Is JB still cheaper than Singapore? For groceries, yes: just over half the price. I used AI to match the same 12 groceries in both governments’ price lists. All 12 cost less in JB. But it’s a little less cheap than a year ago, mostly because the ringgit got stronger.
What I found.
The charts are free to use with a link to this page.
1. The same 12 groceries: S$136 in Singapore, S$69 in JB.
The same 12 groceries, one of each, cost S$136 (RM434) in Singapore and RM222 (S$69) in JB in August 2026. That’s 51% of the Singapore price, a saving of S$66. All 12 cost less in JB.
Grapes pull it down (JB 21%; Singapore’s average may include dearer kinds). Without grapes, JB is at 56%. A wider list, 23 items over all of 2025, gives 54% at today’s rate and 53% at 2025’s rate; all 23 were cheaper in JB.
2. The full price list.
| Item | Singapore | JB | JB as a share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grapes (kg) | S$20.59 (RM65.62) | RM13.98 (S$4.38) | 21% |
| Whole chicken (kg) | S$8.62 (RM27.47) | RM8.99 (S$2.82) | 32% |
| Instant noodles (5 packs) | S$3.59 (RM11.44) | RM4.99 (S$1.56) | 43% |
| Baby formula (100 g) | S$7.44 (RM23.71) | RM12.09 (S$3.79) | 50% |
| Sea bass (kg) | S$12.72 (RM40.54) | RM20.89 (S$6.55) | 51% |
| Chicken wings (kg) | S$9.42 (RM30.02) | RM15.94 (S$5.00) | 53% |
| White pomfret (kg) | S$24.96 (RM79.55) | RM45.80 (S$14.36) | 57% |
| Prawns (kg) | S$18.60 (RM59.28) | RM36.00 (S$11.29) | 60% |
| Squid (kg) | S$19.43 (RM61.93) | RM39.69 (S$12.45) | 64% |
| Cooking oil (2 kg) | S$6.32 (RM20.14) | RM13.80 (S$4.32) | 68% |
| Fresh milk (litre) | S$3.70 (RM11.79) | RM8.29 (S$2.60) | 70% |
| Canned sardines (100 g) | S$0.91 (RM2.90) | RM2.26 (S$0.71) | 78% |
August 2026, at S$1 = RM3.1874. Singapore’s chilled chicken was judged the same as JB’s fresh chicken by both AI reads.
3. After grapes, chicken saves most. Sardines, milk and oil save least.
After grapes, the biggest gaps: whole chicken RM8.99 a kilo (S$2.82) against S$8.62 (32%); instant noodles, 5 packs, RM4.99 against S$3.59 (43%); baby formula 50%. Smallest gaps: canned sardines (78%), fresh milk (70%) and cooking oil (68%).
4. Vegetables: 6 of 9 under half.
Vegetables (2025): 6 of 9 under half the Singapore price, potatoes most (36%).
| Vegetable (per kg) | Singapore | JB | JB as a share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potatoes (kg) | S$2.94 (RM9.37) | RM3.44 (S$1.08) | 36% |
| Chye sim (kg) | S$4.44 (RM14.15) | RM5.83 (S$1.82) | 41% |
| Ginger (kg) | S$6.78 (RM21.61) | RM9.29 (S$2.91) | 43% |
| Small onions (kg) | S$5.71 (RM18.20) | RM8.30 (S$2.60) | 45% |
| Cabbage (kg) | S$2.75 (RM8.76) | RM4.10 (S$1.28) | 46% |
| Kailan (kg) | S$5.42 (RM17.27) | RM8.37 (S$2.62) | 48% |
| Carrots (kg) | S$2.20 (RM7.01) | RM3.62 (S$1.13) | 51% |
| Broccoli (kg) | S$6.63 (RM21.13) | RM11.69 (S$3.66) | 55% |
| Tomatoes (kg) | S$2.77 (RM8.82) | RM4.94 (S$1.55) | 55% |
2025 averages, both at today’s rate.
5. A little less cheap than a year before.
A little less cheap than a year before: the same 9 items at the same JB shops cost 54% of Singapore’s price over September 2024 to August 2025, and 56% over September 2025 to August 2026. Mostly the ringgit: S$1 bought RM3.30 on average, then RM3.16. Shop prices rose about the same on both sides, 2% in JB (ringgit) and 2% in Singapore (dollars).
Two items jumped at the same JB shops, August 2024 to August 2026: whole chicken RM7.59 to RM9.15 a kilo, squid RM32.94 to RM39.69. Both up a fifth.
6. People say it too.
In their own words on Reddit, with their upvotes:
- “As much as everyone’s saying JB prices are up which I agree, the price difference between the two is quite significant imo.” (108)
- “Depends on the currency exchange at the time.” (130)
- “Even groceries not say v cheap now” (44)
- “Pharmacy is at least half price” (239): the top answer on what’s cheaper in JB. Medicines aren’t in this price list.
- “The opportunity time cost of going in outweighs the dollar cost saved.” (38)
7. Singapore visits are up.
Visitor arrivals from Singapore, January to August: 11.8 million in 2024, 14.6 million in 2026, up 24%. More crossing goes with JB staying cheaper; it doesn’t show why they come.
8. What visitors describe.
AI read 4,195 Google reviews of JB places. Under 1 in 100 of a random 2,568 show the writer came from Singapore, so these are what visitors describe, in my words, not counts: the stop fits the crossing (the first mall after the Woodlands checkpoint, a pharmacy on the way in from Tuas, an early run before the jam), and they cross for food cravings, groceries to take home, regular medicines, home fittings and a day out.
Both sides win.
JB wins the groceries: all 12 of 12. Singapore wins your time, and some things people name on Reddit: “For electronics SG usually cheaper especially during the monthly sales.” (44) and “For groceries if it’s not made/grown in Malaysia, compare prices first.” (32).
My JB list.
If I lived in Singapore:
- Whole chicken. Under a third of Singapore’s price.
- Instant noodles. Under half.
- Vegetables. 6 of 9 under half; potatoes most.
- Baby formula. Just over half.
What I’d skip unless I’m there anyway: canned sardines, milk and cooking oil. I would count the trip (toll, petrol, time) against the S$66 a basket like this saves. The JB to Woodlands train is due by the end of 2026.
Run a shop or café in JB? Under 1 in 100 Google reviews show a writer from Singapore, so reviews won’t tell you who your Singapore customers are. Their reviews mention food, medicine, help choosing and easy stops, but cannot tell you who crossed from Singapore. A test, not a promise: ask at the till where they crossed from, for one week.
How I did it.
Singapore: SingStat’s average retail prices (monthly table M213761 to August 2026, yearly table M213821 for 2025). JB: KPDN’s PriceCatcher, the middle price across the 65 Johor Bahru shops it checks (10 hypermarkets, 8 sundry shops, 6 wet markets, 17 mini markets, 24 supermarkets). Two AI reads matched each Singapore item to the same item in PriceCatcher; code checked the units. Rates: Bank Negara’s noon middle rate, 16 October 2026 (S$1 = RM3.1874). Arrivals: the Immigration Department via data.gov.my. AI also read 4,195 Google reviews of JB places for what visitors describe.
Want all the charts at once? Download them in one PDF.
What it can’t tell you.
It’s one of each item, not what people really buy, and not the trip (toll, petrol, time). Singapore’s price is an average over its shops; JB’s is the middle of 65 shops; neither is what one shopper pays. No meals out, medicines, clothes or petrol. Fish and fruit swing by season. The prices show where the gaps are, not why.
Say hello.
Writing about JB prices, or want the numbers? Email me at [email protected].
Run a business in Malaysia? Ask for a free check of your place.
What I do with it.
Reading what people already say, and the prices they pay, is one way I find what to build.
