5-Room HDB Renovation Cost (2026)

A 5-room flat is the largest HDB home most people will renovate, so it also carries the largest renovation bill. In 2026 a full 5-room renovation runs roughly S$60,600–76,500 for a new BTO flat and S$80,800–98,900 for a resale, before furniture and appliances. Those are illustrative ranges from Qanvast’s 2026 estimates (projected on 1–2% inflation from 2025 medians across 341 BTO and 449 resale projects), not quotes. The useful thing to know up front is that the extra cost over a 4-room is mostly scale — more floor to cover and one more room to fit out — not luxury.

What a 5-room renovation costs in 2026

The headline gap is BTO versus resale. The figures below are illustrative 2026 ranges, not quotes, and cover the renovation works only — loose furniture and appliances are extra.

Illustrative 2026 full-renovation ranges for a 5-room HDB flat (upper of range). Source: Qanvast 2026 estimates.

Illustrative ranges, approximate as of November 2026 — Source: Qanvast 2026 HDB renovation cost estimates. Not quotes.

A second industry source, MoneySmart, lands in the same territory — about S$62,000–82,400 for a 5-room BTO and S$70,000 to over S$100,000 for a resale. The two compilers agreeing on the broad bands is reassuring, but your own number still depends far more on how much carpentry you order and which finishes you pick than on the flat type. Use any single range as a planning anchor, then get itemised quotes. For the picture across every flat size, see the HDB renovation cost guide; for the size below, the 4-room BTO breakdown.

Why a 5-room costs more than a 4-room

HDB describes a 5-room flat as suited to “larger households of 5 or more members”: it has three bedrooms (one a master with an attached bathroom), a common bathroom, a living and dining area, a kitchen, a service yard, a household shelter and a suggested study. At about 113 sqm total and roughly 110 sqm of internal floor area, it is meaningfully bigger than a 4-room (about 90 sqm internal).

That extra area is where the money goes. A bigger flat means more square footage of flooring, more wall to paint, a larger false ceiling if you want one, and — crucially — more rooms to fit with built-in carpentry. None of that is “premium”; it is simply a larger version of the same job. Buyers who want still more space look at the Executive flat (about 130 sqm) or the 3Gen (about 115 sqm with a fourth bedroom), both of which cost more again to renovate.

Where the money goes in a bigger flat

Carpentry is the single biggest driver in almost every Singapore renovation, and a 5-room amplifies it because there is simply more to build. MoneySmart puts custom carpentry for a large flat at about S$12,000–28,000, with the kitchen and bathrooms the most expensive rooms because of waterproofing, plumbing and specialist tiling — a complete kitchen around S$8,900–15,000 and two bathrooms around S$10,000–20,000. The kitchen alone concentrates carpentry, tiling, plumbing and electrical in one room, so it usually tops the per-room spend regardless of flat size.

Illustrative per-trade ranges for a 5-room HDB renovation. Source: MoneySmart, 2026. Not quotes.

Illustrative market ranges — Source: MoneySmart, 2026. Not quotes. Per-item figures do not sum to the whole-project total because scopes overlap and no home orders every item at the top of its range.

Flooring is the clearest example of “paying for size”: at anywhere from about S$4 per sq ft for basic vinyl to S$20–35 for luxury tile, a 110 sqm flat costs materially more to floor than a 90 sqm one, and overlaying rather than hacking is the usual saving.

BTO vs resale: the S$20,000 gap

A resale 5-room costs roughly S$20,000 more to renovate than a comparable BTO, and the reason is almost entirely preparation. MoneySmart notes resale flats run 20–40% more than new BTOs because of hidden work before anything visible begins — budgeting, for example, S$4,000–8,000 for rewiring and S$1,700–4,700 for plastering. A new BTO skips nearly all of that: sound walls, new services and basic fittings mean the job goes straight to carpentry and finishes.

OCS: what HDB installs before you get the keys

For a new 5-room, HDB’s Optional Component Scheme (OCS) shapes how much work is left after keys. OCS is an opt-in package chosen at your flat booking appointment: you decide whether HDB installs floor finishes, and separately whether it installs internal doors and sanitary fittings. If you take them, the cost is added to the flat price — which means you can pay with CPF and your housing loan rather than cash.

Using HDB’s April 2023 reference rates, the flooring package was around S$6,060 for a 5-room, with the doors-and-sanitary-fittings package adding roughly S$2,770–3,180; a 5-room gets five internal doors. Exact prices vary by project and HDB’s OCS page lists the items but not the figures, so your booking price list is the authority.

How long a 5-room renovation takes

A bigger flat takes longer. Qanvast’s 2026 estimates put a 5-room BTO at about 9–10 weeks and a 5-room resale at about 9–11 weeks — the resale longer because hacking, removal and rectification come before the new work. Carrying costs (rent or a second home loan while the flat is unliveable) run the whole time, so the timeline is part of the budget, not separate from it. See the renovation timeline guide for the week-by-week sequence.

HDB rules that shape a 5-room budget

The same HDB rules apply to a 5-room as to any flat, and a few directly affect cost and schedule.

Opening up a layout is popular in larger flats, but any hacking of walls needs HDB’s prior written approval and reinforced-concrete structural walls can never be removed — see the HDB renovation permit guide. If your plan includes new windows, note they are a separate regulated job under the HDB window replacement rules.

How to keep a 5-room renovation lean

The cheapest 5-room jobs share the same moves, and the flat’s size makes restraint more valuable, not less.

For more, see how to save on your renovation.

Paying for a 5-room renovation

Even a lean 5-room usually needs financing, and the rules are the same as for any flat. CPF savings cannot be used for renovation, improvement or repair work, so the bill is cash, a loan, or both. A bank renovation loan is capped at the lower of six times your monthly income or S$30,000, over up to five years, and paid directly to the contractor. Because most full 5-room renovations exceed S$30,000, the balance comes from cash. See the renovation loan guide for the flat-rate-versus-EIR maths.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 5-room HDB renovation cost in 2026? Illustratively about S$60,600–76,500 for a BTO and S$80,800–98,900 for a resale (Qanvast), before furniture. MoneySmart puts it similar — around S$62,000–82,400 (BTO) and S$70,000 to over S$100,000 (resale). Ranges differ, so get itemised quotes.

Is S$70,000 enough for a 5-room flat? For a new BTO, usually yes for a mid-range scope. A resale flat, heavy built-ins across three bedrooms, or premium finishes will push past it.

Why does a resale 5-room cost more than a BTO? Because of preparation work — hacking, rewiring, plastering and waterproofing — before the visible renovation starts. MoneySmart puts resale flats 20–40% dearer than new flats for this reason.

What is not included in the works figure? Loose furniture, appliances, curtains and décor — budget separately — plus a 10–15% contingency for variation orders and anything found after hacking.

Can I use CPF to pay for a 5-room renovation? No. CPF savings cannot be used for renovation; the cost must come from cash or a renovation loan.

Related

• HDB renovation cost guide
• 4-Room BTO renovation cost breakdown
• 3-Room HDB renovation cost
• Resale flat renovation cost
• Renovation loan guide

Cost figures are illustrative ranges compiled from published 2026 industry sources (Qanvast, MoneySmart), not quotes; HDB flat features, renovation rules and OCS, and the CPF renovation rule are from official HDB and CPF pages. Rules and prices change — confirm current figures with your contractor and the official sources.