Can a fresh graduate starting their career afford a condo / apartment? If you are an undergraduate or fresh graduate thinking of buying a private home, then you have come to the right place! In this article, we look at what fresh graduates can afford in the private home sector across all the districts in Singapore (excluding landed homes).
Click / tap the picture to view it separate. Zoom in if necessary.

What the table above means
The median graduate salary for each faculty can be seen on the 2nd row
The median monthly mortgage payment required for each district is listed in the 2nd column To simplify things, we assume a household income of 2 graduates from the same faculty and together, they form a household. Median prices are obtained from URA and we only consider homes that are 100 Sqm / 1076 Sqft or less to remove large homes that graduates are unlikely to purchase, and the prices of which may skew our data.
To determine if they can purchase the home, we assume that they can pay the necessary upfront costs (e.g. taxes and the 20% down payment). With that out of the way, their affordability is determined by whether they can fulfil the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR). As of October 2017, the TDSR stands at 60%. We assume that the household has no other debt (e.g. personal loan, car loans, credit cards etc.)
Finally, we only cover graduates from the following faculties: Accounting, Arts & Social Science, Business, Computer Science, Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Science.
Graduate income data is obtained from NUS.
The resulting figures show the monthly mortgage payments as a percentage of household income. Anything above 60% has breached the TDSR limits and is not allowed.

New Launch Condo ReviewsParc Clematis Review: An Astounding 400,000 sqft of Facilities At Your Doorstep
by ReubenIt’s green for us, so we can afford it!
Now before you think about splashing around the condominium pool on the weekends, take note that the table above only shows whether you qualify under the TDSR rule. Qualifying does not equate to having the ability to purchase a private home – the upfront costs for private homes are off the charts to a fresh graduate!
Apart from having little to no savings (like most fresh graduates) and an overhanging student loan, owning a condominium incurs other costs like legal fees, maintenance and higher taxes. This reduces your cash flow early on in life that can potentially be used to invest for higher returns, or saved up to start a business someday.
Here’s the cash you need upfront to buy a condominium / apartment:

So, most graduates can technically afford a loan, but unless you strike the lottery or have parental blessings, it could take a long time to save up for that down payment.
As always, if you have any questions feel free to reach out to us at hello@stackedhomes.com! If you want to read more about buying a condo you can do so here: 10 things a first time condo buyer should look out for to avoid regret
Read next from Property Advice

Property Advice We Ranked The Most Important Things To Consider Before Buying A Property In Singapore: This One Came Top

Property Advice Why Punggol Northshore Could Be The Next Hotspot In The HDB Resale Market

Property Advice How Much Is Your Home Really Worth? How Property Valuations Work in Singapore

Property Advice Why I Had Second Thoughts After Buying My Dream Home In Singapore
Latest Posts

Pro Why Seletar Park Residence Underperformed—Despite Its District 28 Location And Large Unit Sizes

On The Market Inside A Luxury Waterfront Home at The Residences At W Singapore Sentosa Cove

New Launch Condo Analysis Singapore’s Tallest New Condo Comes With the Highest Infinity Pool: Is The 63-Storey Promenade Peak Worth A Look?

Property Market Commentary We Tracked The Rise Of Million-Dollar HDB Flats By Estate — And The Results May Surprise You

Editor's Pick LyndenWoods Condo Pricing Breakdown: We Compare Its Pricing Against Bloomsbury Residences, Normanton Park & One-North Eden

Property Market Commentary 2-Bedder vs 2+Study Units: Which Condo Layout Has Better Returns Over The Last Decade?

Homeowner Stories Does The “Sell One, Buy Two” Strategy Still Work In 2025? 3 Real Stories From Singapore Homeowners

Editor's Pick Where $4 Million Semi-Ds Sit Next To $40 Million GCBs: Touring First Avenue In Bukit Timah

Singapore Property News So Is The 99-1 Property Split Strategy Legal Or Not?

New Launch Condo Reviews Transforming A Dual-Key Into A Family-Friendly 4-Bedder: We Revisit Nava Grove’s New Layout

On The Market 5 Cheapest HDB Flats Near MRT Stations Under $500,000

Editor's Pick The Robertson Opus Review: A Rare 999-Year New Launch Condo Priced From $1.37m

Singapore Property News Higher 2025 Seller’s Stamp Duty Rates Just Dropped: Should Buyers And Sellers Be Worried?

Editor's Pick Same Location, But Over $700k Cheaper: We Compare New Launch Vs Resale Condos In District 7

Property Trends Why Upgrading From An HDB Is Harder (And Riskier) Than It Was Since Covid
