Vicki Zhao, James Dyson: 8 celebs and billionaires who own Singapore properties

Singapore is a magnet for international billionaires and celebrities, who flock here for the food, sunshine and tax breaks.

By international standards, Singapore charges extremely low income-, wealth- and estate taxes, enabling the uber rich to save oodles of cash by moving here. In addition, the Republic offers all the deluxe creature comforts a wealthy person could wish for, as well as some of the highest standards of living and safety levels in the world. In other words, it makes a lot of sense for the rich and famous to buy property in Singapore – be it a humongous Good Class Bungalow (GCB) or a penthouse in the CBD – and move here.

Here’s a list of some high-profile purchases by international celebrities and billionaires.

1. Benz Hui - S$4m Yishun bungalow

Hong Kong actor Benz Hui owns a 4,000 square foot, six-room terrace house in Yishun with a swimming pool, which he reportedly purchased and renovated for S$4 million. His family travels to Singapore at least once a month. Benz, who is already a Singapore Permanent Resident, intends to retire in Singapore when the time is ripe.

Owing to its rather ghetto reputation, property prices in Yishun are generally quite affordable. Landed houses in Yishun typically cost a bare minimum of S$450 psf, and a 4,000 square foot home such as Benz’s would probably be priced at S$2 million or more.

As shared in another article on famous Singaporeans and their homes, our president Halimah Yacob also lives in Yishun. Instead of a landed home, however, she lives in a spacious jumbo flat. 

Want a veteran Hong Kong actor as your neighbour? Check out other Yishun properties on PropertyGuru.

2. Eduardo Saverin – The Orchard Residences condo

You probably recognise this name from the movie The Social Network: In 2009, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin renounced his US citizenship and moved to Singapore, seemingly in a bid to lower his tax bill. He now lives at Orchard Residences, which is the tower positioned right above ION Orchard, where many other celebrities own units.

Units at Orchard Residences typically cost anywhere between S$5,750,000 and S$11,000,000. Eduardo’s is a 5,000 square foot penthouse unit, for which he could have paid at least S$20 million. 

Want to live near the man who co-founded Facebook? Check out other Orchard properties on PropertyGuru.

3. Jackie Chan – The Orchard Residences condo

Another celebrity who owns a unit at Orchard Residences is kung-fu star Jackie Chan. The Singapore Permanent Resident owns multiple properties in Singapore and is said to have added an apartment at Orchard Residences to his real estate portfolio, though not much is known about his unit.

Other Singapore residential properties purchased by the Hong Kong actor include units at Centennia Suites, Grangeford Apartments and OUE Twin Peaks.

Want to face off with Jackie Chan? Check out other Orchard Road properties on PropertyGuru.

4. Jet Li – S$19.8m bungalow at Binjai Park, Bukit Timah

Located off Bukit Timah Road on the elite school belt is Jet Li’s Good Class Bungalow at Binjai Park, which he purchased in 2009 for S$19.8 million. The freehold house measures 22,723 square feet. Jet Li himself is rumoured to have become a Singapore citizen.

The sale price of landed houses at Binjai Park can be anywhere from S$1.63 million to S$38 million, with Good Class Bungalows typically costing anywhere from S$18 million to S$38 million.

Want to move in near your favourite martial arts star? Check out other properties at Binjai Park on PropertyGuru.

5. Emmanuel Stroobant – S$3.5m landed house along Sixth Ave

Celebrity chef Emmanuel Stroobant, who helms Michelin-starred restaurant Saint Pierre and heads a company that runs several other restaurants, lives in a 7,000 square foot Sixth Avenue house with a land size of 4,000 square feet and a swimming pool. He reportedly purchased the house for S$3.5 million and lives there with his wife, two daughters and two cats.

Landed houses on the exclusive Sixth Avenue stretch connecting Bukit Timah Road to Holland Road tend to cost upwards of S$3 million or S$1,000 psf.

Want to live near a celebrity chef? Check out other properties at Sixth Avenue on PropertyGuru.

6. Zhang Yong – S$27m Good Class Bungalow at Gallop Road

Zhang Yong, owner of the HaiDiLao chain of hotpot restaurants, is now a Singapore citizen and one of the Republic’s richest men. In 2016, he purchased a Good Class Bungalow measuring 15,884.29 square feet on Gallop Road for S$27 million. Gallop Road is located right next door to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and connects to Tyersall Avenue, which runs through the Botanic Gardens to the Tanglin and Orchard area.

Property in the area around Gallop Road usually costs S$1,450 psf and upwards, with landed houses in the area costing typically costing anywhere from S$7.5 million to S$40 million.

Want a hotpot magnate as your neighbour? Check out other Gallop Road properties on PropertyGuru.

7. Zhao Wei and husband Huang Youlong – S$28m penthouse at Ardmore Park

Chinese actress Zhao Wei and her billionaire husband, Huang Youlong, recently bought a S$27.65 million freehold penthouse on the 29th floor at Ardmore Park. Both Zhao Wei and her husband are Permanent Residents who live in Singapore with their two daughters.

Units at Ardmore Park are typically priced between S$8.8 million and S$18.5 million thanks to the condo’s prime location in the Tanglin area.

Want to move in next door to one of China’s most famous starlets? Check out other Tanglin properties on PropertyGuru.

8. James Dyson – S$73.8m super penthouse at Wallich Residence

James Dyson, founder of Dyson, the company best known in Singapore for its fans and vacuum cleaners, has moved his company’s headquarters to Singapore, so it comes as no surprise that he has bought a home here, too. And what a home it is. Dyson owns Singapore’s most expensive penthouse, which he paid $73.8 million for.

The three-storey Wallich Residence penthouse measures an enormous 21,108 square feet and has two kitchens, a dining room, a living room, an entertainment room and a utility room in addition to five bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and two walk-in closets. It is also equipped with a private pool, cabana, jacuzzi room, wine cellar and bar facilities. As if that’s not enough, a dedicated butler is on stand-by 24/7.

Units at Wallich Residence in the Tanjong Pagar area typically cost from S$2,208,000 to S$19,203,800, which is a price befitting Singapore’s tallest building.

Want to live near the man who brought the world the Dyson vacuum cleaner? Check out other properties in Tanjong Pagar on PropertyGuru.

This article was first published on PropertyGuru.