Apollo Gardens
Overview & Key Facts
Apollo Gardens is a boutique freehold condominium of just 38 units nestled along Sunbird Circle in District 16, positioned in the Upper Changi–Expo corridor of Singapore’s eastern flank. As an older development without a publicised developer pedigree, it represents a category of private residential asset that the Singapore market has a complicated relationship with: small, freehold, dated in finish, yet anchored by perpetual land tenure and a location that the Downtown Line has quietly transformed over the past decade.
With only 38 units, Apollo Gardens occupies a niche well below the threshold of any developer’s marketing radar. It does not appear in glossy launches or agent campaigns. What it offers instead is something increasingly scarce in the OCR: a freehold title in a corridor where most supply is leasehold, at an average transacted PSF of S$1,280 — reflecting genuine market confidence despite the development’s age and boutique scale. The average transaction price of S$3.07 million underscores that this is large-format living, likely serving households that have either already traded up from smaller private apartments or are choosing this corridor for its specific connectivity advantages.
The PSF trajectory tells an interesting story: from S$1,015 through S$1,116, S$1,270, S$1,401, and back to S$1,249 in the most recent reading, there is clear upward momentum punctuated by volatility. This is characteristic of thinly traded boutique developments where a single atypical transaction can move the average materially — a feature, not a flaw, that buyers should understand before benchmarking against larger peers with dozens of annual transactions.
Location & Connectivity
Apollo Gardens sits in one of the eastern region’s most quietly efficient transport corridors. Within 0.55 km lie two separate MRT stations — Upper Changi DTL/EWL at 0.54 km and Expo DTL/CGL at 0.55 km — both interchanges serving different line combinations. This dual-station access is a genuinely rare configuration: most condominiums celebrate proximity to a single station, but residents of Apollo Gardens enjoy practical walking distance to two separate interchange nodes, each unlocking different commute routes across the island.
Expo station is particularly notable for its Cross Island Line (CGL) connection, which when fully operational will link the eastern corridor directly westward through Jurong Lake District and beyond. Changi Airport is accessible in minutes via the CGL’s airport branch or by direct bus. For residents who travel frequently — aviation professionals, regional business travellers, or households with family abroad — this proximity is a material lifestyle advantage that is difficult to quantify on a PSF chart but easy to value in daily practice.
The broader neighbourhood context is important for honest assessment. Sunbird Circle and the surrounding roads are suburban in character — low-rise, car-oriented, and not served by the density of hawker centres, retail, and entertainment that defines more urban OCR corridors. The walkability score of 40/100 reflects this honestly. Residents without a car will find the MRT connections excellent but the walk to meaningful retail — Changi City Point, EXPO Halls, or East Village at Changi Business Park — uninspiring on foot. Drivers, however, find the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) and East Coast Parkway (ECP) within easy reach, and most destinations in the central and eastern regions are under 25 minutes off-peak.
On the educational front, Park View Primary School is 0.46 km away — within the coveted 1 km P1 registration priority radius and among the closer school adjacencies in D16. Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) at 0.75 km provides an interesting secondary draw for those in the design, engineering, or research communities who value proximity to the institution. North London Collegiate School Singapore at 1.33 km extends the international school options in this corridor, serving expatriate and internationally mobile families.
Schools & Education
1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Park View Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Singapore University of Technology and Design | tertiary | Within 1 km |
| Changkat Primary School | primary | ~1.2 km |
| Angsana Primary School | primary | ~1.3 km |
| Ping Yi Secondary School | secondary | ~1.3 km |
| North London Collegiate School Singapore | international | ~1.3 km |
| Springfield Secondary School | secondary | ~1.5 km |
| Fengshan Primary School | primary | ~1.5 km |
Facilities
Apollo Gardens’ facilities must be assessed through the lens of its 38-unit scale. No boutique condominium of this size can offer the resort-style amenities of a 500-unit development, and buyers who approach it with those expectations will be disappointed. What the development provides is the essential condo complement — pool, gym, and communal outdoor spaces — within a quietly private, low-traffic compound that larger estates cannot replicate.
The facilities score of 5.5 reflects this realistic positioning. The offering is adequate for residents who view the condo amenity set as a supplementary benefit rather than a primary lifestyle feature — those who swim occasionally, use the gym for convenience rather than as a primary fitness venue, and value the compound access control and management more than the breadth of facilities within it. Residents who require a tennis court, multiple lap lanes, a function room, or dedicated children’s play facilities will need to look at larger estates.
Maintenance fees on a 38-unit development tend to be proportionally higher per unit than in a large estate, as fixed costs (security, landscaping, pool maintenance) are shared across fewer residents. Prospective buyers should verify the current MCST contribution rate and sinking fund position before committing — a well-funded sinking fund on an older freehold development indicates responsible management and reduces the risk of special levies for deferred maintenance.
Unit Sizes & Layout
The average transaction price of S$3.07 million at Apollo Gardens signals large-format units as the norm rather than the exception. This is not a development of compact 2-bedrooms optimised for yield — it is a development of generously sized apartments, likely including 3- and 4-bedroom configurations, sized for household living rather than investor rental optimisation. The unit layout score of 8.5 reflects genuine quality here: older developments in this size tier typically delivered more liveable floor plates than post-2010 norm-sized units, and Apollo Gardens appears to follow that pattern.
Older freehold condominiums along the Sunbird Circle corridor were typically constructed with ceiling heights, corridor widths, and master bedroom proportions that feel noticeably more comfortable than the compressed layouts of contemporary builds at comparable PSF levels. Buyers coming from landed property or larger HDB flats often find the spatial quality of older condominiums of this generation more aligned with their expectations than newer, smaller-footprint builds.
The gross yield of 2.22% on a 27-rental transaction base confirms that tenants are paying S$4,606 per month on average — a rental figure that reflects large units, not studio or 1-bedroom product. This is not a short-term rental play or a yield optimisation vehicle. Apollo Gardens is a large-unit appreciation holding, attractive to owner-occupiers who value the space, and to investors running a long-horizon capital growth thesis anchored by freehold tenure and the DTL/CGL connectivity premium.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 BR | 7 | $1,188 | $2,185,968 |
| 5 BR | 10 | $1,228 | $3,689,800 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 17 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $1,908,888 to $5,368,000, averaging $3,070,575 (~$1,280 psf).
Rents range from $2,500 to $11,000 per month across 28 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.3%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 23.1% (from $1,015 to $1,249 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Apollo Gardens sits in a D16 OCR market where the reference comparisons require some careful segmentation. The nearest large-scale peers — The Tapestry (861 units, 99-year leasehold, S$1,450 psf) and The Jovell (428 units, 99-year leasehold, S$1,380 psf) — offer modern facilities, fresh leases, and a broader unit mix, but at a meaningfully shorter tenure and with higher transaction volume that compresses resale differentiation. Modena in nearby Tanah Merah is another older peer with a similar boutique-freehold profile, though in a slightly different micro-location.
The freehold comparison requires looking further afield. Other freehold condominiums in D16 include older developments along Siglap and Bedok Road, most of which are further from the DTL and carry different school proximity profiles. Apollo Gardens’ combination of freehold title and sub-600-metre dual-MRT access is a micro-locational attribute that those comparisons do not share.
On yield, the comparison is straightforward and honest: Apollo Gardens at 2.22% gross yield loses to virtually every 99-year leasehold peer in D16 that is priced in the S$1,200–S$1,500 psf range. Leasehold condominiums with smaller 2-bedroom units generating S$3,000–S$3,500 monthly rent against a S$1.2M–S$1.5M purchase price will consistently outperform Apollo Gardens’ yield arithmetic. Investors running a pure yield model should be elsewhere. Investors running a capital preservation and appreciation model on freehold large-format assets have fewer alternatives in this district.
- The Tapestry: S$1,450 psf — 861 units, 99yr leasehold, full facilities, modern finishings.
- The Jovell: S$1,380 psf — 428 units, 99yr leasehold, resort-style, Tanah Merah area.
- Grandeur 8: S$1,100–S$1,200 psf — older freehold, smaller boutique comparison in D16 vicinity.
- Apollo Gardens: S$1,280 psf — 38 units, freehold, dual-MRT 0.55 km, large-format units, 2.22% yield.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APOLLO GARDENS | Freehold | — | 38 | $1,280 |
| PINERY RESIDENCES | 99 years leasehold | — | — | $2,550 |
| VELA BAY | 99 years leasehold | — | — | $2,869 |
| SCENECA RESIDENCE | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2021 | 2023 | 268 | $2,084 |
| THE BAYSHORE | 99-year leasehold | 1996 | 1,038 | $1,232 |
| THE GLADES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2013 | 2017 | 726 | $1,613 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates APOLLO GARDENS across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
Apollo Gardens’ boutique scale keeps its public review footprint minimal, but anecdotal feedback from the eastern region property community paints a consistent picture. The development is described as genuinely quiet — a function of its 38-unit resident population and the residential character of Sunbird Circle rather than any particular management achievement. Residents report low common-area congestion, responsive MCST management, and a compound atmosphere that sits closer to a landed enclave than a condo estate.
“We moved from a 500-unit condo in Tampines and the difference is remarkable. No lift queue in the morning, never a problem with pool bookings, and the management committee actually responds to messages. The space inside the unit is also just incomparable to what we had before.”
— Owner-occupier, via property forum
“The Expo MRT access is genuinely underrated. I can get to the city centre in under 35 minutes door-to-door on the DTL, and the airport is 10 minutes away when I have early flights. For the amount of space I have, the PSF here makes sense to me.”
— Owner-occupier, via online community
The resident profile skews toward established households — professionals in the eastern corridor industries, including Changi Airport Group, aviation services, SUTD-adjacent technology and design sectors, and Changi Business Park employers. A meaningful share of units is tenant-occupied, particularly among the larger configurations, where regional expatriates and long-tenure corporate tenants have historically been the anchor tenant profile. The combination of large floor areas and dual-MRT access makes the development a stable rental proposition even if the yield headline is modest.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — no lease decay, unrestricted CPF, maximum LTV from day one
- Dual MRT within 0.55 km: Upper Changi (DTL/EWL) and Expo (DTL/CGL) both walkable
- Cross Island Line connectivity via Expo — long-term corridor repricing upside
- Changi Airport 10 minutes away — strong draw for aviation/regional business households
- Park View Primary 0.46 km — within 1 km P1 registration priority radius
- SUTD 0.75 km — relevant for tech, design, and research sector residents
- Boutique 38-unit scale — quiet, low-congestion, responsive MCST management
- Large-format units (~2,400 sqft average) — spacious layouts vs. contemporary builds
- Older freehold construction typically delivers generous ceiling heights and room proportions
- Low supply competition within development — only 38 units limits internal price dilution
- Low gross yield (2.22%) — large-unit format is appreciation play, not income vehicle
- Low walkability (40/100) — car-dependent neighbourhood for daily conveniences
- Very thin transaction volume (38 units) — PSF highly volatile, single sale moves average
- Dated interior finishings — renovation budget required for own-stay buyers
- Limited facilities — no resort amenities, no tennis court, no function room
- Developer unknown — no brand-name construction quality assurance or warranty legacy
- Average price S$3.07M — high absolute quantum, limits buyer pool vs. smaller-unit peers
- Maintenance fees spread across only 38 units — proportionally higher per unit
- No covered linkway to MRT — outdoor walk in Singapore weather to both stations
- Neighbourhood lacks entertainment and F&B density within walking distance
Verdict
Apollo Gardens is a development that rewards patient, thesis-driven buyers and frustrates those looking for an easy comparison on a PSF spreadsheet. Its 38-unit boutique scale, freehold tenure, and dual-MRT proximity create a combination that simply does not appear often in the D16 resale market — and when it does, it tends to attract buyers who have already done the research and understand what they are buying.
The investment case is not income-led. At 2.22% gross yield, Apollo Gardens is not a rental machine. The large unit format attracts tenants willing to pay S$4,606 per month, but those tenants are less common than the tenant pool chasing S$3,000 2-bedrooms elsewhere in the corridor. The case is instead a capital appreciation play: freehold tenure in a corridor that the Cross Island Line has permanently repriced upward, with a boutique development profile that limits supply competition from within the development itself.
For the right buyer — a household seeking genuinely spacious freehold accommodation within walking distance of two MRT interchanges, or an investor running a long-horizon appreciation thesis — Apollo Gardens makes a compelling and defensible case. For buyers seeking strong rental yield, a large amenity package, or a high-liquidity resale market, it will disappoint on each of those dimensions. The walkability gap is real: this is a car-ownership neighbourhood, and residents without a vehicle will find the 40/100 walkability score maps to a genuinely constrained daily convenience experience beyond the MRT connections.
The PSF volatility in recent years — swinging between S$1,015 and S$1,401 — reflects the thin trading volume of a 38-unit estate. Any single transaction influences the average materially. Buyers should treat the S$1,280 average as a directional benchmark, not a tight market price signal. Negotiating against a well-informed agent who understands the floor plan and stack-specific attributes of a small development like this is essential.