Clarke Quay Condos: Living on the Singapore River in District 6
Updated 2026-10-06
Clarke Quay sits where the Singapore River meets the CBD, offering 86 condo listings at an average of S$2,750 per square foot. A wave of new developments and URA-backed rejuvenation is reshaping this historic riverside precinct into a serious residential address.
What is it like to live near Clarke Quay MRT?
Clarke Quay is one of the few places in Singapore where nightlife, heritage, and a genuine residential neighbourhood overlap. The precinct lines the south bank of the Singapore River in District 6, roughly midway between Chinatown and Fort Canning, and daily life here revolves around the waterfront rather than a single shopping mall.
The area has roughly 190 restaurants, a cluster of supermarkets and wet markets within walking distance, and Fort Canning Park directly behind the main quay for green space and running routes. Clarke Quay Central, the mall sitting above the MRT station, handles everyday needs such as a FairPrice supermarket, clinics, and food outlets. The riverside promenade connects to Boat Quay to the east and Robertson Quay to the west, giving residents a continuous three-kilometre walking and cycling corridor along the water.
A recent reorganisation of Clarke Quay itself has split the entertainment strip into three zones: The Warehouses for daytime retail, The Riverfront for cafes and brunch spots along the water's edge, and The Circuit for clubs and live music. That separation matters for residents because the louder nightlife is now more contained, while the daytime and dining offerings have expanded.
Transport links from Clarke Quay MRT
Clarke Quay MRT station (NE5) sits on the North East Line, which runs fully automated from HarbourFront to Punggol. From Clarke Quay, Dhoby Ghaut interchange is one stop north, giving direct transfers to the North South Line and the Circle Line. HarbourFront, for Sentosa and the cruise terminal, is four stops south. A commute to Serangoon interchange takes about 12 minutes.
The station entrance is on Eu Tong Sen Street, underneath The Central, with direct underground access into the mall. Bus services along Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road add cross-town coverage towards Orchard and the Marina Bay area. For drivers, the Central Expressway (CTE) on-ramp at Chin Swee Road is less than a kilometre away.
How much do condos near Clarke Quay cost?
The average asking price across the 86 current listings near Clarke Quay is S$3,160,622, at an average of S$2,750 per square foot for a typical unit of around 1,101 square feet. All 86 listings are condominiums, which reflects the precinct's character: this is almost entirely private high-rise housing with no HDB stock in the immediate vicinity.
Pricing varies by project and age. CanningHill Piers, the integrated development by CapitaLand and CDL that replaced the former Liang Court, transacts at around S$2,945 per square foot on average. Union Square Residences, CDL's newer launch on Havelock Road, sold 77 per cent of its units on launch weekend at roughly S$3,000 per square foot, with one-bedroom units starting from S$1.38 million. Older resale stock such as units in The Riverwalk or Riverside Piazza can sit below the S$2,500 per square foot mark, offering entry points for buyers willing to accept shorter remaining lease tenures.
Schools and family considerations
River Valley Primary School, at 2 River Valley Green, is the nearest government primary school and falls within the one-kilometre priority enrolment band for most addresses in the Clarke Quay precinct. Other primary schools in the broader district include Zhangde Primary School and Cantonment Primary School. River Valley High School, an SAP (Special Assistance Plan) school offering both the O-Level and Integrated Programme tracks, is also in the neighbourhood.
Families should note that Clarke Quay is primarily an entertainment and commercial district. While the residential population is growing with new developments, the area has fewer child-oriented amenities compared to suburban estates. Fort Canning Park provides open space, and the Singapore River promenade is suitable for family walks, but purpose-built playgrounds and childcare centres are limited to those within the condo developments themselves.
What is the outlook for Clarke Quay property?
The URA has designated the Singapore River corridor, including Clarke Quay, as a strategic precinct for urban rejuvenation. The most tangible result so far is the 67 per cent gross floor area uplift that CDL secured for Union Square Residences under URA's Strategic Development Initiative scheme, which rewards developers for replacing ageing buildings in priority zones with larger, mixed-use projects. Between Union Square Residences and CanningHill Piers, the precinct is absorbing 1,062 new private homes.
URA's longer-term vision treats the three-kilometre Singapore River stretch, from Boat Quay through Clarke Quay to Robertson Quay, as a single activity corridor that blends heritage conservation with new residential and commercial density. For buyers, the implication is that the precinct is moving away from its reputation as purely nightlife territory towards a more mixed-use, live-work-play character. That shift is already visible in the composition of new launches, which include co-working spaces, hotel components, and retail podiums alongside residential towers.
The main risk is supply. With over a thousand new units entering a compact riverside precinct, resale competition will increase once these projects reach their minimum occupation periods. Buyers of older resale units should weigh remaining lease carefully, since most of the stock here is 99-year leasehold.