk past the shophouse rowhouses on Emerald Hill Road itself. Orchard MRT, an interchange station serving the North-South and Thomson-East Coast Lines, is roughly 830 metres out. Orchard Boulevard and Newton are each under a kilometre. Few addresses in Singapore offer this density of rail access on foot.
For walkability, the project is in rare company. Residents can reach 313@Somerset, Orchard Central, Orchard Gateway, Cineleisure, and Centrepoint within ten minutes. Ngee Ann City and ION Orchard are a slightly longer walk or one MRT stop. The shophouse dining along Emerald Hill itself — Alley Bar, Que Pasa, No.5 — is literally at the doorstep, while Killiney Road’s hawker and kopitiam scene is five minutes south.
For drivers, access to the CTE, PIE, and Central Expressway is straightforward. The CBD at Raffles Place is roughly 10–12 minutes off-peak. The main trade-off is the Orchard Road congestion on weekends and during festive seasons — something every Orchard-fringe resident learns to plan around.
Families should note the schools picture carefully. ACS (Junior) is the closest school at just 300 metres, and Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) sits at 1.25 km. St. Margaret’s Primary is slightly over 1 km. The 1 km P1 priority catchment is tighter here than in heartland districts, so P1 balloting assumptions should be verified against the latest MOE maps before a purchase is made on school grounds.
Schools & Education
2 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| ACS (Junior) | primary | Within 1 km |
| St. Anthony's Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| St. Margaret's Primary School | primary | ~1.0 km |
| St. Margaret's Secondary School | secondary | ~1.1 km |
| Kheng Cheng School | primary | ~1.2 km |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) | primary | ~1.3 km |
| Fairfield Methodist School (Primary) | primary | ~1.3 km |
| Singapore Chinese Girls' School (Primary) | primary | ~1.3 km |
Facilities
A frank word on facilities: at 40 units, 111 Emerald Hill is a boutique block, and the amenity set reflects that. Residents should expect a lap pool, a small gym, a landscaped deck, basement parking, and 24-hour security — the standard boutique package rather than the full clubhouse-and-tennis-court experience of a mega-development. There is no badminton dome, no function hall array, no children’s water playground. If extensive facilities are a priority, this is not the project to target.
“Small development, quiet, but you’re really paying for the address and the freehold tenure — not the pool. Orchard Road is your clubhouse here.”
— Buyer sentiment typical of Emerald Hill boutique stock, aggregated from PropertyGuru and 99.co listings
What the project does offer in return is exclusivity and low density. With 40 units sharing common areas, the pool is rarely crowded, lift waits are minimal, and the neighbour-recognition factor is high. For buyers who value privacy, quiet, and a more residential feel within Orchard, that trade-off reads well. Maintenance fees are proportionately higher per unit than in a mega-development, which is the structural reality of boutique living.
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 14 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $4,350,000 to $5,800,000, averaging $5,059,814 (~$2,325 psf).
Rents range from $8,000 to $20,800 per month across 58 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.6%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 5.3% (from $2,208 to $2,325 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Within the immediate District 9 peer set, 111 Emerald Hill’s positioning is distinct. The Avenir (freehold, 376 units) asks roughly S$3,190 psf with fuller facilities and a newer completion. Irwell Hill Residences (99-year from 2020, 540 units) is at S$2,726 psf with a modern facility set. River Green and River Modern both sit above S$3,100 psf on fresher 99-year leases. Kopar at Newton at S$2,512 psf offers a 99-year CCR alternative at a different Orchard-fringe pocket.
The relative read is that 111 Emerald Hill offers freehold tenure and a genuinely walkable Orchard address at a meaningful discount to newer CCR stock — but at the cost of scale, facilities, and resale liquidity. For a buyer who explicitly values the Emerald Hill conservation setting and long-horizon freehold protection, the trade is rational. For buyers prioritising facilities, build age, or exit liquidity, the newer leasehold projects arguably offer a better all-round package.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 EMERALD HILL | Freehold | 2011 | 40 | $2,325 |
| IRWELL HILL RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2020 | 2021 | 540 | $2,728 |
| RIVER GREEN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2025 | 524 | $3,138 |
| RIVER MODERN | 99 years leasehold | — | — | $3,239 |
| THE AVENIR | Freehold | 2021 | 376 | $3,190 |
| KOPAR AT NEWTON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2019 | 2021 | 378 | $2,511 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates 111 EMERALD HILL across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“The location genuinely can’t be beaten if you work near Orchard or the CBD. Walking home past the shophouses every evening is something you don’t get at most condos.”
— Owner sentiment typical of Emerald Hill stock, via EdgeProp
“Small development means small pool, small gym — you’re not here for the facilities. But the quiet is real, and the neighbours tend to stick around.”
— Aggregated resident feedback via PropertyGuru
“Rented here for three years. As an expat working in the CBD, the walk to Somerset MRT and the dining on the shophouse row made this a no-brainer. The unit size is generous compared to new launches at the same rent.”
— Tenant review typical of the project, aggregated from rental platforms
The consistent thread is that 111 Emerald Hill residents are paying for — and value — the address rather than the amenity offering. Turnover appears low, and the resale market is correspondingly thin. That illiquidity is a reality buyers should factor in at entry.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure on a prime District 9 conservation street
- Genuine walkability to Somerset MRT (~500m) and Orchard MRT (~830m)
- Iconic Emerald Hill Road heritage setting with protected streetscape
- Low-density 40-unit boutique feel — quiet and private
- ACS (Junior) at 300m — exceptional primary-school proximity
- Strong view protection from adjacent conservation and built-out plots
- Deep walkable retail and F&B on Orchard Road
- Stable pricing with modest upward drift — low volatility
- Attractive to long-term expat rental market
- Larger unit footprint than most contemporary Orchard new launches
- Minimal facilities compared to mega-developments
- Thin resale market — only 14 sales on record
- Modest 2.56% gross yield at prime psf levels
- High per-unit maintenance fees inherent to boutique blocks
- Interior finishings dated — renovation budget advised
- Weekend Orchard traffic can be a daily friction for drivers
- Limited stack selection given small unit count
- Not a facilities-driven family home
- High absolute price point (~S$5M median) narrows buyer pool
Verdict
111 Emerald Hill is a narrow-use-case project with a strong case for the right buyer. If your priority is a freehold address on one of Singapore’s most recognised conservation streets, with genuine walkability to Somerset and Orchard MRT, and you value the quiet of a 40-unit block over the facilities of a mega-condo, this is among the most compelling options in District 9 at its price point. The freehold tenure protects long-term value in a way that 99-year CCR leasehold simply cannot match.
For almost everyone else — families needing extensive facilities, investors chasing headline yield, or buyers who value a branded development — there are better-fitted alternatives. The Avenir and Irwell Hill Residences offer newer builds with fuller amenity sets; Kopar at Newton offers a different prime pocket at a lower psf. Gross yield at 2.56% is modest, and rental depth, while real, is narrower than for larger Orchard projects.
The honest read: this is a lifestyle and long-hold buy, not a yield play or a facilities-first family home. For owner-occupiers who understand exactly what a 40-unit freehold boutique on Emerald Hill represents, it delivers. For anyone else, the calculus is harder to justify.