'Thousands' of Singaporeans shopping in JB driving up food, rental prices: Johor chief minister, Singapore News
Speaking at a business forum in JB on Sunday (July 13), The Star reported that he pledged to tackle inflation in Johor as the state moves towards achieving developed status by year 2030.
Onn Hafiz noted that living in JB is becoming more expensive than anywhere else in Malaysia.
"Thousands of Singaporeans cross the Causeway, especially on weekends, to do their grocery shopping here, and we are seeing food and rental prices going up," he said.
"A plate of nasi lemak with fried chicken here is around RM9 (S$3), while the same dish in Kuala Lumpur costs only RM7. That clearly shows Johor is becoming more expensive." Housing projects selling 'like hotcakes'
Addressing Malaysia's business community on Sunday, Onn Hafiz also pointed out that property prices in JB are "already higher than some in Singapore".
This is due to housing projects in the state selling "like hotcakes", he said, adding that more affordable housing needs to be developed for locals.
"The reason I am raising this is because I know I cannot do this alone. We must work together to make Johor, and Malaysia as a whole, more prosperous," said Onn Hafiz.
The Johor chief minister added that is administration is working on a mechanism to cool inflation without choking off growth, reported the Malay Mail.
More than 10 million foreign tourists visited Johor between January and May this year, with a bulk of them — about 7.9 million — coming from Singapore, according to figures from Tourism Johor.
That is 1.8 million more compared to the same period in 2024.
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chingshijie@asiaone.com
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