SINGAPORE – On Feb 1, Ms T. Lai will join tens of thousands of Malaysians crossing the Causeway to Singapore daily for work.
The 49-year-old Malaysian, who works as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant in Woodlands, said her current lease for a flat in Singapore will expire at the end of January, and she has decided to move to Johor Bahru as she cannot afford the high rents here.
Rents of Housing Board flats have been hitting record highs recently.
A common room, or a bedroom without an attached toilet, in an HDB flat in Woodlands has gone up to between $800 and $1,000 a month, according to most listings on online property portals.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, a common room in Woodlands cost $600 to $700 to rent, said property agents The Sunday Times spoke to.
Woodlands town is popular with Malaysians as it is close to the border and rent is generally lower than in other residential estates.
Ms Lai, who has been working in Singapore for five years, is currently sharing a one-room HDB flat with another Malaysian. Each of them pays a monthly rent of $600.
Feeling the financial pressure of living in Singapore, her flatmate decided to pack up and move to Johor as it is more affordable there, Ms Lai said.
“I cannot afford to pay the $1,200 rent by myself after my flatmate leaves. I was also not sure if the landlord would increase the rent when the lease expires at the end of this month. So I tried to look for another place. But I could not find anything within my budget of $600,” said Ms Lai, who earns $3,200 a month. The last place she viewed was a common room in Jurong West, which has a partition to accommodate two tenants.
“The landlord was asking for a monthly rent of $900 from each tenant. That was when I decided I should also move to Johor.
“Many of my friends have already moved there, and they commute daily to Singapore for work,” added Ms Lai, who has managed to rent a fully furnished studio apartment at R&F Princess Cove for just RM1,950 (S$600), at least 30 per cent cheaper than a rental room in Woodlands.
The luxurious serviced residence is connected to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in Johor by a sheltered linkway, and it would take her less than an hour to get to work from her new home, said Ms Lai.
Property analysts noted that the financial strains are evident among Malaysians who have chosen to leave Singapore and live in Johor.
https://www.straitstimes.com/busine...ng-malaysians-working-in-s-pore-to-live-in-jb
maybe have to perform the chicken dance ? KNN
