In Mercer 2024 cost of living ranking, Singapore was no 2 out of 226 cities. Johor Bahru barely made it to the list, at no 214, behind Lusaka, capital of Zambia, in Southern Africa. To give an order of comparison, London was no 8 and Bangkok 129.
A product in JB often costs a fraction of its Singapore price. But the quality is here too; for instance, the nearby AEON mall has a large supermarket that can certainly stand comparison with any up-market ColdStorage, and you could find there a very large range of (inexpensive) organic products or Australian Wagyu beef.
To make it simple, the cost of living in JB means getting higher quality and still saving money. Here are some examples. In JB, it is cheaper to get...
- an IMAX movie ticket on the weekend compared to a standard movie ticket on a weekday in SG
- a set lunch in a small restaurant compared to a main dish in a foodcourt in SG
- a taxi ride to a nearby place compared to bus tickets for two in SG