ABSD Collected from PRs: What the Data Reveals About Singapore PR Buying Patterns

Singapore Permanent Residents face a 5% ABSD on their first residential property purchase and 30% on their second. The ABSD data collected from PRs over recent years reveals interesting patterns about which property types PRs prefer, which price segments attract the most PR investment, and how the 2023 cooling measures changed PR buying behaviour.

What Property Types Do PRs Buy?

PR buyers are concentrated almost entirely in the private condominium and apartment segment. This reflects two key factors: PRs cannot purchase new HDB flats directly from HDB (they can only buy resale HDB flats), and many PRs — particularly those who have moved to Singapore for professional roles — are attracted to the lifestyle amenities and investment profile of private condominiums.

Within the private market, PRs show a strong preference for the Rest of Central Region (RCR) and Outside Central Region (OCR) segments. These areas offer more accessible price points relative to Core Central Region (CCR) luxury condominiums, and their proximity to business parks, tech hubs, and good schools makes them popular with the professional PR demographic.

Resale HDB as a First Entry Point

A significant subset of PRs — particularly newer arrivals with families — purchase resale HDB flats as their first property. The lower price point relative to private condominiums makes HDB resale accessible, and the 5% ABSD on a resale HDB flat at, say, $700,000 amounts to $35,000 — a manageable cost for a PR with stable employment in Singapore.

PRs who start with a resale HDB flat and later want to upgrade to private housing face an important consideration: selling the HDB before purchasing the private property avoids the 30% second-property ABSD. Most PR upgraders opt to sell first and then buy, timing their exit to avoid the significant ABSD cost of holding two properties simultaneously.

Price Range Distribution of PR Purchases

The ABSD collection data for PRs shows that the majority of PR purchases cluster in the $1 million to $2 million price range. This is consistent with the RCR and OCR condominium market, where well-located 2 and 3-bedroom units typically fall in this band.

Above $3 million, PR buyer presence thins considerably. At a $3 million purchase, the 5% ABSD amounts to $150,000 — a significant upfront cost on top of the 25% down payment and BSD. Fewer PRs have the financial capacity or appetite for this level of stamp duty on what is effectively a lifestyle or investment property rather than a primary home.

The CCR Segment — PRs Fill the Foreign Buyer Gap

An important trend emerged after the April 2023 foreigner ABSD increase. As foreign CCR buying dropped sharply, PRs moved to fill part of the gap. Data from 2024 showed PRs accounting for close to 19% of all CCR condo purchases, up from approximately 15% in 2022. Singaporeans made up the balance of the increase.

What This Data Means for PR Buyers in 2026

If you are a PR considering a property purchase in 2026, the aggregate data confirms several things. First, the 5% ABSD on a first purchase is a manageable cost that most working PRs can absorb, and it has not significantly deterred PR home ownership. Second, the RCR and OCR segments offer the best value proposition for PRs — good locations, reasonable ABSD exposure, and solid rental and resale demand driven by both local and expatriate tenants and buyers. Third, a second property at 30% ABSD is a high bar that requires strong investment conviction and financial capacity.

For PRs considering citizenship as a path to lower ABSD rates — particularly the step from 5% to 0% on a first property — the financial analysis often makes citizenship worthwhile if long-term property investment is a genuine priority. A $1.5 million first property saves $75,000 in ABSD if purchased as an SC rather than PR.

This article is for general information only. ABSD statistics for PRs are derived from publicly available MOF and IRAS data. Market share figures for CCR and other segments are drawn from URA and industry research. Always verify your personal ABSD position with IRAS or a qualified property lawyer. Information accurate as at March 2026.