If you look up the Singapore district map, you may wonder, "What are CCR, OCR and RCR?" and where are these regions?
Singaporeans sure love acronyms and the same goes for those in the real estate sector. Broadly, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has divided Singapore into three main regions, which the URA calls "market segments". It is now easier to search for upcoming launch condos and condos which have freshly received their TOP by area.
So what do these acronyms stand for? These 28 Singapore districts are grouped into three regions: the Core Central Region (CCR), Rest of Central Region (RCR), and Outside Central Region (OCR).
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Watch Our Video on Singapore’s 28 Districts: CCR, OCR, RCR
Singapore District Map: OCR, CCR and RCR
The boundaries of these regions are anything but clear-cut, so here’s a map that could help:
Districts in the CCR: Core Central Region of Singapore
| 9 | Orchard, Somerset, River Valley |
| 10 | Tanglin, Bukit Timah, Holland |
| 11 | Newton, Novena, Dunearn, Watten |
| 1 (Part) | Boat Quay, Raffles Place, Marina Downtown, Suntec City |
| 2 (Part) | Shenton Way, Tanjong Pagar |
| 4 (Part) | Sentosa |
| 6 (Part) | City Hall |
| 7 (Part) | Bugis |
The Core Central Region in Singapore, also known as the CCR, includes the traditional prime areas of our island (i.e. postal districts 9, 10 and 11), and the Downtown Core (including parts of Bugis, south of Ophir Road), as well as Sentosa.
You’ll see these districts are clustered in the central region of Singapore. It’s also where most high-end, luxury properties in Singapore can be found. Many of the private residential properties in the CCR are also freehold in tenure.
What would not be part of the CCR would be Outram, Clarke Quay, Chinatown, Bencoolen, and anything north of Ophir Road.
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Districts in the RCR: Rest of Central Region of Singapore
| 1 (Part) | Marina South |
| 2 (Part) | Chinatown |
| 3 | Queenstown, Alexandra, Tiong Bahru |
| 4 (Part) | Harbourfront, Keppel, Telok Blangah |
| 5 (Part) | Buona Vista, Dover, Pasir Panjang |
| 6 (Part) | Fort Canning |
| 7 (Part) | Rochor |
| 8 | Little India, Farrer Park |
| 12 | Balestier, Whampoa, Toa Payoh Boon Keng, Bendemeer, Kampong Bugis |
| 13 (Part) | Potong Pasir, Bidadari, MacPherson, Upper Aljunied |
| 14 (Part) | Geylang, Dakota, Paya Lebar Central Eunos, Ubi, Aljunied |
| 15 (Part) | Tanjong Rhu, Amber, Meyer, Katong Dunman, Joo Chiat, Marine Parade |
| 20 (Part) | Bishan, Thomson |
The Rest of the Central Region, also known as the RCR, is sandwiched between the CCR and the Outside Central Region (OCR).
The RCR is regarded as the intermediate, or mid-tier, region in terms of pricing, between the mass-market condos in the OCR region and the high-value properties in the CCR. Various buyer groups are interested in RCR properties – including investors, owner-occupiers, young families, and empty nesters.
Upper Serangoon, How Sun, Ang Mo Kio, Clementi, Telok Kurau, and Kembangan are not part of the RCR.
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Districts in the OCR: Outside Central Region of Singapore
| 5 (Part) | Clementi, West Coast |
| 14 (Part) | Kembangan, Kaki Bukit |
| 15 (Part) | Telok Kurau, Siglap, Frankel |
| 16 | Bedok, Upper East Coast, Bayshore, Tanah Merah, Upper Changi |
| 17 | Flora Drive, Loyang, Changi |
| 18 | Tampines, Pasir Ris |
| 19 | Punggol, Sengkang, Hougang, Kovan, Serangoon, Lorong Ah Soo |
| 20 (Part) | Ang Mo Kio |
| 21 | Upper Bukit Timah, Ulu Pandan, Clementi Park |
| 22 | Jurong East, Jurong West, Boon Lay |
| 23 | Hillview, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang |
| 24 | Kranji, Lim Chu Kang, Sungei Gedong, Tengah |
| 25 | Woodlands, Admiralty |
| 26 | Lentor, Springleaf, Mandai |
| 27 | Yishun, Sembawang |
| 28 | Seletar, Seletar Hill, Sengkang West |
When browsing the Singapore district map, you’ll notice the Outside Central Region (OCR) is about three-quarters the size of Singapore. These are the areas where mass-market condos at the lower range of price points are mostly located, including executive condominiums (ECs).
The Government has plans to bring high-value jobs to the OCR, in the form of Jurong’s transformation into the second CBD, Punggol Digital District and Woodlands Regional Centre.
You could say that these places are "suburbs", but this would give a false impression of remoteness. Here’s the thing: with excellent MRT connectivity around the island, the OCR is a very viable and affordable housing option even for those who work in the city, with resale condo prices as low as $800 per square foot (psf).
Private residential projects in the OCR are also typically larger, with condos usually clocking in at 300 units or above, barring some boutique developments that are typically located among landed property enclaves. Most OCR properties are 99-year leasehold properties.
Given the stiff competition between projects across various OCR locations, developers are pulling out all the stops to lure buyers. Attractive pricing is only one thing; given the larger size and higher unit counts of OCR projects, developers can afford to include show-stopping facilities, making the projects particularly appealing to young couples and millennial families.
Difference Between Districts and HDB Estate Classification
Unlike private properties which are classified by where they sit in the Singapore district map, HDB flats are organised by which HDB estate they are in. Looking at the current HDB map, you’ll see HDB estates split between mature vs non-mature HDB estates.
Mature HDB estates include:
- Ang Mo Kio
- Bedok
- Bishan
- Bukit Merah
- Bukit Timah
- Central
- Clementi
- Geylang
- Kallang/Whampoa
- Marine Parade
- Pasir Ris
- Queenstown
- Serangoon
- Tampines
- Toa Payoh
Non-mature HDB estates include:
- Bukit Batok
- Bukit Panjang
- Choa Chu Kang
- Hougang
- Jurong East
- Jurong West
- Punggol
- Sembawang
- Sengkang
- Tengah
- Woodlands
- Yishun
Following the National Day Rally 2023 announcements, however, HDB flats sold will soon no longer be classified by being built in ‘mature’ and ‘non-mature’ estates. From H2 2024, there will be an introduction of Standard, Plus, and Prime HDB flats, categorised by their proximity within neighbourhoods to MRT stations and closeness to the city centre. This change comes to better reflect the realities of the existing HDB flat landscape.
Standard, Plus, and Prime BTO Flats
What
Most flats across Singapore
Choicer locations within regions (e.g. near MRT stations and town centres)
Most central, choicest locations
Cost
Most affordable with standard subsidies
Higher price than Standard flats, lower price than Plus flats
More subsidies than Standard flats
More subsidies than Standard flats
Highest-priced flat types
Most subsidies among all flat types
Most subsidies among all flat types
Minimum Occupation Period (MOP)
Five years
10 years
10 years
HDB resale restrictions
Owners can rent out the entire flat after MOP is fulfilled
No income ceiling for resale buyers; and other existing eligibility criteria
No income ceiling for resale buyers; and other existing eligibility criteria
Some subsidy clawback after resale
Resale buyers will have an imposed income ceiling of $14,000 for both families and singles
Owners cannot rent out the entire flat, even after fulfilling MOP
At least one buyer must be Singaporean when buying a resale Plus flat
30-month wait-out period for private property owners buying resale Plus flat; and other HDB eligibility criteria
Resale buyers will have an imposed income ceiling of $14,000 for both families and singles
Owners cannot rent out the entire flat, even after fulfilling MOP
At least one buyer must be Singaporean when buying a resale Plus flat
30-month wait-out period for private property owners buying resale Plus flat; and other HDB eligibility criteria
More subsidy clawback after resale; renting of whole flat not allowed even after fulfilling MOP
Resale buyers have to meet full BTO eligibility criteria; imposed income ceiling of $14,000 for families and $7,000 for singles
At least one buyer must be Singaporean when buying a resale Prime flat
30-month wait-out period for private property owners buying resale Prime flat; and other HDB eligibility criteria
Resale buyers have to meet full BTO eligibility criteria; imposed income ceiling of $14,000 for families and $7,000 for singles
At least one buyer must be Singaporean when buying a resale Prime flat
30-month wait-out period for private property owners buying resale Prime flat; and other HDB eligibility criteria
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