5 best co-living spaces in Singapore

Hmlet needs little introduction. This popular co-living outfit has more than 40 properties scattered across Singapore, offering a diversity of locations, room styles and sizes. Prices can go as low as $990 for a small pocket room in the East, but you can pick larger rooms with shared bathrooms, private rooms with ensuite bathrooms and whole two or four-bedroom units. Hmlet properties are fully furnished and stylishly so, and you hardly have to worry about wi-fi, air-conditioning and maintenance matters. Co-living is all about the community, and Hmlet delivers with comfortable shared spaces (think communal kitchens, lounges and rooftop pools) as well as a slew of events such as yoga classes and cooking workshops. 

Cove offers shared living arrangements in apartment blocks, condominiums and landed properties in a good spread of locations across Singapore. They offer all the perks of co-living, including fully furnished apartments, high-speed wifi, regular maintenance and a community that you can mingle with. The look of Cove apartments tends to the minimalistic, but it's no difficulty to spruce it up yourself once you move in. Standard bedrooms cost about $1000 a month even in places like Orchard and River Valley – which is quite the steal. And if you're worried about flatmate compatibility, Cove has a matching service that you can try out too. 

lyf Funan is the largest co-living property in Southeast Asia, and trust us, it's as millennial as millennial gets. Neon signs, pastel ball pits, and Wes Anderson-inspired bathrooms let you know exactly what you're in for. The nine-storey co-living property is well-connected to the rest of the city, and has 279 units alongside common areas for mingling. Bash out your reports or essays at the co-working spaces, prepare lunch in the social kitchen, and crunch it out at the gymnasium. lyf Funan allows short-term stays too (starting from $150), with room sizes ranging from 18 sqm to 105 sqm. In the works are two more lyf properties in buzzy Farrer Park and one-north. 

Commontown has expanded to almost 20 properties across Singapore, including hotspots like River Valley, Bukit Timah, one-north and Paya Lebar. Starting prices for rooms are slightly higher, at $1300 for a standard single in Farrer Park. That still gets you a comfortable Queen-sized bed – a luxury compared to the smaller beds you'll find in comparable rooms at other co-living spaces. If you're particular about aesthetic, Commontown feels slightly more upscale too thanks to stylish design that reflects the character of each apartment's neighbourhood. 

Anyone who has ever fantasised about shophouse living can now get it with a co-living twist. Singapore-based Figment has transformed the interiors of conservation shophouses into luxurious and artful accommodations filled with furnishings from local creatives. Co-living at Figment comes at a price, currently starting at $1940 per month for a room at Dicot House, going up to $3410 per month at Emerald Hill. If it is community you're after, Figment also falls short in community events so interactions will likely stay within the house itself. But that's no problem for introverted types who just want a tranquil space in a gorgeous and culturally-steeped shophouse of course.