Why rental yield is the right lens for a one-bedroom in Nassim–Orchard
In prime District 10 (Tanglin / Orchard), one-bedroom units are usually bought for a mix of lifestyle, capital preservation, and “rentability” to singles/couples (often expatriates). That makes rental yield—especially in the first 3–7 years—a practical way to compare “value” across nearby projects.
A helpful anchor is Singapore’s broader leasing backdrop: commentary on URA’s 4Q2025 real estate statistics noted that private residential vacancy fell to 6.0% in Q4 2025, and while rents dipped slightly QoQ in Q4, full-year 2025 rents rose 1.9% YoY; it also highlighted that non-landed rents in the CCR rose 2.5% YoY in 2025. Even if a specific boutique project can deviate from macro trends, this context matters because prime one-bedders are sensitive to expat hiring cycles, supply completions, and vacancy.
Do take note that when we refer to “yield” in this post, we are referring to gross rental yield:
To make comparisons fair across different sizes, we will use a PSF-based equivalent:
This “PSF yield” method is especially useful here because the 19 Nassim options (538–570 sqft) are meaningfully larger than some competing Orchard-area one-bedders.
What we’re comparing and why these are valid “nearby” benchmarks
19 Nassim
19 Nassim is a 99-year leasehold condominium in District 10, configured as a single block with 10 storeys and 101 units, with one-bedroom units ranging from 538–570 sqft (plus 1BR+Study at 646–678 sqft). This matters because the remaining units are exactly in the investor’s “sweet spot” of small-format luxury homes, but the tenure is not freehold.
The remaining units (as provided) are:
Type A1 (about 538 sqft): faces Nassim Hill (quieter).
– #02-12 — S$1,842,000
– #05-12 — S$1,905,000
– #06-12 — S$1,957,000
Type A2 (570 sqft): faces Napier Road (noisier, but unblocked).
– #02-08 — S$1,897,000
– #04-08 — S$1,945,000
Layout differentiator: Types A1 and A2 feature a master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and an integrated study/make-up nook, with the bathroom accessible exclusively through the master bedroom (i.e. no direct access from the living or dining area). The key difference between A1 and A2 lies in the entrance layout, where A2 has a longer entry walkway.
3 Cuscaden
3 Cuscaden is a freehold development in District 10 comprising 96 units, completed in 2021. Its one-bedroom units range from 420 to 474 sqft. Given its freehold tenure and prime proximity to the Orchard core, it serves as a strong benchmark for both rental demand and buyer pricing in the luxury segment.
In terms of layout, the one-bedroom units do not include a walk-in wardrobe or a dedicated study area. However, they offer a practical advantage—the bathroom is directly accessible from the living area, which can be more convenient for everyday use and when hosting guests.
120 Grange
120 Grange is a freehold boutique development with just 56 units. Its one-bedroom units are compact at 420–431 sqft, and notably, there are only 8 such units in the entire project. This limited supply often results in fewer transactions, which can make price discovery less transparent and resale data relatively sparse.
In terms of layout, the bathroom is accessible from both the living area and the bedroom, offering added convenience for daily use and when hosting guests. From a design standpoint, another standout feature is the higher ceiling height, along with a provision for a loft-style furniture deck above the kitchen—an element that enhances both functionality and tenant appeal.
Rent reality check in early 2026: what tenants are actually paying
The PropNex Investment Suite ProTrend rental chart (generated 18 Mar 2026) provides a clean, apples-to-apples snapshot (PSF and monthly rent) across the three projects.
Using the attached rental chart as the primary baseline:
- 3 Cuscaden: avg rent about S$10.72 psf/month, avg monthly rent about S$4,824
- 120 Grange: avg rent about S$8.70 psf/month, avg monthly rent about S$3,917.
- 19 Nassim: avg rent about S$10.12 psf/month, avg monthly rent about S$6,108.
Even without reprinting the whole chart, the directional story is intuitive: 19 Nassim’s larger one-bedroom format lifts the absolute monthly rent, while 3 Cuscaden tends to achieve a slightly higher rent PSF (prestige + small-size premium effect).
The yield comparison: 19 Nassim versus 3 Cuscaden and 120 Grange
Method used for fair comparison
To avoid “size bias” (bigger units look better just because rent dollars are higher), the core comparison uses:
- Rent PSF/month (from the ProTrend rental chart), and
- Purchase PSF (from ProTrend sale chart)
So the comparison is primarily:
This keeps the focus on what investors really care about: how much rent the market pays per dollar of capital.
The remaining 19 Nassim units: estimated gross yields at current asking prices
Below are gross yield estimates using the ProTrend rent PSF baseline for 19 Nassim (avg S$10.12 psf/month), plus a sensitivity band using the min/max rent PSF shown on the chart (about S$9.79–S$10.65 psf/month).
| Unit | Type | Size (sqft) | Facing | Price (S$) | Purchase PSF (S$) | Gross yield (low) | Gross yield (base) | Gross yield (high) |
| #02-12 | A1 | 538 | Nassim Hill (quieter) | 1,842,000 | 3,424 | 3.43% | 3.55% | 3.73% |
| #05-12 | A1 | 538 | Nassim Hill (quieter) | 1,905,000 | 3,541 | 3.32% | 3.43% | 3.61% |
| #06-12 | A1 | 538 | Nassim Hill (quieter) | 1,957,000 | 3,638 | 3.23% | 3.34% | 3.51% |
| #02-08 | A2 | 570 | Napier Rd (noisier / unblocked) | 1,897,000 | 3,328 | 3.53% | 3.65% | 3.84% |
| #04-08 | A2 | 570 | Napier Rd (noisier / unblocked) | 1,945,000 | 3,412 | 3.44% | 3.56% | 3.75% |
Interpretation: on rent yield alone, the strongest yield among remaining units is Type A2 #02-08, mainly because it has the lowest entry PSF (your cheapest PSF among the five), while achieving broadly similar rent PSF in the market.
How does that stack up against 3 Cuscaden and 120 Grange?
A key nuance: 3 Cuscaden and 120 Grange are freehold, so their buy PSF may embed a tenure premium. 3 Cuscaden’s 1BR asking average PSF (as of 19th March 2026) is shown at ~S$4,069 psf on 99.co’s comparisons panel. For 19 Nassim, the current 1BR units start from ~S$3,412. That’s a ~16% gap—very close to the 15–20% freehold premium highlighted in a Business Times–reported NUS study.
Using the ProTrend rent PSF averages and these purchase-PSF anchors, a “base-case” yield comparison looks like this:
| Project | Tenure | Typical rent (psf/month) | Typical buy psf assumption | Base gross yield (approx.) |
| 19 Nassim (the remaining A1/A2) | 99-year leasehold | 10.12 (Protrend Data) | Balance units (≈S$3,328–S$3,638 psf) | ~3.3%–3.7% |
| 3 Cuscaden (1BR) | Freehold | 10.72 (Protrend Data) | ~S$4,069 psf (99.co 1BR avg) | ~3.16% |
| 120 Grange (1BR) | Freehold | 8.70 (Protrend Data) | ~S$3,3xx psf assumption (see note below) | ~3.1%–3.4% |
For 120 Grange, transaction data for one-bedroom units is limited due to the small supply of just 8 units in the development. The most recent recorded transactions date back to 2018, with an average price of approximately $3,301 psf. Given the lack of recent sales activity, we will use this initial launch benchmark and assume prices have remained relatively flat over time for the purpose of estimating gross rental yield.
A credibility check using actual 1BR sale transactions (not just averages)
This is where Nassim’s remaining 19 units get interesting.
The recent 19 Nassim 1BR sales from the Property Analysis chart show that:
- Nov 2025: 1BR 570 sqft at S$2.169M (S$3,805 psf)
- Oct 2025: 1BR 538 sqft at S$2.000M (S$3,717 psf)
Against those, the remaining units (e.g., 538 sqft at S$1.842M S$3,424 psf) look positioned below some recent 1BR resale benchmarks, which is exactly what a yield-focused buyer wants: buy PSF slightly lower than recent comps while rent PSF holds up.
For 3 Cuscaden, 99.co’s sale transaction history shows:
- Dec 2024: 1BR 474 sqft at S$1.470M (S$3,101 psf)
- Feb 2023: 1BR 452 sqft at S$1.800M (S$3,982 psf)
That wide spread highlights why 3 Cuscaden yields can swing: if you “buy well” (closer to ~S$3,100 psf), yield can be very strong; if you buy near high-$3,000s psf, yields compress.
Is 19 Nassim a good buy? The yield answer and the non-yield reality
What the yield math is saying
On a pure gross-yield comparison, the remaining 19 Nassim 1BRs cluster around mid-3% gross yields (roughly ~3.3% to ~3.8% depending on which rent PSF scenario you use), and that is competitive versus the two nearby freehold peers when evaluated on comparable assumptions.
The standout on yield is Type A2 (#02-08) because it has the lowest buy PSF among your five units, so even if the Napier Road facing introduces some noise discount, it doesn’t take much rent resilience to keep A2 “ahead” on yield.
Tenure and exit strategy still matter
Tenure isn’t just a philosophical preference—it influences pricing. A Business Times–reported NUS study found buyers were willing to pay ~15–20% premium for freehold over 99-year leasehold. In the specific 3 Cuscaden vs 19 Nassim comparison, the observed 1BR PSF gap (~16%) mirrors that typical premium pattern.
But “leasehold” is not automatically bad in the near term, especially when the remaining lease is still very long. Academic work on Singapore lease decay (using hedonic modelling on REALIS transactions) finds that for 99-year leasehold non-landed properties, a 1% increase in remaining lease is associated with about a 1.46% increase in price, all else equal. The practical takeaway is that lease length is a real pricing variable, but early in a lease’s life (as with a relatively new 99-year project), the market may treat the leasehold discount as relatively “stable,” with other attributes (MRT proximity, design, tenant appeal) doing more of the work.
Layout livability can influence rentability (and vacancy)
The A1/A2 layouts have a meaningful tenant-facing advantage: more space and a walk-in wardrobe/study nook. That can help justify higher rents versus smaller one-bedders that feel like “hotel rooms.”
However, there is also a potential friction point: bathroom access is only via the master bedroom. For many tenants (especially singles/couples), it’s acceptable; for tenants who host guests or work from home with visitors, projects with bathrooms accessible from the living zone can feel more convenient (as in the layout design at 3 Cuscaden). This can show up not as lower rent, but as longer time-on-market during softer leasing periods.
Don’t ignore the true “net yield” headwinds: stamp duty and property tax
Gross yield is only step one. There are other associated holding costs and acquisition taxes can materially reduce investor returns:
- Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD) is tiered up to a 6% marginal rate for residential property (for purchases on/after 15 Feb 2023).
- Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD) can be large depending on profile: e.g., Singapore Citizens pay 20% on a second property and 30% on a third+, while foreigners pay 60%.
- Property tax for a rental/investment unit (non-owner-occupied) is applied on Annual Value (AV) and is progressive; the published bands show rates that step up to 36% for AV above S$60,000.
Those items don’t change which project has the best gross yield—but they can change whether any of these prime D10 one-bedders meet an investor’s required net return.
Bottom line verdict for a buyer reading this as a “should I buy” post
If your objective is the highest likelihood of a competitive rental yield in a prestige D10 address, the remaining 19 Nassim 1-bedroom units compare well versus 3 Cuscaden and 120 Grange on gross-yield math—particularly because your entry PSFs for the remaining A1/A2 stacks can sit below (or in line with) recent recorded 1BR transactions in the same project.
If your objective is freehold legacy/capital preservation, 3 Cuscaden and 120 Grange naturally appeal on tenure, and research suggests freehold can command a meaningful market premium. The trade-off is that paying that premium often compresses rental yield unless you buy at an unusually attractive PSF.
Among the remaining 19 Nassim options, the yield-led ranking is straightforward: Type A2 (#02-08) appears the most yield-efficient on the numbers (lowest entry PSF), while Type A1 is the “quieter-facing” alternative if tenant noise sensitivity is a concern. The “best buy” therefore depends on whether you believe the Napier Road unblocked facing offsets (or fails to offset) noise for your target tenant profile—because the yield advantage comes primarily from the lower entry PSF, not from assuming materially higher rents.
Article contributed by Jerry Wong.
Jerry Wong is a realtor at Propnex Realty, bringing a rich background in interior and lighting design to his work. He loves exploring diverse spaces and observing the transformative power of real estate. Beyond his professional role, Jerry finds his greatest fulfillment in connecting people with the right properties, gaining immense satisfaction from helping clients achieve their dreams.
