Singaporean rents $1,000 JB condo, reveals whether it's worth commuting across Causeway every day

Amidst the high cost of living in Singapore, the thought of moving across the border to Malaysia – with its favourable exchange rates – might seem tempting.

One Singaporean did so for a week to see if the daily commute across the Causeway is worth it.

In a video published by OGS on Thursday (July 20), Kimberly Tan, 28 said that she decided to leave the comfort of home to live in Johor Bahru for the experiment.

Choosing a condominium right next to the Causeway, the former Power98 FM radio presenter said that the monthly rent for the apartment at R&F Princess Cove is around RM3,200 (S$930) excluding utilities.

If she were to rent a place in Singapore, that same amount can only get her a bedroom in an HDB flat in non-mature estates of Jurong, Woodlands or Sembawang, a quick check by AsiaOne found.

To prepare for the journey from JB to her office in Singapore, Tan said that she woke up at 6.30am with around five hours of sleep.

"I'm very tired right now and I can't believe I still have to take public transport," she lamented.

Tan later shared that she was pleasantly surprised by the commute, saying "I was really expecting to be stuck in a jam forever". 

"It was a bit troublesome – I was hopping on and off different buses and trains."

It took her around two hours to reach her workplace. 

[embed]https://youtu.be/27l6ucXaQ24[/embed]

On the first day of the experiment, Tan left her office at around 4pm and managed to clear Customs in half an hour.

There is a catch though, the woman said. She had to hitch a ride back to her JB apartment. 

So, was the daily commute across the border worth it? 

While travelling time is not a big issue for Tan, she said that living in JB alone is not something she'll be doing in the long run.

Loneliness started to creep in a few days into the week-long experiment, the woman shared.

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In the comments section, several netizens shared their own experiences of travelling across the Causeway every day.

"I commuted from JB to Singapore for almost five years from my junior college years to university," a netizen wrote. "School starts at 7.30am, and I'll normally reach home at 8pm or 9pm. But it was so fun."

But another netizen felt that with the costs of fuel and the surging fares of private-hire cars, living in JB while working in Singapore might not be a viable option.

"Time is money," he said. "Ask the Malaysians crossing the border every day, they wouldn't do it if it isn't worthwhile."

With significant housing supply coming on stream, increases in home rents are set to ease this year, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in April.

Rental demands saw a spike in 2021 and 2022 due to Covid-19-induced delays in the completion of housing projects, all while residents in Singapore sought temporary accommodation amid border restrictions.

MAS added that it expects about 32,000 public and private residential units to be completed per year on average between 2023 and 2025.

ALSO READ: 3-room HDB flat in Bidadari rented out for $4,100, unit just 2 years old

chingshijie@asiaone.com