Furnishing Your Flat Costs More Than the "Budget" Number Suggests

The Real Cost of Furnishing Your Flat in Singapore across popular furniture brands e.g. IKEA vs. Castlery vs. HipVan

Every "how much does it cost to move into a new flat" checklist eventually gets to furniture, and every one of them undersells it. IKEA's own marketing says you can furnish a whole 4-room flat for $15,000. That's true, technically, if nearly every single item comes from their most basic tier. The moment you want a sofa that doesn't look like a starter apartment, or a dining table that isn't the cheapest option on the page, that number quietly stops being real.

Why the $15K number doesn't hold up

IKEA's figure isn't wrong, it's just describing a specific scenario: every major piece sourced from their most affordable line, no upgrades, no mixing in other brands. That's a valid way to furnish a home, but it's not what most people actually end up doing, because IKEA doesn't cover every category equally well. Sofas in particular are where people tend to look elsewhere, the difference in comfort and longevity between an entry-level flat-pack sofa and a proper one is noticeable in daily use in a way that, say, a $90 dining chair often isn't.

The result: most furnishing budgets quietly become a mix of IKEA for the basics (shelving, smaller items, kids' furniture) and Castlery or HipVan for the pieces people sit on and look at every day. That mix is where the real number lives.

Real furniture prices by category

The gap isn't in one category, it's cumulative. Upgrade the sofa, the dining table, and the bed frame each by a modest step above entry level, and you're easily $3,000–$6,000 past the IKEA-only estimate before touching anything else in the flat.

A more realistic room-by-room way to budget

IRather than one lump "furnishing" number, it helps to separate by room and be honest about which pieces matter most to you:

• Living room: usually the single biggest line item, since the sofa is both the most-used piece and the one most people are willing to spend more on. Budget for the sofa first, then coffee table and TV console as secondary.

• Bedroom(s): bed frame and mattress are the priority; wardrobes can often wait if built-in storage from any renovation work already covers the basics.

• Dining/kitchen: a dining table and chairs, plus smaller essentials, tends to be the most IKEA-friendly category, less difference in daily comfort between price tiers here than with a sofa or mattress.

Important boundary worth being explicit about: this is about furnishing, movable items you'd take with you if you moved out. It's separate from renovation costs like carpentry, built-in wardrobes, or kitchen cabinetry, which usually get budgeted (and financed) as part of the reno itself. Conflating the two is one of the most common ways furnishing costs get underestimated, people assume the reno budget "covers everything" when it typically doesn't touch freestanding furniture at all.

Furnishing in phases vs. all at once

There's no rule that says a flat needs to be fully furnished on move-in day. Prioritising what you actually need immediately (bed, basic seating, a place to eat) and phasing in the rest over the following months is a completely reasonable approach, especially if the alternative is stretching a budget thin across every room at once. This isn't a downgrade, it's just pacing the spend to match what actually matters day to day.

Where a personal loan fits

This is a different situation from an emergency repair. Furnishing is foreseeable, you know it's coming, the only real uncertainty is how much it ends up costing once you've picked what you actually want. Where a personal loan is genuinely useful here is smoothing that cost, rather than either overspending upfront to "get it all done" or living with a half-furnished flat for a year while saving up incrementally. Comparing offers through Lendela lets you see the real cost of financing the gap side by side, so it's a deliberate decision rather than a default one.

FAQ

Is furnishing usually covered by a renovation loan?
No. Renovation loans and reno budgets typically cover structural and fixed work, carpentry, flooring, electrical, kitchen and bathroom fittings. Furniture is a separate cost that's easy to underestimate if it isn't planned for explicitly from the start.

Should I furnish everything at once or phase it?
Either is reasonable. Phasing, starting with essentials like a bed and basic seating, then filling in the rest over time, is a legitimate way to manage cash flow without compromising on getting pieces you're actually happy with.

Is IKEA actually cheaper once delivery and assembly are factored in?
Not always by as much as the sticker price suggests. IKEA's self-assembly model saves on labour but costs time; Castlery and HipVan typically include delivery and assembly in their pricing, which narrows the gap once you account for the value of your own time.

How much should I budget per room realistically?
Living rooms tend to take the largest share of a furnishing budget since the sofa is both the most-used and most upgraded piece. Bedrooms are usually next, driven mainly by the bed frame and mattress. Dining areas are typically the most budget-friendly category to furnish well.

What if I've already spent my renovation budget before furnishing?
This is common, and it's exactly the kind of gap worth comparing financing options for rather than compromising on every remaining purchase. Lendela matches you with personal loan offers from 70+ MAS-licensed lenders so you can see real terms before deciding.

Sources: IKEA Singapore, Home & Decor Singapore, The Honeycombers (furniture pricing benchmarks)