Best Rental Yield Condos in District 8 (Little India)

Long Tail Last reviewed

D8 (Little India / Farrer Park) delivers blended gross rental yield ~3.0% — among the highest in the city fringe — driven by NEL/DTL Little India interchange connectivity, Farrer Park medical cluster demand, and lower entry PSF vs adjacent D9/D11. City Square Residences and Centrium Square anchor mid-market; conservation shophouses provide niche freehold.

D8 is the city-fringe yield outlier. Entry PSFs run 15–20% below adjacent D9 (Orchard) and D11 (Newton/Novena) but tenant demand is supported by the same CBD-commuter pool plus a niche but reliable Farrer Park medical-tourism segment. The NEL/DTL Little India interchange puts Bugis, Chinatown and Marina Bay inside 8 minutes, which the rental market prices in.

The flip side: D8 has heritage conservation overlays around Little India that constrain redevelopment, which is good for scarcity but means the residential stock is older and amenities thinner than RCR.

Two structural factors shape the D8 thesis:

Conservation disciplineURA Master Plan locks heritage frontages around Serangoon Road and Race Course Road, limiting new launch supply to a handful of small infill sites. That supports scarcity value but caps capital appreciation vs cleaner-slate districts.

Farrer Park medical cluster — Connexion / Farrer Park Hospital draws medical-tourism families on 1–3 month stays at premium rates; landlords near the NEL station capture this if they accept short-tenor leases.

For: First-time buyersHDB upgradersInvestors
Source: URA REALIS
Data as of July 2026

Rental yield is the rawest measure of cash-flow-to-capital efficiency in any condo purchase. In Singapore, gross yields typically range from 2.5% in the CCR to 4.5% in the OCR, with mass-market one-bedders often at the top of that band. This article ranks condos by recent rental and sales data to surface the highest-yielding options in the selected district — but remember that yield alone does not tell the whole story: liquidity, tenure, and capital appreciation matter too.

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Use net yield, not gross, for the actual return
Gross yield ignores maintenance fees, property tax, agent commission, and vacancy. A 4.5% gross yield typically translates to ~3.0–3.3% net — still respectable, but the gap is meaningful for cash-flow planning. Always run the numbers post-cost before committing.

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District 8 (Little India) is in Singapore's Rest of Central Region. We ranked all condos in this district by gross rental yield using the latest 24 months of sales data and 12 months of rental data to find the best income-generating properties.

Top Rental Yield Condos in District 8

CondoAvg PSFAvg PriceAvg RentGross YieldTenure
LITTLE INDIA CONSERVATION AREA$964 psf$1,225,000$6,000/mo5.9%9999 yrs lease commencing from 1958
PARC SOMME$1,592 psf$726,925$3,153/mo5.2%99 yrs lease commencing from 2008
JOOL SUITES$1,784 psf$743,500$3,140/mo5.1%Freehold
SUITES 123$1,632 psf$841,500$3,330/mo4.7%Freehold
STUDIOS @ MARNE$1,471 psf$846,500$3,322/mo4.7%Freehold
CITY LOFT$1,824 psf$690,194$2,636/mo4.6%Freehold
8 FARRER SUITES$1,777 psf$1,109,444$4,227/mo4.6%
R66 APARTMENTS$1,562 psf$824,963$3,100/mo4.5%Freehold
RACE COURSE MANSION$1,116 psf$1,290,000$4,750/mo4.4%Freehold
HERTFORD COLLECTION$1,480 psf$992,500$3,620/mo4.4%Freehold
LE SOMME$1,570 psf$874,333$3,156/mo4.3%Freehold
RANGOON VIEW$1,231 psf$1,642,500$5,900/mo4.3%Freehold
SOHO 188$1,737 psf$887,000$3,145/mo4.3%Freehold
RESIDENCES @ SOMME$1,495 psf$854,000$2,980/mo4.2%Freehold
28 RC SUITES$1,695 psf$872,857$3,040/mo4.2%

Investment Considerations

  • Gross vs net yield: Deduct maintenance fees (~$300–$800/mo), property tax, and agent commission (1 month) for a realistic net yield.
  • Tenant demand: Higher yields often come from smaller units near MRT stations or business hubs — check vacancy rates.
  • Capital appreciation: High-yield condos may have lower capital growth; balance yield with appreciation potential.
  • Use the ROI Calculator to model your total return including leverage.
  • Compare across districts with the District Comparison Tool.

D8 yield benchmarks (URA caveats 24-month rolling to Apr 2026, indicative 2BR rent):

ProjectMedian PSF2BR Rent/monthGross YieldTenant Draw
City Square Residences (99yr)~S$1,700~S$4,800~3.1%Farrer Park MRT, City Sq Mall
Centrium Square (99yr)~S$1,950~S$5,200~2.9%Little India MRT interchange
Sturdee Residences (99yr)~S$2,100~S$5,400~2.7%Farrer Park MRT, hospital walk
Uptown @ Farrer (mixed-use)~S$2,300~S$5,800~2.6%Farrer Park MRT, branded retail

City Square Residences leads the district on yield because its PSF base is anchored by an earlier launch vintage — newer stock carries a 10–15% PSF premium that rents have not fully matched.

Sources & methodology. Rental and resale aggregates from URA REALIS transaction caveats. DTL/NEL Farrer Park / Little India interchange connectivity per LTA MRT system map. Conservation zone overlays and 99-yr leasehold tenure verified against URA Master Plan 2019 (Kallang/Little India precincts).

  1. Underwrite the city-fringe discount. Confirm your target unit's entry PSF is genuinely 15–20% below the D9/D11 comparable — newer D8 launches have closed much of that gap.
  2. Match unit type to tenant pool. 1BR/studios near Farrer Park lean on short-stay medical tenants; 2BR units serve CBD commuters on 12–24 month leases. Don't mix the strategies.
  3. Inspect for older-stock issues. Pre-2010 stock can have spalling, lift refurbishment overhang, or sinking-fund top-ups — get a building condition report before committing.
  4. Verify conservation status. If buying a shophouse-style freehold, confirm the conservation gazette restrictions with URA before assuming you can subdivide or redevelop.

Methodology & Sources

This analysis covers full-year 2026 data and refreshes one-time.

Transaction data sourced from URA REALIS.

  • Sales data: URA REALIS (past 24 months, min 2 transactions per condo)
  • Rental data: URA REALIS (past 12 months, min 2 leases per condo)
  • Gross yield = (avg monthly rent × 12) / avg transaction price × 100

Median values used to minimise outlier impact. PSF = price per square foot.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good gross rental yield in Singapore?
2.5–3.0% in the CCR is typical, 3.0–3.5% in the RCR, and 3.5–4.5% in the OCR. Net yield (after maintenance, tax, vacancy, and agent fees) is usually 1.0–1.5% lower than gross. Anything above 4.5% gross deserves extra scrutiny — check if the quoted rent is sustainable.
Why does yield matter more than capital gain?
It does not necessarily — in Singapore's tight supply market, capital appreciation has historically delivered more total return than rental income. However, yield tells you whether the property will be cash-flow positive during your hold period, which matters if interest rates rise or rental demand weakens.
Should I buy freehold or leasehold for rental yield?
Leasehold (99-year) condos usually show higher gross yields at purchase because the entry price is lower, but freehold holds its rent better past year 40 as leasehold peers start to feel lease decay.
Why is D8 yield higher than adjacent D9?

D8 entry PSFs run 15–20% below D9 because the brand premium of Orchard / Cairnhill addresses is not present. Rental demand is comparable for the CBD-commuter pool, so the yield gap opens up. The tradeoff is slower capital appreciation.

Is Little India a stable rental neighbourhood long-term?

Yes — conservation overlays and the NEL/DTL interchange status lock the precinct's structural attractiveness. The heritage zone limits new supply, supporting both rents and capital values for existing stock.

ABSD impact on 2nd-property purchase in D8?

SC 2nd: 20%, PR 2nd: 30%, Foreigner: 60% per IRAS. On a S$1.6M D8 unit that adds S$320K–S$960K upfront — roughly 1.2–2.0pp annually to effective holding cost over a 10-year hold.