Living in Jalan Besar: A Coliving Guide to Sturdee Road and Around

Jalan Besar is one of Singapore’s most quietly characterful districts — low-rise shophouses, old trades, third-wave cafés and some of the city’s best supper spots, all a short hop from the centre. It is also home to Figment’s newest coliving house, Wah Leong House on Sturdee Road. Here is what living here is actually like, and who it suits.

Where Sturdee Road sits

Sturdee Road runs through the Farrer Park and Bendemeer pocket of Jalan Besar, on the city fringe just north of the CBD. Two MRT stations are within walking distance: Farrer Park on the North-East Line, roughly 400m away, and Bendemeer on the Downtown Line, about half a kilometre on. Jalan Besar station, also on the Downtown Line, is close too. By road, the CTE, PIE and KPE put Orchard Road, the CBD and Marina Bay around ten minutes away. It is central without the central-district price tag or anonymity.

Food, coffee and the everyday

This is a neighbourhood you eat your way through. Jalan Besar Road and its side streets are packed with old-school kopitiam, zi char, beef kway teow, dim sum and late-night supper haunts, alongside a wave of specialty cafés and bakeries. For groceries and essentials, the 24-hour Mustafa Centre and City Square Mall are minutes away, and Tekka Market in nearby Little India is a short walk. Weekends spill into Arab Street, Haji Lane and Kampong Gelam for boutiques and rooftop bars. Add the Jalan Besar sports complex and pockets of greenery, and daily life here is easy, walkable and rarely dull.

Who Jalan Besar suits

The area works well for professionals, creatives and relocators who want personality and connectivity over a sterile condo cluster. You get heritage streets, independent businesses and quick access to work, with room rents that are gentler than the prime districts. If you would rather skip leases, furniture and utility set-up, a coliving room in Singapore is the simplest way in — and coliving for professionals is built around exactly this kind of move. Prefer a whole place? See our full houses.

Staying at Wah Leong House

Wah Leong House brings boutique coliving to 11 Sturdee Road: a four-storey, 1954-inspired home with nine furnished, character-named rooms, shared work and lounge spaces, and a roof terrace. Stays run from a three-month minimum with month-to-month extensions, and utilities, Wi-Fi and cleaning are included. Explore our heritage shophouse rentals and three-month-plus stays, or enquire about a room below.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Sturdee Road from an MRT?

Farrer Park station on the North-East Line is roughly a five-minute walk, and Bendemeer on the Downtown Line is about half a kilometre away. Both put the CBD and Orchard within a short ride.

Is Jalan Besar a good area for professionals and expats?

Yes. It pairs city-fringe convenience with genuine character — heritage shophouses, independent cafés and quick transport links — usually at gentler room rents than the prime districts.

What is included in a room at Wah Leong House?

A furnished room with a queen bed, work desk and linen, plus utilities, Wi-Fi and cleaning, and access to the shared lounges, pantries and roof terrace. Enquire for current availability.