{"id":28474,"date":"2019-08-09T11:50:10","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T03:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/blog\/singapore\/?p=28474"},"modified":"2022-06-13T17:23:53","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T09:23:53","slug":"im-singaporean-but-this-why-i-live-in-jb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.99.co\/singapore\/insider\/im-singaporean-but-this-why-i-live-in-jb\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m Singaporean but this is Why I Live in JB"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One solution to expensive private housing is to live in Malaysia. This week, we spoke to some Singaporeans who’ve settled across the causeway, and their reasons for moving:<\/p>\n

What prompted the move?<\/h3>\n

We last spoke<\/a> to Derek (an alias) about his property in Iskandar; but today we’re bugging him about what it’s like to live across the causeway. While he’s shy about revealing too much, Derek does explain that he runs a trading company (which has operations in Malaysia), considers himself a “serial entrepreneur”, and has no concrete plans on when he’ll move back home.<\/p>\n

His initial reason for moving to Malaysia was after buying an investment property in Iskandar, which didn’t pan out as hoped (see the linked article). Derek says: “After difficulty getting tenants, we realised we’d made a mistake. But it wasn’t easy to sell, and since I do some business in Malaysia, my wife and I decided maybe we can salvage the situation. So we moved to Malaysia and rented out our place in Singapore.”<\/em><\/p>\n

While Derek’s move wasn’t planned, some other Singaporeans were more deliberate. Mr. Edwin Poh, a former hotel manager, moved to Johor in his mid 70’s, a few years his wife passed away. He says he had intended to do so even as a younger man:<\/p>\n

“I lived with my family in Penang for almost seven years when I was a boy,” <\/em>he says, “And then in my 20’s I lived in Subang Jaya for about two years. I find that Malaysia, the people are friendlier, and the quality of life is better. In Singapore how long will $50 last you? In Malaysia I can live on $50 a week.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Edwin says he initially planned to move to Malaysia when he retired in his 60’s, but got caught up with “various business”. His wife’s passing was the final catalyst, but by then he was well prepared for the move financially.<\/p>\n

Another Singaporean, Aisyah (not her real name), moved to Johor with her husband and daughter in 2016. A former music teacher, she says the move was “planned a few years before”, despite her never having been to Malaysia at the time.<\/p>\n

“It seems strange because before I had never been to JB before, not even on holiday! I had never left Singapore except to go to Batam,” <\/em>Aisyah says, “So my husband was shocked when I suggested it. But I felt our house was too small, and we had our second daughter on the way. And I wanted a place with more breathing room.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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Living across the causeway remains an attractive option to some Singaporeans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why continue to stay there?<\/h3>\n

Among the people we spoke to, there were four common reasons. These were:<\/p>\n