Toa Payoh, which stands for “big swamp” in Hokkien dialect, is actually one of the oldest HDB towns in Singapore and its second satellite town. So, it’s no real surprise that many people often consider it when moving to a new place.  

However, before its transformation, it was the place of pig rearing and farming on a large swath of swampland. Although development was slated to begin in 1960, squatters resisted the move, delaying the project for two years. Land preparations began in 1964 and were ready the following year, but further delayed until HDB finished its Queenstown development.  

Toa Payoh didn’t see its development come to fruition until 1968. 

Today, it is the home of around 150,000 residents with more than 36,000 flats (mostly three and four rooms). While other locations throughout Singapore have focused on industrial and commercial needs, that’s not the case here in Toa Payoh. Instead, the focus is meeting the recreational and shopping needs of residents. 

The area of Toa Payoh has been broken down into 12 subdivisions that include the following: Bidadari, Boon Teck, Braddell, Kallang, Kim Keat, Marymount, Paya Lebar, Pei Chun, Potong Pasir, Sennett, Toa Payoh Central and Woodleigh. Each one offers amenities and facilities residents would need to comfortably live and work. 

The Remaking Our Heartland program announced in 2015 that Toa Payoh would be revitalized to boost its commercial and recreational amenities, and new housing developments would be built. For example, the Bidadari subdivision is slated to be “A Community in a Garden,” becoming a peaceful urban paradise that includes a heritage lake, community lawns and wood trails full of fauna and flora. 

 

Residential Living in Toa Payoh 

Since Toa Payoh is rooted in family living, it is filled with things to do and enjoy. Still, families with school-age children also need a place for education. This is something Toa Payoh has many of, from pre-school to secondary education. These schools include but certainly are not limited to:

• Primary Schools – CHIJ Primary School, First Toa Payoh Primary School, Kheng Cheng, Lighthouse School and Marymount Convent School
• Secondary School – Beatty Secondary School, CHIJ Secondary School, First Toa Payoh Secondary School 

 

Since Toa Payoh is a rather large area with hundreds of thousands of residents, the community has many medical facilities to handle the need. These include:

• National Healthcare Group Polyclinic
• National Kidney Foundation
• NTUC TCM Healthcare
• Toa Payoh Senior Citizens’ Health Care Center Ltd
• Touch Home Care, Caregivers Support, Cancer Support
• TP Health Care Ltd
• Unity 

As religion is also a big part of the Toa Payoh community, there are no shortages of places of worship, whatever a person’s denomination may be. These churches include but are not limited to:

• Heritage Baptist Church
• Chapel of Resurrection
• Chapel of the Holy Spirit
• Islamic Religious Council of Singapore 
• Poh Teong Tian Temple 

One could say that Toa Payoh is a melting pot of religion, welcoming people of all faiths. 

 

Fun and Entertainment 

Remember, Toa Payoh is a community focused on meeting its residents’ residential and shopping needs. Activities run aplenty in Toa Payoh, with so much to do during downtimes. Whether you want to visit one of the local community centers or relax in the park, Toa Payoh offers so much to choose from that deciding could be difficult. 

For shoppers, the primary store is the Toa Payoh Central, but there is a multitude of stores and shophouses around the neighborhood that sell clothes, household items, food, electronics, etc. If you want fresh produce, the place to go is the Toa Payoh Market. If you need furniture, the Courts at Toa Payoh offers plenty of pieces to consider. 

When it comes to recreation, the offered amenities include a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities. If you want the great outdoors where you can commune with nature, the Toa Payoh Town Park is the place to be. If you like the idea of swimming, Toa Payoh has a swimming complex. The area is filled with numerous community clubs with all kinds of activities to satisfy the young and young at heart. These community clubs include:

• Potong Pasir Community Club
• Safra Toa Payoh Club House
• Toa Payoh Central Community Club
• Toa Payoh East Community Club 
• Toa Payoh South Community Club
• Tao Payoh West Community Club

Try your hand at golfing at the Sime Golf Course or spend your time reading in peace at the Toa Payoh Community Library.  

Toa Payoh Stadium and Toa Payoh Sports Hall are two places where most residents enjoy sports and go to play, watch, and unwind. The Toa Payoh Stadium is the largest sports facility in the community, so it’s often busy.  

No town is complete without places to eat, and Toa Payoh has plenty of those. If you want the standard American fare of fast food, you can choose Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, Pizza Hut, etc. However, if your palate craves something more local, you can check out the hawker centers’ foods such as Sam Soon Oyster Omelette, Sliced Fish Soup or Ocean Curry, to name a few. If you want a restaurant to dine in, perhaps a date night, there are no shortage of those to pick from as well. Some include the Bistro Delifrance, Fortunate Restaurant and Forks & Spoons. 

The area is also rich with coffee shops and sweet cafés for dessert and coffee lovers. For instance, Creamier offers ice cream and waffles for those on the adventurous side of dessert. 

 

Interesting Tidbits

• Queen Elizabeth II visited Toa Payoh in 1972, while Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited in 2007.
• Well-known author Neil Humphreys lived in Toa Payoh before his move to Australia

 

HDB Resale Flats Prices in Toa Payoh

Toa Payoh HDB Resale Flat Prices
Flat type	Average Price
1-room	N/A
2-room	$192,000
3-room	$269,000
4-room	$544,000
5-room	$723,000
Executive	$750,000
Multi-Generation	N/A

Source: HDB resale price index portal, average transaction prices, June 2019 to June 2020

HDB resale flat prices are going up for the newer units in Toa Payoh, especially for 4- and 5-room units, when compared to the prices of 2- and 3-room units. It is home to Singapore’s first MRT station and fully air-conditioned bus terminal. Most homebuyers know of Toa Payoh as the location of the HDB Hub. 

Because Toa Payoh is centrally located, residents have the convenience of easily getting to wherever they need to go on the island. This includes the North, East, and West regions plus the CBD. 

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in their 2019 master plan said that Toa Payoh has great things in store for it, including park connectors and expanded cycling paths. The Thomson-East Coast and Cross Island Lines are scheduled to open soon, which will be a boon to this estate. Furthermore, enhancements are set to be made at the Toa Payoh Town Park, including new community and sports facilities.