Whether you want easy access to Malaysia, or are looking for a reliable rental asset, condos near the Woodlands checkpoints are the old go-to options. But with private home prices being so much higher in 2025 (not to mention higher ABSD for landlords), are Woodlands condos still really affordable?

This week, we rounded up some of the cheapest condos near the Causeway (by average price), so you can see where to get started. Oh, and while we were at it, we also did a quick check of current rental figures:

Cheapest condos we could find near the Causeway checkpoints:

Note: Data below is sourced from 2024 

Current rental rates at Causeway checkpoints

Four of these condos: Parc Rosewood, Casablanca, Rosewood, and Rosewood Suites are all clustered in the same area. La Casa is a bit further off from the cluster. 

1. Parc Rosewood - $756,908

Parc Rosewood is a leasehold, 689-unit condo built in 2014. It's located at 71 Rosewood Drive. This is the newest condo among the cluster of Parc Rosewood, Casablanca, Rosewood, and Rosewood Suites. 

Parc Rosewood's claim to fame is having 10 swimming pools, which is impressive for a condo of its size. 

Parc Rosewood is one of the closest condos to Singapore Sports School, and some units provide an excellent greenery view of the Mandai area. Si Ling and Innova Primary Schools are also within one kilometre, which makes this a viable family condo. The three-bedders here range from 1,260 sq ft upward, all the way to penthouse three-bedders that can reach over 1,870 sq ft.

(However, note that the penthouse has an old-school layout where a lot of the square footage is just open roof access, which some buyers consider a drawback). 

The developers clearly intended to cater to the rental prospects though, this being Woodlands. Parc Rosewood's one-bedders make up a whopping 63 per cent of the unit mix. The one-bedders are as small as 431 sq ft, and units in February 2025 have transacted for as low as $652,000. This is the reason Parc Rosewood can top the charts for rental yield (4.23 per cent). 

This condo is somewhat close to the Woodlands MRT station (NSL, TEL), perhaps a bit over 10 minutes; if that's too far for your liking though, you can use a connecting bus. For immediate amenities, residents can tap into the HDB enclave at Woodlands Avenue 1, where they'll find an NTUC FairPrice, some coffee shops, and other usual heartland amenities. Note that there are buses near here, like 912, that go directly to the Woodlands train checkpoint. 

While the general location still has a long way to maturity, it's hard to argue with 1,259 sq ft units going for a mere $1.088 million, as of February 2025. It's also got some greenery views, although this is a bit compromised by the SLE nearby (the Marsiling Flyover area). 

2. La Casa - $1,110,597

La Casa is a leasehold, 444-unit condo built in 2008. It's located at 68 Woodland Drive, close to Woodlands Drive 16. 

La Casa is nestled in an HDB enclave, and flanked to one side by Forestville. This does tend to make the area feel a bit densely packed, which is not what you'd expect of most Woodlands properties.

On the other hand, it also means easy access to HDB amenities such as the Seng Siong supermarket nearby; so families who prize convenience over frills won't mind this. There are, in fact, two other supermarkets nearby: Giant at Vista Point, and another FairPrice at Woodlands Block 888. 

Vista Point, incidentally, is a large two-storey HDB mall within walking distance; so day-to-day needs are easy to meet

Units here are spacious for the quantum: in February 2025 for example, a 1,195 sq ft family unit here translated for just $1.245 million, while a month before a 1,184 sq ft unit transacted at $1.27 million. This is also why La Casa manages to come in second for rental yield, at 4.13 per cent. 

The "small" two-bedders at La Casa still manage to reach up to 980 sq ft by the way; if it had one-bedders La Casa would likely beat Parc Rosewood for rental yield. That said, this is a pre-harmonisation project built in 2008, so some of the square footage is "padded" with air-con ledges and Private Enclosed Spaces, and may not be too efficient.

Accessibility is a bit of an issue here, as there's no MRT station within walking distance; so you'll need to use the bus or drive. But there are direct buses to the Woodlands train checkpoint, as well as to Woodlands MRT.

3. Casablanca - $1,123,852

Casablanca is a leasehold, 478-unit at 21 Rosewood Drive. It was built in 2005, and is in the same cluster with the "Rosewood" condos. 

Locational traits are mostly similar to Casablanca, including access to the Primary schools. You'll also have to take the train to get to Woodlands MRT. The difference with Parc Rosewood boils down to two factors:

Age is the first, as there's a nine-year difference between the two. The second difference is that Casablanca has more spacious units. There are only two, three, and four-bedders here, no shoebox units.

The low price per square foot, and overall low quantum, could be attractive to north-end families in 2025: in the latest transaction here, for example, a 1,184 sq ft unit sold for just $1.32 million in January. Even the two-bedders here are around 893 sq ft, and often transact for under $1 million. 

4. Rosewood - $1,249,127

Rosewood is the oldest in the cluster of "Rosewood" condos, having been built in 2003. This is a leasehold project with 437 units, at 1 Rosewood Drive. 

Despite the low unit count, Rosewood is quite generous with its facilities: three swimming pools, a tennis court, and a basketball court, in addition to the usual BBQ pit, gym, etc., is a lot for a 437-unit project; and probably not something you'd find in a newer launch today. 

The low unit count also means larger units and only four units per level. Note that even a two-bedder here can reach 1,023 sq ft, making them viable for families.

The drawback is the less efficient older layouts: a classic approach where the bedrooms are on one side and the social spaces (living and dining) are on another, often connected by wasted hallway space. Nonetheless, it's hard to argue with a 1,012 sq ft unit that can be bought for $1.09 million; a real transaction in November 2024. 

Investors might be worried about competition not just from Casablanca, but from Woodhaven. The newer Woodhaven condo (built 2015) has smaller units and an even lower unit count (337 units); but because Woodhaven has units as small as 700 sq ft, it can manage total prices as low as $890,000 (as of December 2024). 

Families who want causeway access will probably defer to Rosewood for its greater unit sizes. Landlords, however, might consider the smaller, newer units at Rosewood and Parc Rosewood a more attractive draw. 

5. Rosewood Suites - $1,304,278

The final entry in our Rosewood cluster, Rosewood Suites is a leasehold, 200-unit condo at 61 Rosewood Drive. It was completed in 2011. 

This was the condo that, for a brief time, was famous for sparking a row in the comments section of a certain property portal (no names, but we'll say it's likely the biggest one). 

Facilities wise, Rosewood Suites is unusual. We are impressed with the mini golf course, an expensive and space-consuming facility usually associated with pricier condos. To our knowledge, Rosewood Suites is the most affordable condo with such a facility at present.

Balancing this out (not in a good way) is a half-basketball court and a rather bare-bones gym and rooftop BBQ area. But there is a full tennis court, which is something a lot of smaller condos lack. 

Layouts are also on the larger side, and even the one-bedders are about 678 sq ft. Two-bedders and three-bedders are where it gets a bit weird, since some of the two-bedders are bigger than the three-bedders. 

A B2 layout two-bedder, for instance, is 1,001 sq ft (the smallest by the way!) while the C layout three-bedder is only 990 sq ft. An E3 layout two-bedder is 1,206 sq ft, whilst a C6 three-bedder is almost the same size at 1,259 sq ft. This is further distorted by the addition of immense PES areas in some of the units, and inefficiencies like planter boxes which add to the square footage. 

Nonetheless, you do get bang for your buck: 

In the latest transaction here in February 2025, a gigantic 1,895 sq ft unit transacted for just $1.88 million, while in December 2024 a 991 sq ft unit translated for a mere $1.06 million. For families who want bigger units, this is definitely worth a thought (even if the layouts are not particularly efficient; check the unit in question). 

Landlords will probably be inclined to skip this, and go for the nearby options with smaller one and two-bedders. 

It would appear that Woodlands still has a good range of options when it comes to affordable condos, but this is if you don't mind some loss of accessibility or sometimes older and less efficient layouts. It's uncertain if things will stay this way though, after the Woodlands North Coast transforms the area into the regional hub of the north. 

This article was first published in Stackedhomes.