JOHOR BAHRU: Johor is enjoying a banner year so far, in large part due to the number of foreign visitors who have come over.
Case in point, in the first seven months of 2025, there were 14 million foreign visitors to the state. For comparison’s sake, there were only 16 million foreign visitors to Johor for all of 2023.
By far, Singaporeans make up most of Johor’s foreign visitors. According to Johor Unity, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman K Raven Kumar, as of July, there were 11 million visitors to Johor from Singapore.
All this translates, of course, to an influx of Singapore dollars. From January to August, it is estimated that Singaporeans have spent around S$1 billion in the state.
Money is the bottom line
None of this should come as a surprise. With Singapore being one of the most expensive cities in the world, it’s little wonder that many flock to another area where rental costs might be as much as 75% less costly. Dining out, meanwhile, costs two-thirds of the price, and grocery bills might be slashed in half.
A Singaporean woman was quoted in a Sunday (Oct 19) piece in the South China Morning Post’s This Week in Asia that a one-day trip to JB, including shopping, set her back only by RM300 (less than S$92), whereas she would spend a lot more to do similar activities in Singapore.
The piece pointed out that while Singaporeans going shopping in Johor is by no means new, the fact that crossing the border between the two countries has got easier of late has helped with the uptick.
The piece also noted that this year, there has been a 30% uptick in spending in ringgit among the clients of DBS, Singapore’s biggest bank. Chan Sow Han, the head of consumer banking payments and platforms, said that this goes for transactions via credit and debit cards and transfers through the Malaysian payment platform DuitNow.
Singaporeans are now keeping a closer watch than ever on the exchange rate between the two countries, Kelvin Lam, YouTrip’s Chief Operating Officer, told SCMP.
“Instead of cutting back, Singaporeans are redirecting their budget by crossing the border to buy groceries, shop and dine at familiar brands such as Uniqlo, Haidilao, and Ding Tai Fung at a lower price tag,” he added. /TISG
