As more Singaporeans grapple with the cost of living here, an increasing number are considering a move to our northern neighbours in Malaysia, specifically Johor Bahru (JB).
Recently, Mediacorp actor Shaun Chen, who is Malaysian, announced that he and his family had moved to JB and sold his residence in Singapore.
However, he’ll continue working in Singapore. Despite the prospect of having to cross the Causeway, one of the busiest borders in the world, with more than 300,000 crossings daily, Chen says his living expenses have decreased by 30% since the move.
Others are intending to follow suit. A favourable currency exchange rate and a more relaxed pace of life are reasons cited by those who spoke to MS News.
All of them said that holding on to a job in Singapore is a prerequisite to moving over, although they noted that they are likely to stay in Malaysia for a short duration by renting a place before considering their next steps, such as whether to buy a house there.
For at least one respondent, however, the trouble of staying in JB while commuting regularly to Singapore is not worth the benefits, and they have decided to stay put to be closer to family.
A poll by Answers.sg drawn from 1,546 respondents indicated that over half would move to JB to avoid high costs in Singapore.
MS News spoke to three respondents — one who’s making plans to stay in JB, and another who is looking further north towards Kuala Lumpur instead.
The third respondent said he would not move despite acknowledging rising costs here.
Ms Tan, 27, told MS News that she plans to move to JB with her partner “for the short term” as it would be quicker than waiting for a Build-To-Order flat here.
“Cost is a very big factor,” she said. Though Ms Tan and her partner ultimately still wish to have a place in Singapore, the rent being cheaper in JB is a big factor.
Just to give an idea, for S$3,000 a month, Ms Tan and her partner could potentially rent a four-story terraced house in JB that is fully furnished. The equivalent amount in Singapore can get them a studio apartment in the city.
Source: GDP Architects
Ms Tan also said JB is close enough to Singapore that they can easily return if necessary. Apart from peak hours and public holidays, it can take between half an hour to an hour to cross the border. During peak seasons, however, it can take two hours one-way.
Ms Ain, 30, has also considered moving to Malaysia — specifically Kuala Lumpur — with her spouse, so that she can be closer to her extended family.
For Ms Ain, there’s also the lower cost of living.
“We have looked around online at rental properties in the city centre to get an idea about how much we need monthly to live comfortably there,” Ms Ain said.
“We’re looking at at least RM50,000 per year for international school fees and at least RM6,000 to RM7,000 monthly for an apartment.”
Her spouse plans to continue working in his current position remotely, but they have alternative income streams such as from rent via their properties in Singapore.
Ms Ain and her spouse do have their concerns, however.
One of them is the quality of education for their kids, as Singapore is renowned for its education system.
Even though international schools in KL would cost significantly more, the couple wonders if their children will get a similar level of education there.
“Will [our kids] be able to keep up with other Singaporean kids if they return in future?” Ms Ain said.
Regardless, the slower pace of life in Malaysia compared to Singapore appeals to them, and they plan to stay in KL for at least two to three years.
“The rat race is very tiring especially now that we have kids,” Ms Ain noted. “Everything is too fast-paced, everything is a blur.”
As for Ms Tan, she and her partner are targeting a few months’ stay in JB.
“We’d still ultimately want a place in Singapore, but renting there [JB] for the short term is something we’d seriously considered since the idea of waiting till we were 30+ before getting our own place wasn’t so dandy,” Ms Tan said.
Foreigners can only make a house purchase in Johor if it exceeds RM1 million (approximately S$300,700). However, the price of a resale HDB flat in Singapore can exceed S$700,000.
Though Ms Ain’s move to KL would bring her closer to her extended family, the opposite is true of Ms Tan, whose family still resides in Singapore.
The travelling time between borders means they won’t be able to return to Singapore as and when they like — they’d have to carefully plan any trips, meaning missing out on seeing friends and family regularly, as well as making changes to their established life routines.
Source: Causeway Link
Setting up a remote arrangement for work will also be a challenge. Though their company offers hybrid set-ups and remote work arrangements, not every company allows for this.
Safety, too, is something Ms Tan has been warned about, although she said “it seemed okay” during the times she’s visited JB.
“Just so long as you’re careful, you should be able to avoid anything untoward,” Ms Tan said. For example, she is prepared to be more cautious than she’d normally be in Singapore, such as by not leaving belongings open for snatch theft when out and about.
Ms Tan and her partner have stayed in JB for a week with a friend previously, and they thoroughly enjoyed the change in scenery, enough to make plans to have a longer stay.
Despite this, they’re realistic about the expectations. “I do think long-term versus short-term stays will be quite different,” she said, aware that a longer stay means budgeting for things they may not buy for a week’s stay.
Regardless, Ms Tan and her partner appear convinced that staying in JB for at least a couple of months is something they can “foresee” themselves doing, especially if they can secure a fully furnished apartment close to the Causeway.
It would represent significant savings on rent in the long term and allow them to escape the fast-paced life of Singapore.
However, this is contingent on both Ms Tan and her partner keeping their current jobs.
As for Ms Ain, she and her spouse are looking to leverage their properties in Singapore to rent out while living elsewhere, reducing their reliance on being employed. Being linguistically and culturally familiar with Malaysia also helps.
“Maybe a change of air would be good and exciting too,” added Ms Ain.
Though many white-collar jobs can be done remotely, not everyone thinks it’ll be beneficial to work fully remotely.
For Mr Lai, 31, his role as a marketing executive for a multi-national corporation means he travels frequently, but he still prefers to be based in Singapore as he awaits the completion of his BTO with his wife.
He has moved back to his parents’ home as rent at his old place had risen by at least 30%.
“It’s a lot of trouble to uproot to a different country and we will be moving into our BTO in a matter of years,” Mr Lai said.
For him, the travelling time between borders is also not worth the extra dollars saved as it means larger headaches dealing with potential jams as well as having to wake up earlier to beat the jam.
Source: guineapig33 on Flickr
Those who’ve lived in JB while commuting to Singapore previously have expressed similar sentiments. JB resident Ashlyn Ong, 32, decided to quit her job in Singapore and take up a remote position as she felt burnt out by the commute.
Despite the obstacles of living in JB, such as travelling time and the likely need for a vehicle, many Singaporeans are still attracted to the lower cost of living there as well as the slower pace that it promises.
When MS News spoke to residents in JB previously, they professed that the cost of living there has increased recently thanks to several factors including the sales and service tax (SST) in Malaysia rising by 2% to 8% since 1 March this year.
Some believe that the influx of Singaporeans visiting JB have also contributed, although Malaysian authorities refute this.
But those who earn money in Singapore dollars appear to feel the pinch less and believe they would still cut on their living expenses by staying in JB.
Additionally, the JB-Singapore RTS Link is set to open in 2026, making travel between borders even faster and lowering what is a large barrier for many Singaporeans.
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Featured image adapted from Kayak.
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