20 May 2016
How does Tampines fare in terms of livability? In the following sections, let us look at why Tampines is a great place to live in for everyone.
For the family
Tampines is home to almost 80,000 households, out of which more than 37,000 are families with three or four members. There are several reasons why Tampines is one of the most popular areas which families choose to reside in.
There are various amenities which provide convenience to residents. Tampines is home to three shopping malls, Tampines Mall, Tampines 1 and Century Square. Major tenants of these malls include Isetan, BHG, H&M, Muji, Topman and Uniqlo. Once found only in major malls in town areas, these fashion brands and department stores have branched out into the heartlands. Families no longer need to travel all the way to town to for a weekend shopping trip.
For every day grocery shopping, Fairprice, Fairprice Finest and Cold Storage are located in the three malls. In addition, Tampines is also home to a Giant hypermart which is open till 2am on Saturdays and 12am on other days.
Swedish furniture retailer IKEA and consumer electronics retailer Courts have also set up megastores in Tampines, providing residents with a one-stop solution for their household needs. In particular, the Courts megastore is one of Asia’s largest, with 136,000 square feet of retail space.
For the working professional
While Tampines has shown itself to be a desirable town to live in, an important consideration of residents naturally relates to their commute to work. According to the Singapore Department of Statistics, Tampines has the 152,400 resident working persons, the 2nd highest in Singapore. Evidently, Tampines is a top pick among working persons. Why is this so?
The East Region is a major employment hub outside of the CBD, with more than 1 million square metres of existing commercial space. Main employment clusters include Tampines Regional Centre, Changi Airport and Changi Business Park.
Tampines Regional Centre is where several banks such as OCBC and UOB have located ther back end operations. Household names such as Singapore Airlines and Hitachi also have their offices there. Hence, Tampines is a popular housing estate as it strikes a balance between being affordable and convenient. Those working at Tampines Regional Centre can simply walk to their work place or take a short bus ride.
In addition, business travellers who need to travel frequently may find Tampines an attractive location due to its proximity to Changi Airport. Going by MRT will take about 15 minutes and driving or taking a taxi will result in an even shorter travelling time of about 10 minutes.
For the expatriate family
For families with children, there are prestigious international schools in the East, especially near Tampines. Examples include United World College East Campus at Tampines North, Overseas Family School at Pasir Ris and The Japanese School at Changi. Children can easily shuttle between school and home.
If the parents drive to work, it is equally convenient, as a trip to town takes about 10 minutes. Even driving to the western part of Singapore will only take around 20 minutes.
Most importantly, houses in Tampines are affordably priced. New 3 bedroom units in private condominiums cost about $1.2 million and less than $1,000 per square foot. Renting a home is also an equally viable option, as 3 bedroom private homes can be had for less than $3,000 a month. The private developments are nestled in an enclave away from the busy town centre, thus retaining a degree of privacy. Even so, convenience is not compromised as travelling to key places remains easy.
With international school fees reaching $30,000 to $40,000 for prominent international schools such as the United World College, it is a win-win situation for both parents and children to live in Tampines. Commuting to school is convenient for children while the adults need only take a short drive to work. Even savings can be made on the property purchase. Even with the Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD), a 3 bedroom unit costs about $1.38 million. For the same price, in the city centre, it would be next to impossible to find a comparable 3 bedroom unit. Families would most likely have to settle with a smaller unit.
All in all, Tampines has shown itself to be an ideal live-work-play destination. Since its development in 1992, Tampines has grown in both size and scale. Moving forth, the East is set to become a hub of opportunities and being strategically located, Tampines is well-poised to take advantage of any future growth.
