Compare buying vs renting with detailed cost analysis over your holding period.
How to Use the Sbs Calculator
Key Takeaways
Hold all variables constant except property type — change only the segment (CCR/RCR/OCR) or tenure (freehold/leasehold) to isolate its financial impact.
A CCR property at the same budget as OCR will show lower yield but potentially stronger absolute appreciation — the trade-off is explicit in the side-by-side comparison.
New launch vs resale at identical PSF is rarely apples-to-apples: new launches have under-construction risk, progressive payment, and no rental income until TOP.
Run the comparison at your actual expected holding period — the winner at Year 5 may be different from the winner at Year 10 due to transaction cost amortisation.
The calculator assumes identical appreciation rates across segments unless you override — adjust the appreciation assumption for each property type based on historical data.
What It Does
CCR or OCR? Freehold or leasehold? New launch or resale? Compare up to five property investment types side by side using identical assumptions. See which segment delivers the best ROI, cash flow, and capital appreciation for your budget and holding period.
You can find this calculator in the Calculators tab on ShiokNest. It updates results instantly as you adjust inputs — no waiting, no page reloads.
Why It Matters
Property decisions are often based on emotion, agent recommendations, or what friends bought. But different property types, segments, and tenures produce dramatically different financial outcomes. This calculator matters because:
How It Works
Navigate to Calculators — Click the "Calculators" tab in the ShiokNest navigation bar. All 26 calculators are grouped by purpose for easy access.
Select the calculator — Choose "How to Compare Investment Types Side by Side" from the calculator list. You will see default values already loaded so you can explore immediately.
️ Enter your values — Replace the defaults with your own numbers. The key fields are:
Review the results — The calculator updates instantly as you change any input. A comparison table displays ROI, cash flow, capital gain, and total return for each property type side by side.
Run what-if scenarios — This is where the real power lies. Change one variable at a time to see its impact. For example, try increasing the interest rate by 1% or extending your holding period by 5 years. Note how the results shift.
Compare and decide — Run 2-3 different scenarios and note the results. This gives you a range of outcomes to base your decision on, rather than relying on a single projection.
Examples
$1.5M condo: buy vs rent at 10-year holding period — which wins?
Inputs
Purchase price
$1,500,000
Buyer profile
Singapore Citizen — 1st property
Loan
$1,125,000 at 3.5%, 25yr (LTV 75%)
Alternative rent
$3,500/month
Holding period
10 years
Annual appreciation
3% | Rent growth: 3% p.a.
Results
Total buy cost (10yr)
~$1,287,000 (mortgage + fees + upkeep)
Total rent cost (10yr)
~$488,000 (growing at 3% p.a.)
Property value at Year 10
~$2,016,000 (+34.4%)
Buy advantage
Buy wins by ~$341,000 net at Year 10
How to read this:
At first glance, renting appears cheaper — $488K vs $1.29M in total outflows over 10 years. But buying has a capital gain component: the $1.5M property grows to $2.02M, and the outstanding loan at Year 10 is approximately $861K, leaving net equity of $1.16M. The rent-vs-buy comparison must include what the renter does with the down payment ($375K + BSD) they did not deploy into property. If the renter invests that capital at 4% annually, they accumulate approximately $560K. Subtracting rent...
Short hold (5 years): when renting beats buying at $1.5M
Rent wins by ~$47,000 when opportunity cost included
How to read this:
Over 5 years, buying a $1.5M property at 3.5% looks attractive on paper — the property appreciates to $1.74M. But the full picture includes upfront BSD (~$44,600 for SC 1st property), 5 years of mortgage interest (~$187K), condo fees, property tax, insurance, and 2% selling costs on exit (~$34,800). Total ownership cash outflows reach ~$791K. Against $225K in cumulative rent, the buyer appears to have spent far more — but holds property worth $1.74M with ~$930K equity. The critical compar...
Tips & Pitfalls
Expert Tips
Use realistic assumptions — Singapore condo appreciation has historically averaged 2-4% per year. Avoid overly optimistic projections. When in doubt, use 3% as a baseline.
Keep one variable at a time — Change only the property type/location while keeping price, tenure, and rate the same. This isolates the impact of your choice.
Do not forget lifestyle factors — The numbers might favour OCR, but if your office is in the CBD, the commute cost and time should factor into your decision.
Common Pitfalls
Comparing apples to oranges — A $1.5M CCR unit and a $1.5M OCR unit are very different properties. Make sure the comparison reflects what you actually want to live in or invest in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my data saved?
No. All calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing is stored on our servers or shared with third parties.
What does "Cash Available" affect in the calculation?
Cash Available represents the capital the renter would invest instead of deploying it as a down payment. The calculator models this capital growing at the Investment Return rate you specify, generating an opportunity cost comparison. If you have $600,000 available and buy a property, you lose the returns that $600,000 would have earned in an investment portfolio. This is the core of the rent vs buy comparison — property returns must beat the alternative use of that capital to justify buying.
Can I save my results?
Log in to save scenarios to your dashboard, or use the share button to copy a URL that encodes your inputs.
Why does renting often look cheaper in the first 5 years?
Buying has large upfront costs — BSD (1–6% of purchase price), legal fees, and agent commission — that must be amortised over the holding period. In the first 5 years, these costs drag heavily on the buyer's net position. From Year 6–8 onwards, capital appreciation and the elimination of SSD risk typically shift the advantage toward buying. The exact crossover depends on your purchase price, appreciation rate, and the rental yield of the alternative property — the calculator plots t...
Does the calculator account for ABSD?
Yes. The Buyer Profile selector determines which BSD and ABSD rates apply to the purchase price. A Singapore Citizen buying their 1st property pays BSD only (up to 6% progressive). A 2nd property adds 20% ABSD; a 3rd adds 30%. Permanent Residents pay 5% ABSD on their 1st property. Foreigners pay 60%. These stamp duties are included in the total buy-side cost, making the comparison accurate for your specific profile. ABSD significantly widens the buying cost for 2nd-property buyers — the cal...