University student gives house tour of condo with $8,500 rent, sparks online discussion

While many students get by with dorm accommodation in Singapore, this foreign student has been living it up at a swanky condo with a heady rental price of some $8,500 a month. 

Douyin user Aimee revealed the price of her 2,000 sq ft rental home in a Douyin home tour in October, saying how it costs only $8,500 per month.

But she's not alone in covering this cost, as she also shares the two-bedroom home with one other roommate.

She was then in a video interview with host and Douyin influencer Chen Pujiang last month, where she invited Chen to see her home, giving a tour of her abode starting with the living room.

Aside from her sofa and a TV, Aimee also has a piano that she bought because she likes playing the instrument, she said. 

Her living room is also connected to a balcony with a breathtaking view of a landed enclave beneath her 14th-floor home. This balcony also serves as a study space for Aimee.

Entering her personal room, Aimee introduced Chen to a large wardrobe that appeared to be about twice her height, filled to the brim with her clothes.

Her bathroom was also incredible, not only because there was a second, similarly large wardrobe in there, but also because it featured a bathtub hidden behind a counter with a window view overlooking a swimming pool below.

"I never thought that there could be a bathtub here," Chen commented. "I feel like looking out at the scenery from the window while bathing would feel amazing."

Moving on to her bedroom, Aimee showed off the impressive double-height ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows that bordered her room like a viewing platform.

She then admitted that she had chosen this apartment because these windows had captured her heart.

 "This is the dream home for many girls isn't it - to wake up and immediately see this splendid scenery," Chen added.

Aimee concurred, also chiming in: "The weather in Singapore is very rainy, so playing the piano while listening to the rain and living in a house like this - who could dislike it?"

'I'm more willing to spend money improving myself'

Wrapping up the tour of her home, Chen asked Aimee how much she spends a month.

Excluding rent, she spends about RMB20,000 (S$3,800), she said.

Aimee explained: "Aside from spending on eating and transportation, I don't really spend on anything else."

Further elaborating, she shared that she used to spend a lot on branded, luxury items but doesn't do so anymore.

"I've realised that these branded goods don't represent who I am, what I use or wear and my identity really have no correlation.

"I'm more willing to spend money improving myself," she said.

She didn't indicate where her property is located at in the video. 

Expensive or not?

Many netizens were shocked at the display of wealth by this student and compared their own rental prices.

"Ridiculous," a Douyin user dismissed. "When I was studying, even a $800 rent in Jurong West was too expensive."

Another user shared that he rented an apartment in Lor 13 Geylang for $1,800 two decades ago and had to share the rent with two others.

Lamented one user: "'Only' $8,500... I feel numb now."

Some also debated if the price tag of $8,500 per month was worth what Aimee had gotten.

"As a Singaporean, I can confidently say that she has been cheated. For $8,500, I can probably get a better house and even hire a maid," one Douyin user said.

Others, however, pointed out that this might be a seaside property, hence the higher property prices.

Another challenged: "If you think this is expensive, go to Propertyguru and look for a high-end condominium with 2,000 sq ft of space with the same level of interior design, and also within 30 minutes of NUS - can you find one this year?"

Aimee later added in the comments of her original home tour video that property prices in Singapore have risen by quite a bit and that her landlord effectively "turned a three-room apartment into a two-room one, that's why the price is like this".

AsiaOne has reached out to Chen and Aimee for comment. 

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khooyihang@asiaone.com