Will new rail link push more Singaporeans to opt for life in Johor Bahru as cost of living, rent in city state soars?

Despite a strong Singapore dollar and weak Malaysian ringgit, Singaporeans are not eyeing large properties in JB and are prioritising connectivity instead

Changing work cultures and the flexibility of remote working post-pandemic are making it increasingly easier for people to make the switch from Singapore to JB

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People queue up at Woodlands Checkpoint to cross the Singapore-Malaysia border at the stroke of midnight for the first time in two years, in 2022. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 9:30am, 28 Jan 2024Updated: 9:39am, 28 Jan 2024

Once a feared hotbed for crime, the border city of Johor Bahru that connects Singapore to Malaysia is now being sought after by citizens of the city state who are looking to escape steep rents and rising costs of living, and relishing the opportunity to stretch their dollar.

Tied alongside Zurich, Singapore has spent nine of the last 11 years on the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s list of the world’s most expensive cities to live, with the next Asian city Hong Kong at No 5 for last year.

Nowhere on the list is Johor Bahru, perched on the opposite end of the 100-year-old Johor–Singapore Causeway, across a narrow 1km strait that separates them.

The capital of the Malaysian state of Johor, the city has seen a boom in construction that includes high-rise condominiums within walking distance to the border checkpoint as well as a new rail station that connects directly to Singapore’s expansive mass rapid transit line.

The Johor-Singapore Causeway lies empty in Johor Bahru in 2021. Photo: AP

Calling himself “half from Singapore, half from JB” – as the Malaysian city is colloquially called – Gregory Low said there had been a surge in fellow Singaporeans opting to relocate to Malaysia, spurred by the city state’s skyrocketing rental prices.

“There is a spike in Singaporeans investing and moving to JB because of the rental spike in Singapore,” Low, a property agent, told This Week in Asia.