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Yishun, North Region

Singapore · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

53
Overall Score

Yishun, officially known as Nee Soon until the 1980s, is a mature residential town and planning area situated in the northern part of Singapore. It borders Sembawang to the north, Mandai to the west, and Ang Mo Kio to its south, offering a blend of public housing (HDB flats) and private condominiums that cater to a diverse population. The town is meticulously planned with a wide array of amenities and green spaces, aiming to provide a self-sufficient and comfortable living environment for its residents. People are drawn to Yishun for its comprehensive facilities, including shopping malls like Northpoint City, hawker centres, and numerous parks, alongside its well-connected transportation network.

About North Region

The North Region of Singapore is characterized by a balance of residential towns, industrial estates, military bases, and extensive natural spaces, making it the second largest region by land area with a population of 582,330 as of 2020. Woodlands serves as the regional center and most populous town. The economy here supports Singapore's agricultural industry, with significant activity in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah focusing on food production, aquaculture, and agri-technology. Additionally, established industrial areas like Sungei Kadut and Senoko provide employment opportunities, and Woodlands Industrial Park is a leader in the aerospace sector. Living in the North Region generally offers a family-friendly environment with a strong community spirit and abundant greenery, providing a suburban lifestyle away from the city's hustle while maintaining good connectivity. While Singapore has a uniformly high temperature and humidity with an average maximum temperature of 31.6°C and average minimum temperature of 25.2°C, the cost of living in areas like Woodlands is more affordable compared to central regions, with monthly expenses for a single person ranging from SGD 1,000–1,400 excluding rent.

228,730
Population
$52K
Avg Salary
132
Cost Index
52.5
Quality Score
How this 53/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them
Component Readings used Points Weight Contributes
Safety Safety score: 85 / 100 85.0 30% 25.5
Affordability Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 132.0 3.8 25% 0.9
Economy & jobs Median household income: $54,054 Income needed to live here: $55,000 Unemployment rate: 2.82% 56.3 20% 11.3
Growth Population growth rate: 0.76% Job growth rate: 2% 52.0 15% 7.8
Business climate assessment Business climate assessment: 70 / 100 70.0 10% 7.0
Overall score 52.5

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Tier 3 (deep think) (q=68, partial — below threshold), last refreshed 29 September 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

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Quality Scores

Business
70
Livability
80
Affordability
76
Growth
70

Cost of Living

The cost of living in Yishun, while generally more affordable than Singapore's central areas, remains higher than the United States average. As of September 2026, the overall cost of living in Singapore is estimated to be 31.6% higher than in the United States, with rent being 88.7% higher on average. This elevated cost is primarily driven by housing expenses, although suburban areas like Yishun offer relatively lower rents compared to prime districts. Monthly expenses for a single person, excluding rent, are estimated at around $1,175.80 USD, with groceries and transportation contributing significantly to the overall budget.

Average Rent
$1,850/mo
Groceries
$425/mo
Transport
$100/mo
Utilities
$180/mo
Healthcare
$150/mo
Gym membership (monthly)
$75.00
Cinema ticket
$11.00
Restaurant meal (mid-range)
$30.00
Monthly groceries
$425.00
Doctor visit (without insurance)
$30.00

Salary Insights

Yishun's job market is integrated within Singapore's robust economy, with key industries reflecting the nation's focus on high-value sectors. Top industries in the Yishun New Town area include Engineering, Consulting & Professional Services, Education, Technology, and Healthcare. While specific job growth rates for Yishun are not readily available, Singapore's economy as a whole is characterized by strong growth in areas like ICT, AI, Digital Services, Advanced Manufacturing, and Financial Services. The presence of industrial parks like Yishun Industrial Park A, zoned for Business 2 use, supports general manufacturing and generic industrial activities, contributing to local employment opportunities.

The average salary in Yishun is $51,864 per year. You would need approximately $55,000 to live comfortably.

Top Industries

Education +1.80% Healthcare +2.80% Technology +3.00% Engineering +2.50% Consulting & Professional Services +2.20%

Climate

🌡️
27°C
Avg Temp
☀️
32°C
Summer High
❄️
23°C
Winter Low
🌧️
115.90"
Annual Rain
💧
80.00%
Humidity
🌤️
83
Sunny Days

Transport

Getting around Yishun and connecting to other parts of Singapore is straightforward, thanks to its efficient public transportation network. The town is served by Yishun and Khatib MRT stations on the North-South Line, complemented by an integrated bus interchange at Northpoint City. This robust public transit system contributes to a low car dependency among residents. For drivers, major expressways like the Seletar Expressway (SLE), Tampines Expressway (TPE), and Central Expressway (CTE) provide good connectivity, with the upcoming North-South Corridor expected to further improve travel times.

30 min
Avg Commute
80.00/10
Transit Score
75.00/10
Walkability
Low
Car Dependency

Pros & Cons

Advantages
Yishun's physical crime cases have significantly decreased by at least 50% over the decade leading up to 2023, making it one of Singapore's safer neighborhoods.
The town offers excellent public transportation, including two MRT stations and an integrated bus interchange, ensuring straightforward commuting.
Yishun provides comprehensive healthcare facilities, including two major hospitals (Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Yishun Community Hospital) and polyclinics, offering high-quality medical care.
The presence of numerous parks, reservoirs, and green spaces contributes to a high quality of life and opportunities for outdoor activities.
Yishun is a well-planned town with a wide array of amenities, including shopping malls and hawker centres, catering to diverse resident needs.
Drawbacks
The cost of living in Singapore, including Yishun, is significantly higher than the US average, with rent being particularly expensive for non-subsidized housing.
While more affordable than central areas, rental prices for apartments in Yishun can still be substantial, with 1-bedroom units averaging around $1,850 USD per month.
Petrol prices in Singapore are very high, costing approximately $9.24 USD per gallon as of September 2026, making car ownership expensive.
Doctor visits without insurance can be costly for non-residents, with private GP consultations starting around $30 USD.
Despite overall safety, Yishun has historically faced a social media-fueled reputation for unusual incidents, though official crime statistics refute it as a hotspot.

Nearby Cities

Questions about Yishun

What people ask about living in and moving to Yishun, North Region.

Gathering the most common questions about Yishun…

Frequently Asked Questions

The consumer market basket tracks everyday necessities, including staple grocery items (such as milk, bread, eggs, and produce), residential energy bills (electricity, gas, and water), public and private transit costs, routine outpatient medical care, and standard consumer goods and services to ensure a representative monthly budget.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Local tax climates significantly shift a city's affordability score by directly affecting disposable income. Urblytica factors in state income tax brackets, local municipal property tax millage rates, and combined sales taxes to measure the true tax drag on median household earnings.

Core economic indexes and consumer price metrics undergo a comprehensive quarterly recalibration. This update cycle integrates the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) releases, municipal utility rate adjustments, and regional housing data feeds to ensure all index comparisons reflect current economic conditions.

Housing is weighted as the single largest component in Urblytica's cost-of-living algorithm, typically accounting for roughly 30% to 35% of the composite score. It incorporates both median monthly gross rent and median single-family home purchase prices relative to local median income levels.

Normalization involves adjusting raw economic inputs against localized purchasing power parities (PPPs) and population-weighted density scales. This ensures fair, apples-to-apples comparisons between dense metropolitan hubs and smaller suburban or rural towns.

Utility indexing applies a rolling annual average that captures seasonal climate variations, such as increased summer air conditioning loads in southern climates or heavier winter heating demands in northern regions, providing a realistic year-round average utility expense.

Remote workers leverage the index to calculate real purchasing power parity when moving from a high-cost-of-living area to a lower-cost region. By comparing index differentials against their fixed salary, users can determine if their net savings and lifestyle quality will improve post-relocation.

While the raw Cost of Living Index measures pure expense levels, it is frequently paired with Urblytica’s local wage index and median household income benchmarks. This combined view highlights whether local salaries keep pace with local consumer goods and housing expenses.

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