The condo in that case is going to be far superior in every imaginable way. A $400k BTO is going to be very basic.

The rule of thumb is 20-30% discount on fair market value. Not 80%! Yes, it's a pretty sweet scheme if you're eligible, but it's not a total giveaway.

If you really could buy a $400k HDB that was comparable to the $2m condo next door then the $2m condo would never even be built, as there would be no market for it.

HDB vs resale HDB is 20-30%.

HDB vs Condo is a lot more.

There are serious restrictions on resale hdb flats which cause them to be priced a lot lower than condos.

These restrictions are deliberate policy to ensure affordable housing and subsidise Citizens and PR.

The major ones:

- You have to be a citizen or PR of at least a few years. This cuts out 1.5 million people.

- You have to meet racial and PR quotas. This limits demand.

- You can't have other properties. This excludes people with overseas property and excludes wealthier Singaporeans from buying HDBs as investment property.

Yes I know. You sound like you're agreeing with me. I was arguing against some long-ago comments that insinuated the subsidies were "massive", "incredible", etc, and that being born in singapore was some kind of golden ticket to a life of endless government gravy. This is not at all the case.

I don't know where people thing the SG government would get these "incredible" subsidies from anyway. It's not the UAE!