Moving to Singapore with children
The best areas to live in Singapore with young children
There is no single best area. There is the best area for your commute, your children's schools and the way your family likes to spend a Saturday. This guide compares the five places relocating families shortlist most, and is honest about the trade-offs of each.
Answer three questions before you look at listings
Most families who regret their first address chose it for the flat, not the location. Settle these first and the shortlist almost writes itself.
Where is work?
Singapore is compact, but a 25-minute and a 60-minute commute feel very different with a toddler at home. Find the MRT line your office sits on and live along it.
Where will the children go to school?
Think past preschool. International and primary schools are spread across the island, and school runs shape family life more than anything else.
How do you spend weekends?
Forest trails and a condo pool, or cafés and a short walk to everything? Singapore does both well, just rarely in the same neighbourhood.
Five areas families shortlist
Bukit Timah and Hillview
Central west · Downtown Line
Singapore's greenest residential corridor: nature reserves, the Rail Corridor and family condos with pools and playgrounds, all joined by the Downtown Line. Rents in Upper Bukit Timah are generally lower than in central areas such as River Valley, and several international schools, including the German European School on Dairy Farm Lane, are close by.
Trade-off: quieter evenings, and a longer trip to the east coast and the airport. More on this area below.
Holland Village
Central west · Circle Line
The classic expat village: cafés, restaurants and a relaxed, walkable centre, with the Botanic Gardens and Orchard a short ride away.
Trade-off: higher rents, and the village gets busy in the evenings and at weekends.
River Valley and Tiong Bahru
Central · close to the CBD
For short commutes and city living: walk to the river, markets and the Central Business District, with pre-war architecture and independent shops in Tiong Bahru.
Trade-off: smaller homes for the price and less green space for small children.
East Coast and Katong
East · Thomson–East Coast Line
Beach parks, long cycling paths and colourful heritage shophouses, with the airport close by for families who travel often.
Trade-off: a long journey to the west of the island, where many international schools and employers are.
Sentosa
South · island resort
Resort living with beaches and space, a good fit for families who want quiet above everything else.
Trade-off: few schools and shops on the island itself, and every trip out crosses the causeway.
Still undecided?
What many families do
Book a serviced apartment for the first one to three months. Try the commute, visit schools and walk a few neighbourhoods at the weekend before you sign a two-year lease.
Most landlords expect a two-year lease, so this is the cheapest way to avoid the wrong one.
A closer look
Why so many families settle along the Bukit Timah corridor
The corridor follows Bukit Timah Road and Upper Bukit Timah Road north-west from the Botanic Gardens. The Downtown Line runs underneath it, so almost every home is a short walk from a station.
- Bukit PanjangDT1
- CashewDT2
- HillviewDT3Alpha Green · 1 Jalan Siap
- HumeDT4
- Beauty WorldDT5
- King Albert ParkDT6
- Sixth AvenueDT7
- Tan Kah KeeDT8
- Botanic GardensDT9
Downtown Line · around 30 minutes from Hume to Downtown
Nature on the doorstep
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Hindhede Nature Park, Dairy Farm Nature Park and the Rail Corridor, a long, flat green trail along the old railway line. Easy walks for small legs, and real rainforest for older children.
Getting around
The Downtown Line reaches the city in about half an hour, and Hume station opened in 2025 to fill the gap between Hillview and Beauty World. By car, the Bukit Timah Expressway and the Pan Island Expressway are minutes away.
Everyday shopping
HillV2 and The Rail Mall near Hillview for groceries and coffee, and Beauty World for supermarkets, clinics and one of the area's best-loved hawker centres.
Homes
Mostly condominiums with pools, playgrounds and security, which suit families with young children. Landed houses cluster around Sixth Avenue and Bukit Timah Road, closer to the city end.
Our corner of the corridor
A preschool a few minutes from Hillview MRT
Alpha Green Preschool sits at 1 Jalan Siap, a short walk from Hillview station. We are a small school for children from 18 months to six years, with English as the everyday language and German, Russian or Mandarin taught by native speakers.
Most of our families live in the condos around Hume Avenue, with others in Dairy Farm and Bukit Panjang. Our children walk the Rail Corridor regularly and play in the neighbourhood park next to The Rail Mall, so the green corridor is part of their week, not just a view.
Living further away? We run school transport by private-hire car, with children travelling alongside others going the same way. We currently run a route to Novena, and can arrange others on request.
Many of our families arrived in Singapore recently, so we are used to the questions that come with a move. Our answers for relocating parents cover student passes, mid-year starts and settling in.
- Open 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, all year round
- Children join mid-year, not only in January or August
- We can apply for a Student's Pass for your child
- School transport by private-hire car, including a route to Novena
- Visit in person, or by WhatsApp video call before you arrive
- See what the fees include