One transaction at Alba reached S$26.38 million — a number that instantly reframes what this quiet Cairnhill Rise address is really about. Behind the discreet 50-unit facade of this freehold Far East Organization development, completed in 2015, sits some of District 9's most rarefied housing stock: every one of its four recorded sales is a five-bedroom unit, and the average price across them is S$10.78 million at S$3,160 per square foot (as of 2023-04).
Yet the more telling number may be seventy. That is how many rental contracts Alba has generated, at rents between S$7,500 and S$14,500 a month, averaging S$11,081 (as of 2023-04). For a development where owners sell almost never — no sale has been recorded since April 2023 — the deep leasing history reveals how these apartments actually circulate: as trophy homes retained and let, not traded.
This review weighs what that trophy status is worth, who genuinely benefits from a walkability score of 81 in the Orchard-Cairnhill pocket, and why the arithmetic that flatters an owner-occupier looks very different to an investor staring at a 1.23% gross yield.
Alba trades near the very top of District 9: its recorded pricing sits at the 91.3rd percentile for the district (as of 2023-04). Around it, the comparables tell a story of scale versus scarcity. River Modern has averaged S$3,240 PSF and River Green S$3,138 PSF across hundreds of leasehold sales, while freehold The Avenir — perhaps the closest philosophical peer — averages S$3,191 PSF at a S$4.19 million average quantum. Irwell Hill Residences (S$2,730 PSF) and Kopar at Newton (S$2,512 PSF) anchor the more accessible end. Alba's S$3,160 PSF is in line with the premium set, but its S$10.78 million average quantum stands apart — this is large-format Cairnhill living, not an entry ticket to District 9.
Overview & Key Facts
ALBA is a freehold condominium at CAIRNHILL RISE in District 9 (CCR), developed by FAR EAST ORGANIZATION CENTRE PTE LTD, comprising 50 units, completed in 2015.
Location & Connectivity
ALBA is approximately 730m from Newton MRT station, with 13 stations within 1.5 km.
Schools & Education
19 schools within 2 km (4 within 1 km priority zone).
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| ACS (Junior) | Primary | 370m |
| St. Anthony's Primary School | Primary | 650m |
| St. Margaret's Primary School | Primary | 770m |
| St. Margaret's Secondary School | Secondary | 820m |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) | Primary | 1.0 km |
| Singapore Chinese Girls' School (Primary) | Primary | 1.1 km |
| ISS International School (Preston) | International | 1.3 km |
| ISS International School (Paterson) | International | 1.4 km |
Market Position
ALBA has recorded 4 sales at an average price of $10,777,222.
Ranks in the top 9% of condos in District 9 by average PSF.
Price Appreciation
| Year | Sales | Avg PSF | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | $2,883 psf | — |
| 2023 | 1 | $3,989 psf | ↑ 38.4% |
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Neighbourhood Comparison
| Condo | Tenure | Avg PSF | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRWELL HILL RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2020 | $2,730 psf | 584 |
| RIVER GREEN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | $3,138 psf | 492 |
| RIVER MODERN | 99 years leasehold | $3,240 psf | 424 |
| THE AVENIR | Freehold | $3,191 psf | 323 |
| KOPAR AT NEWTON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2019 | $2,512 psf | 256 |
What Could Work Against You
- Only 0 transactions were recorded in the past 12 months, so the price figures here rest on a thin sample — a single outlier deal can move the averages.
- At 50 units, this is a boutique development — fewer comparable sales to anchor valuations, and maintenance costs spread across a smaller fee base.
Best suited for
Who This Actually Suits
This is a strong match for families with young children, long-term hold (10+ yr), freehold / generational hold and boutique low-density (<100 units). Family-suitable layout and CCR (Core Central Region) location with established school catchments nearby.
car-owning households and foreign / absd-aware buyers should treat this as a shortlist candidate, not a default choice.
yield-focused investors should probably look elsewhere. CCR (Core Central Region) location with rental demand profile worth running through our Rental Yield Calculator.
Alba's location scores are the strongest in this corner of the market. A walkability score of 81 reflects a rare alignment: ACS (Junior) is 0.37km on foot, a mall sits within 741m, a hawker centre within 503m, a supermarket within 636m and a clinic within 520m. For a CCR address, that is daily life on foot, not just prestige on paper.
Rail access is triangulated rather than single-threaded. Newton interchange — North-South and Downtown Lines — is 0.73km away, Somerset 0.76km, and Orchard interchange, with the Thomson-East Coast Line added in 2022, 0.94km. Little India interchange sits 1.07km in the other direction. Few addresses put four interchange-grade stations within reach like this; test your own routines on the commute time map.
The school run deserves its own paragraph. Beyond ACS (Junior) at 0.37km, St. Anthony's Primary is 0.65km, St. Margaret's Primary 0.77km, Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) 1.04km and Singapore Chinese Girls' School (Primary) 1.07km — an exceptional concentration of sought-after primary options, with ISS International's two campuses around 1.35km for expatriate families.
Finally, the leasing evidence is deep and consistent. Seventy contracts averaging S$11,081 a month, in a band from S$7,500 to S$14,500, demonstrate durable tenant demand for large freehold units in Cairnhill (as of 2023-04). The 2023 sale crossed at S$3,989 PSF against a 2021 average of S$2,883 PSF — thin data, but directionally strong. For buyers weighing the total acquisition cost at this quantum, including buyer's stamp duty tiers, the total cost calculator lays out the full bill before you fall in love with the floor plan.
The gross yield is 1.23%, and no amount of Cairnhill polish changes that arithmetic (as of 2023-04). Even Alba's healthy S$11,081 average rent cannot keep pace with a S$10.78 million average quantum. This is capital parked in bricks for preservation and prestige; anyone modelling income returns should benchmark alternatives on the rental yield map and accept that Alba will sit near the bottom of that comparison.
Staleness is the second problem. The most recent recorded sale dates to April 2023, with zero transactions in the following twelve months of data. Four lifetime sales means valuation rests on a handful of prints, one of which — the S$26.38 million outlier — distorts averages badly. A buyer negotiating today has no fresh comparable to lean on, and neither does the seller: expect a wide bid-ask gap and slow negotiations.
Quantum concentration adds friction. Every recorded sale is a five-bedroom unit, so there is no smaller-format entry point, and the pool of onward buyers at S$10 million-plus is structurally narrow. For foreign and PR purchasers, additional buyer's stamp duty applies at this price level with full force — verify the current schedule directly with IRAS before committing, because ABSD at this quantum runs to seven figures. The en-bloc score of 44 (Moderate) offers no meaningful exit thesis for a 2015-vintage building either.
- ✅ Families with young children
- ✅ Long-term hold (10+ yr)
- ✅ Freehold / generational hold
- ✅ Boutique low-density (<100 units)
- ⚠️ Foreign / ABSD-aware buyers
- ❌ Yield-focused investors
Alba is a wealth-preservation asset wearing a condominium's clothes. Its buyers are not comparing it with the district's 99-year launches on a PSF spreadsheet; they are buying a freehold, 50-unit address 0.37km from ACS (Junior) and under a kilometre from three MRT interchanges, in a format — exclusively large five-bedders in the sales record — that almost never reaches the open market (as of 2023-04).
Shortlist it if you are a family or a multi-generational household with a S$10 million-plus budget, a decade-or-longer horizon, and a preference for holding assets that produce utility and stability rather than income. The seventy recorded rental contracts averaging S$11,081 a month offer a genuine fallback if plans change, which is more than many trophy addresses can claim.
Skip it if your capital needs to work harder: the 1.23% gross yield and the stale, four-print sales history make both income and quick resale unreliable. And go in with eyes open on transaction costs at this quantum — run the full acquisition arithmetic through the stamp duty calculator first, because at Cairnhill prices the taxes alone rival the cost of a suburban flat.
One closing discipline matters more here than in high-volume projects: a 1.23% gross yield (as of 2023-04) leaves little cushion once maintenance, property tax and vacancy are netted off, so build the full monthly ledger rather than trusting the headline figure. The cash-flow calculator covers that arithmetic in a few minutes and costs nothing but attention.
FAQ
What is the average PSF for ALBA?
Is ALBA freehold?
What is the rental yield for ALBA?
Which MRT is nearest to ALBA?
Sources & Next Steps
- ALBA Dashboard — Live charts and analytics
- URA REALIS — Official transaction data
- District 9 (Orchard, Cairnhill, River Valley) — District 9 neighbourhood guide
Methodology & Sources
This analysis covers All available years and refreshes as new data becomes available.
Transaction data sourced from URA REALIS.
- Sales data: 4 transactions
- Rental data: 70 leases
- Source: URA REALIS
Median values used to minimise outlier impact. PSF = price per square foot.
Latest recorded data point: Apr 2023 · 4 records analysed · Source: URA private-sale caveats
Price Index Check
The ShiokNest Price Index for District 9 reads 102.6 as of June 2026 — up 1.2% year-on-year. The index tracks repeat-sales price movement, so it is less distorted by shifts in what happens to be transacting than a raw average PSF.
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HDB Alternatives Nearby
Weighing ALBA against staying public? These HDB towns sit within walking or short-drive distance:
- Central Area — 4-room average $1,088,814 (1.2 km away), an upgrader gap of about $9,700,000
- Kallang/whampoa — 4-room average $882,887 (1.3 km away), an upgrader gap of about $9,900,000