Where to live? Newlyweds, no kids, 3000 budget

[singexpat16]

Priorities:
Budget: SGD 2,500 - 3,000
Workplace: Raffles Place/Marina Blvd
Size and/or type of property:
- 600-700+ sq. ft 1-bedroom (or small 2-bedroom) apartment
- Modern condo complex is preferred. Nicely maintained HDB / older building also acceptable.
- Gym/Pool not required, but nice to have
Car: No
Proximity to transport: Would like to have a maximum 20-minute commute to work (by MRT or bus)
Children: No. We may have kids in the next 2-3 years, and will move to a bigger place then.
Employer funding: No (paying out-of-pocket)

Nice to have:
Proximity to shops etc: Preference for being close (walking distance or within one MRT stop or a few bus stations) to supermarket, shops and restaurants. Bonus if there is a hawker market nearby too (but not essential).
Access to sport, social, and recreation facilities: Preference for being close to a gym/pool (unless already in the apartment building). Would also be nice to have access to some green space by MRT/bus (or walking distance), if possible.
Pets: No
Parents/in-laws etc: No

Your current home and commute:
City-dweller?: We are currently city-dwellers and like it.
Current home: Approx. 600 sq. ft 1-bedroom apartment in a large city. No garden.
Current commute times: Current commute time is approx. 30 minutes by public transport, but we would like to reduce this to 20 minutes if possible.

Thanks very much in advance

[singexpat16]

I've now done a bunch of reading over the last day or so. It looks like the "obvious" choices for a Western expat with the preferences stated above would be:
(1) Somewhere along the stretch from Newton to Toa Payoh; or
(2) Around Tiong Bahru

Does anyone have any thoughts on these options? Or any other recommendations??

We might need to slightly increase our budget for the above areas, but we are happy with a small and simple (nicely appointed) place, so hopefully we can find something for 3,000 or less.

[JR8]

I think it's quite doable on $3k, esp with prices easing recently. I haven't done a search on the listings but I expect you have and will have seen what the results are.
The only thing I am rather doubtful about is your wish to reduce your commute time from a current 30mins to 20mins. 20mins would likely require you to be right in the $$$ downtown 'Zone 1'. Considering how slowly one needs to walk to/from transport to home and office to avoid arriving at either a fetid steaming mess you might consider yourself lucky if you are able to maintain a commute time similar to that you have now.

[rarkins]

Hi @singexpat16,

With a budget of of $3k, it's possible to find a decent 600+ sqft apartment within 20 minutes of Raffles Place MRT. However the majority of apartments within that commute time go for more, so you'll probably need to hunt before finding one you like. Increasing budget and/or travelling time would of course make it a lot easier to find something.

As an example, this screenshot shows all condos with apartments matching your requirements (600+ sqft, $3k/month, 20 minutes from Raffles Place) at least once a quarter in the past year:



They're pretty spread out (no major clusters) and no condos really stood out with a large supply of matching apartments either, so you're probably just going to have to check what's available at the time.