More young S’poreans under 35 want to live independently. Will a new co-living initiative help?

AI generated

SINGAPORE – In 2024, Kaelen Ong left her childhood home and rented a room in a condominium.

She wanted her own space to grieve her father’s death and felt she would not have the privacy she needed in her family’s three-room HDB flat, where she lived with her mother and elder brother.

Though the $1,400 monthly rent was costly, the aspiring theatre actress said the breathing room she needed outweighed the financial burden.

“It felt like (there was) pressure to have to continue living my life (normally),” the now 26-year-old said of living in her family home at the time.

For most young Singaporeans, moving out before marriage or at the age of 35 – when singles become eligible to purchase public housing – remains uncommon. But more are choosing to do so for greater independence, privacy, or simply to have a space of their own.

The number of Singaporean citizens and permanent residents under 35 living alone more than doubled from 10,500 in 2016 to 22,600 in 2025, according to data from the Department of Statistics.

Property experts have observed a similar trend.

ERA Singapore’s key executive officer Eugene Lim said young people were moving out of their childhood homes for reasons such as wanting greater independence and a more conducive living environment, especially if they worked from home.

A new independent living initiative under the SG Youth Plan aims to meet this need, with two private co-living operators offering more than 100 subsidised rental units to people aged 21 to 35.

The Government has said the initiative is not meant to address housing or supply issues, but is a private sector effort to give young Singaporeans a chance to live on their own.

PropNex chief executive Kelvin Fong said co-living recently emerged as a popular alternative to renting HDB flats or condominium units, as its flexible lease terms and shared amenities appealed to the younger crowd.

An engineer who wanted to be known only as Alicia, 29, has signed up for the SG Youth Plan’s co-living initiative. She hopes to rent a twin room at Coliwoo’s Bukit Timah property, which is closer to her workplace than her family’s HDB flat in Woodlands.

“I want my own freedom,” she said.

Alicia said she did not want to live with a landlord or be restricted from cooking if she had rented an HDB room. She also found the idea of meeting other young people in a co-living space appealing.

Cost remains a hurdle

But with monthly rates under the new co-living scheme starting at $1,800, property experts said cost could be a deterrent.

“It could be a stretch for young people who are early in their careers or saving up to buy their first home,” Fong said.

Though the rate is within Alicia’s budget, she is trying to find a roommate with whom she can split the cost.

PropertyGuru Singapore’s managing director Yao Lu said that, based on the platform’s July listings, the median asking rent for a room was $1,755 in Jalan Besar, $1,500 in Bukit Timah, and $1,200 in Boon Lay. The three co-living properties offered under the initiative are located in these areas.

Yao added, however, that the figures were not directly comparable as they reflect a wide mix of rental options.

Fong said the co-living units are more comparable with master bedrooms in private condominiums, with en-suite bathrooms and shared amenities such as gyms. In this light, the $1,800 rental is broadly in line with the market rate, he said.

But Ong said the price was out of reach for her: “$1,400 was the steepest I could go, and I could barely afford it.”

During the year she lived on her own, rent and utilities consumed more than half of her salary as a freelance drama instructor. Towards the end of her lease, she had to borrow money to cover the rent.

Sharing a room would halve the rent, but it would also defeat the purpose of living alone.

The hefty cost of long-term rental can eat into savings for a flat purchase, deterring young adults from moving out, said Realion’s chief researcher and strategist Christine Sun.

Home ownership hopes

Fong said home ownership remained the ultimate goal for many young people, and that interim living options may not help them get there.

A 29-year-old project coordinator who wanted to be known only as Ren wants to move out for a fresh start due to difficult family dynamics.

“It’s hard to break out of it unless you leave that space,” he said.

But he has chosen to save for a flat instead of renting.

Realion’s Sun said those who prefer independent living tend to be slightly older, have worked for a few years, studied overseas or travel frequently.

That was the case for Amanda Ng, 30, who enjoyed living alone in Melbourne while attending university. She will move out of her family’s executive condominium in Tampines into a two-bedroom condominium unit in the east that she bought in March.

Ng, who runs her own boutique media agency, said she relied on her CPF savings and cut back on holidays to fund the home. She also borrowed from her parents to pay half of the down payment and intends to return it via instalments.

The family is close, but as she and her younger sister grew older, Ng said the home felt “too small” for four adults with different personalities. She also wanted to be less dependent on her parents.

She said: “I am already 30, and I felt, ‘Will I ever be an independent adult?’”

For Ong, moving out changed her relationship with her family. When she returned home after her one-year lease ended, she found that her mother had come to respect her autonomy and independence.

“I’m able to take care of myself if it comes down to it,” Ong said.