One-North is Singapore's fastest-growing residential cluster outside the CBD — anchored by Biopolis, Fusionopolis, NUS, and one of the highest concentrations of expat tenants in the country. Six residential launches since 2020. Only one — Bloomsbury Residences — is GFA harmonised. Here is what the difference costs at One-North PSF, and why the corridor's next wave of launches will all be harmonised.
One-North is unlike every other residential district in Singapore. Its tenant base is among the most educated and internationally mobile in the country — researchers, biotech executives, tech professionals, and academics from NUS and INSEAD. Rental demand is structural and persistent. But the residential supply pipeline has historically been thin, and the GFA harmonisation divide means buyers in 2025 and beyond are choosing between pre-harmonisation projects with inflated strata areas and Bloomsbury Residences, the corridor's first harmonised launch.
At One-North's PSF range of $2,400 to $2,700, the non-liveable space embedded in pre-harmonisation strata areas costs buyers between $107,000 and $172,000 per unit. The corridor's structural rental yield story is compelling — District 5 condo rental growth of 60.3% since 2020 makes it one of Singapore's strongest rental corridors. But that yield story is best captured in a harmonised unit where every dollar of purchase price is working for you on liveable space.
| Project | Developer | Launch | Launch PSF | Avg / Current PSF | Units | GFA Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-North Eden | Chip Eng Seng | 2020 | ~$2,000 | $2,377 resale | 165 | ❌ Pre-harmonisation |
| Blossoms by the Park | EL Development | Apr 2023 | ~$2,423 | $2,415 median | 275 | ❌ Pre-harmonisation |
| The Hill @ One-North | Kingsford | Apr 2024 | $2,595 | $2,466 avg (12m) | 142 | ❌ Pre-harmonisation |
| LyndenWoods | CapitaLand | Jul 2025 | ~$2,400 | $2,450 avg | 343 | ❌ Pre-harmonisation |
| Bloomsbury Residences ★ First harmonised One-North launch | Qingjian JV | Apr 2025 | $2,396–$2,443 | $2,474 avg (2025) | 358 | ✅ Harmonised |
| Hudson Place Residences (upcoming) | Qingjian / China Const. | 2026 est. | TBA | — | ~325 | ✅ Harmonised |
| Dover Drive (upcoming) | Qingjian / China Const. JV | 2027–28 est. | TBA ($2,600+) | — | ~625 | ✅ Harmonised |
| One-North Eden, Heritage View, Dover Parkview (resale) | Various | — | — | $1,458–$2,377 | — | ❌ Pre-harmonisation |
AC ledge 45 + bay window 25 = 70 sqft non-liveable
At $2,415 psf: ~$169,050 paid for unusable space
AC ledge = common property. No bay windows. No voids.
What you see on the floor plan is what you live in.
One-North is unusual in Singapore — it is one of the few residential corridors where investors consistently form a larger proportion of buyers than owner-occupiers. The tenant pool is deep: 50,000+ workers in Biopolis, Fusionopolis, NUS, and surrounding campuses. Rental growth of 60.3% since 2020 — one of the highest in Singapore. District 5 condos average $4.84 psf per month in rent, above the national average of $4.79 psf.
In this context, buying a pre-harmonisation unit and paying $171,000 for non-liveable AC ledge and bay window is doubly painful. You pay $171,000 more on purchase (capital tied up). And when you rent the unit out, the tenant pays only for the liveable space — no tenant is going to pay premium rent for an AC ledge. Your yield calculation, anchored to your full purchase price including the non-liveable area, is artificially suppressed. A harmonised unit bought at the true liveable PSF generates a cleaner yield calculation where every dollar of purchase price is working against rentable floor plate.
I have worked with clients renting in the One-North corridor, and the feedback from tenants is consistent: they care about internal layout efficiency, aircon coverage, and proximity to Buona Vista or One-North MRT. No expat researcher has ever told me they valued a large AC ledge outside their window. The AC ledge is invisible to the tenant — it contributes zero to their rental willingness to pay. It contributes 100% to the landlord's purchase cost. When you buy a pre-harmonisation unit in One-North for investment, you are paying $107,000 to $172,000 for something your tenant will never see, use, or factor into their rent decision. That is the clearest way I can put it. The harmonisation saving in a tenant-heavy corridor like One-North is not just a purchase-price argument — it is a yield argument that plays out every month for as long as you hold the property.
Comparing Bloomsbury Residences or LyndenWoods against a pre-harmonisation One-North unit?
James calculates the true liveable PSF and rental yield for both so you see the real comparison. D5 / One-North · Investor advisory · CEA Reg No. R008385F · PropNex
WhatsApp James: 91111173Sources: EdgeProp, District 5 rental growth and condo data, March 2026; StackedHomes, Bloomsbury Residences pricing review, April 2025; 99.co, Bloomsbury Residences launch data, April 2025; EdgeProp, One-North transformative changes analysis, March 2026; Decoupling Expertise, LyndenWoods pre-GFA harmonisation analysis, June 2025; URA, GFA Harmonisation circular, September 2022; URA Realis caveat data
For informational purposes only. PSF figures sourced from URA caveats and published market data. Yield comparisons are indicative and use assumptions stated in the article. Consult a licensed conveyancer and property agent before any transaction decision.
