Make sense of your mortgage.

20 Years of Data Prove It: Bank Loans Beat HDB Loans

Over the last two decades, HDB’s 2.6% home loan rate has stayed rock solid, while SORA-based bank loans have floated up and down with the market. But when you crunch 20 years of data, a clear pattern emerges: despite a few short spikes, bank loans have been cheaper almost 80% of the time. A borrower with a $500,000 loan over 20 years would have saved roughly $70,000 by going with a typical SORA + 0.5% bank package instead of sticking with HDB’s fixed rate. The takeaway? Start safe with an HDB loan when buying your BTO, but once you’ve collected your keys, refinance to a bank loan and let the data work in your favour.

Sarah Chen·15 Oct 2025