Dormitory rents soften as occupancy falls to 97.1% in H2 2025

Bed rents dip 1% in late 2025 after 80% surge, eased by new supply from Pioneer Lodge.

Average monthly rents for a bed in Singapore’s commercial worker dormitories stopped rising in the second half of 2025, softened by 1.0% islandwide to $485 per bed per month (pb pm), according to the Knight Frank and Dormitory Association of Singapore Limited (DASL) H2 2025 report.

Rents in the central zone declined 1.9% to $520 pb pm, whilst the east remained at $515 pb pm.

In the west, average rents fell 1.1% to $440 pb pm despite high occupancy. Overall islandwide occupancy decreased from 98.3% in H1 2025 to 97.1% in H2 2025.

Since 2019, dormitory bed rents have increased 79.6%, from $270 pb pm with the slowdown in rental growth linked to additional bed supply and easing pressure on occupancy, with new Class 4 dormitories and expansions, such as Pioneer Lodge Phase Two, adding capacity.

The report notes that rents could grow by around 5% in 2026 as operators carry out upgrades under the Dormitory Transition Scheme (DTS) and New Dormitory Standards (NDS), which may temporarily reduce available beds.