Singapore Property Beginner’s Guide: Districts and Planning Areas (2026)
Postal districts vs planning areas explained: what District 9, 10 and 11 mean, how URA's 55 planning areas differ, and how to check where a home really is.
How we made this. Updated for 2026 with AI-assisted research. Figures are linked to their sources — check them before you act.
Singapore property uses two different maps. Agents and listings use postal districts (D1 to D28), an old postal system that the market kept. The government uses planning areas (55 of them, in five regions), the units in URA’s Master Plan. They overlap but do not match, so “District 10” and “Bukit Timah” are not the same thing. Know which map a claim uses before you compare prices.
At a glance
- There are 28 postal districts. Mail now goes by six-digit postal code, but listings, rental ads and price data still use districts. The first two digits of a six-digit postal code point to the old district.
- URA’s Master Plan 2025 divides Singapore into 55 planning areas in five regions: Central (22), West (12), North (8), North-East (7) and East (6).
- Postal districts and planning areas have different borders. A “District 11” home can be in more than one planning area.
- Check the planning area for what can be built nearby. Check the district for price comparisons.
Postal districts: the map the market uses
Each of the 28 postal districts is a group of postal sectors, and a sector is the first two digits of today’s six-digit postal code. URA still publishes SingPost’s list of postal districts, and agents and portals still use the districts to describe where a property for sale or rent is.
This table gives the general locations in that list. Borders blur, and an area can fall in two districts.
| District | General locations |
|---|---|
| D1–D2 | Raffles Place, Cecil, Marina, People’s Park; Anson, Tanjong Pagar |
| D3–D5 | Queenstown, Tiong Bahru; Telok Blangah, Harbourfront; Pasir Panjang, Hong Leong Garden, Clementi New Town |
| D6–D8 | High Street, Beach Road (part); Middle Road, Golden Mile; Little India |
| D9–D11 | Orchard, Cairnhill, River Valley; Ardmore, Bukit Timah, Holland Road, Tanglin; Watten Estate, Novena, Thomson |
| D12–D15 | Balestier, Toa Payoh, Serangoon; Macpherson, Braddell; Geylang, Eunos; Katong, Joo Chiat, Amber Road |
| D16–D18 | Bedok, Upper East Coast, Eastwood, Kew Drive; Loyang, Changi; Tampines, Pasir Ris |
| D19–D21 | Serangoon Garden, Hougang, Punggol; Bishan, Ang Mo Kio; Upper Bukit Timah, Clementi Park, Ulu Pandan |
| D22–D24 | Jurong; Hillview, Dairy Farm, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang; Lim Chu Kang, Tengah |
| D25–D28 | Kranji, Woodgrove; Upper Thomson, Springleaf; Yishun, Sembawang; Seletar |
The 2010 version of this article called D9, D10 and D11 the traditional prime districts, and D1, D2 and D4 the up-and-coming luxury ones. That reputation still shapes how developers market homes. It is a label, not a rule. Price data, such as the transactions URA publishes in its property data section, is usually grouped by district, so you will meet these codes as soon as you compare prices.
“District creep”
Because a prestigious district number sells, some ads stretch it. A home near the edge of Novena may be marketed as “Newton”, or one in Balestier as “Novena”. We called this “district creep” in 2010. It still happens. Check the address and the six-digit postal code, not the headline. And remember that a home’s walking distance to an MRT station says more about daily life than its district number.
Planning areas: the map the government uses
URA’s Master Plan divides Singapore into planning areas. In the Master Plan 2025 boundary data there are 55, grouped in five regions:
| Region | Planning areas | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Central | 22 | Bukit Timah, Novena, Queenstown, Tanglin, Geylang, Kallang, Toa Payoh, Bukit Merah, Bishan, Marine Parade, Orchard, River Valley, Downtown Core |
| West | 12 | Clementi, Jurong East, Jurong West, Boon Lay, Bukit Batok, Bukit Panjang, Choa Chu Kang, Tengah, Tuas |
| North | 8 | Woodlands, Yishun, Sembawang, Mandai, Lim Chu Kang, Sungei Kadut |
| North-East | 7 | Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, Punggol, Sengkang, Serangoon, Seletar |
| East | 6 | Bedok, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Paya Lebar, Changi, Changi Bay |
HDB towns usually take their names from planning areas, so “Punggol” or “Tengah” means the same thing in a BTO brochure and on the Master Plan. Postal districts rarely line up so neatly. District 19, for example, covers Hougang, Punggol and Sengkang, which are three separate planning areas.
The URA also splits the private market into the Core Central Region, Rest of Central Region and Outside Central Region. These are reported separately in its price statistics: in the Q3 2026 flash estimate, non-landed prices were down 0.1% in the Core Central Region, up 0.2% in the Rest of Central Region and up 2.2% in the Outside Central Region. URA publishes the boundaries on its website. Do not assume they match a district one for one.
Why the Master Plan matters to you
The Master Plan is reviewed every five years. It shows the permitted use and density for each plot and guides development over the next 10 to 15 years. The current version is Master Plan 2025. It follows a public engagement exercise that started in October 2023 and reached close to 220,000 people, according to URA.
Behind it is a longer-range plan. The article you may have read in 2010 called it the Concept Plan. URA now calls it the Long-Term Plan, and the Master Plan “translates” its strategies into detailed plans. For a buyer, the practical point is simple: the district tells you what homes in the area are called, while the Master Plan tells you what may be built next door. Our guide to URA land use zoning shows how to read it, and who manages land supply explains where new sites come from.
A short checklist for any address
- Find the six-digit postal code. Its first two digits tell you the old postal sector and so the district. Use this to compare prices with the same district.
- Find the planning area on URA SPACE (the interactive Master Plan map).
- Check zoning and plot ratio of the plots around the home.
- Compare with the right peers. Use the planning area for questions about the neighbourhood and its future, and the district for questions about transacted prices.
- Check the figure behind the label. Our beginner guide Part 1 covers housing types, and Part 3 explains who sets the rules.
Bottom line
Learn both maps. Postal districts are the language of listings and price data. Planning areas and regions are the language of the government’s plans. When an ad says “prime District 10”, ask which planning area the home is in, what zoning surrounds it and what similar homes sold for in the same district. When you check financing for a purchase, use our mortgage calculator.
Sources
- List of postal districts — URA (source: SingPost), checked Oct 2026
- Master Plan 2025 Planning Area Boundary (No Sea) — URA via data.gov.sg (checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Master Plan — URA (checked Oct 2026)
- Master Plan 2025 — URA (checked Oct 2026)
- URA SPACE: Master Plan map — URA
- Property data — URA
- Flash estimate of 3rd Quarter 2026 private residential prices — URA, 1 Oct 2026
