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🇸🇬 Singapore /Economy & Trade

Johor Bahru residents feel the pinch as food prices surpass Kuala Lumpur

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Residents and workers in Johor Bahru say cooked food has become more expensive, with some comparing prices unfavorably with Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
  • People cited meals costing RM15 to RM19 and daily breakfast and lunch expenses of RM30, while some have turned to home cooking or roadside stalls to reduce costs.
  • A worker also said rents near the Causeway were high, with a two-room apartment averaging RM2,400 a month.

For some people in Johor Bahru, saving money now means carrying lunch from home. Residents and workers say eating out has become expensive enough to compare unfavorably with Kuala Lumpur, and even with Singapore when purchasing power is taken into account.

Food prices in Johor Bahru will rise over time, and residents, including new arrivals, must accept this reality.

— Syazwani FaizulbahriThe project engineer discussed rising meal prices in Johor Bahru.

Syazwani Faizulbahri, a 31-year-old project engineer, said a lunch of nasi campur with fried chicken, vegetables, an omelette slice and iced tea cost RM15 at one downtown outlet. A similar meal at a nearby eatery cost her RM19, prompting her to bring home-cooked food to the office or buy breakfast and lunch from roadside stalls. She said those choices cost RM10 in total.

My lunch of nasi campur with similar side dishes at a nearby eatery costs RM19.

— Syazwani FaizulbahriShe compared prices at different eateries and explained why she brings food from home.

Irene Wong, who co-owns a costume jewellery and accessories shop, said she and her husband spend RM30 each day on breakfast at a kopitiam in Taman Abad. Their meal consists of two half-boiled eggs each, two bowls of soup noodles and two cups of black coffee. Lunch, made up of plain rice and vegetables at a food court in Larkin Sentral Terminal, costs another RM20.

We tried having breakfast at different eateries, but there is not much difference in pricing.

— Irene WongWong described the cost of eating breakfast in Johor Bahru.

Wong said relatives from Kuala Lumpur had also found Johor Bahru too expensive for average wage earners. S. Vinoshen, a 21-year-old customer service employee from Puchong, said chicken rice at Singapore’s Changi Airport costs S$4 to S$5, compared with RM8 to RM10 in Johor Bahru. He also said a two-room apartment near the Causeway rents for about RM2,400 a month, driven by demand from Malaysians working in Singapore.

You can get a plate of chicken rice for S$4 to S$5, whereas in Johor Baru, it costs you RM8 to RM10.

— S. VinoshenHe compared food prices in Singapore and Johor Bahru.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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