Hui Jin

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Social

cross border

working in Singapore

living at Johor Bahru

comparison of prices

currency exchange

tired

cramped

wee hours

Sing dollar

Malaysian ringgit

Many Malaysians prefer to live in Johor Bahru (JB) and cross the border to Singapore (SG) to work. This is due to the cheaper housing estate that JB offers which allows them to earn about 3.5 times more while working in Singapore. Thanks to the conversion rates of SG which motivates many Malaysians to cross the border for working purposes. 
But is it crossing the border daily worth waking up in the wee hours? 
On September 21, a Malaysian YouTuber named Chun Weng shared his first-hand experience and documented his journey from JB to SG as a means to explore the daily life of Malaysians commuting from JB to SG for work-related affairs and seek to gain insights about it. 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/c4fe9d1c44ecfb0ace7cdc64ab112c31fcaaaf3aff6fbce56fa403f8490ec1a8" />
The Start Of His Day
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/8354311c4e863d25fb2e0237d35e94200b01975c3daae76e0b01b0c8b91bce1c" />
Starting his journey at 4.19am, he felt extremely exhausted from waking up very early since he wasn&rsquo;t used to it. He furthered on by saying that he had no soul since to him it was a heavy sacrifice that he had made for the first time. 
He then brushed his teeth and got himself ready for a Grab ride. It took him about 10 minutes to JB Central and he arrived at 5.50am which cost him RM5. As he arrived, he saw many netizens waving goodbyes to their loved ones and it was a bittersweet moment for Chun Weng to witness. 
The arduous moment came when he noticed a massive crowd who were trying to cross the border to SG. This sounds like &lsquo;Oh My God&rsquo; to him but still, he needed to go through it and there was nowhere to escape when he intended to take on the challenge. 
After thirty minutes of passing the immigration side, the clock ticked 6.30am but Chun Weng didn&rsquo;t stop there as he had to wait and queue for a bus in SG for about 20 to 30 minutes which ate up quite a lot of his time.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/19f7c8d92324428ac7b7ed78385fbaa6f58b330afb9304b28e2c3251f5426ee0" />
With much anticipation of him getting over the huge crowd, another unpleasant moment came when the bus ride that he took made him feel cramped despite it being only RM2.&nbsp;Being aware of the current situation, he decided to check OneMotoring just so he could use the platform to track the traffic along the Causeway and his prediction was true, &ldquo;it was extremely bad&rdquo;, as he said. 
A moment later, he reached the Kanji MRT in Singapore and there was no ample time for him to spare because he had to rush to catch a train to his &lsquo;workplace&rsquo; which is located in Woodlands, and the journey took him about 10 minutes costing RM1. 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/8f64f2406f1a676473faa9d024e8d20f863dc9cf125de8c93e219008d0efce37" />
The clock rang at 7.45am and this is when he settled down and started his work. This is to say the entire journey from JB to SG took him nearly 3.5 hours just to work. 
Comparison Of Prices Between M&rsquo;sia &amp; S&rsquo;pore
It was 12pm and Chun Weng planned to have his lunch so he checked out the food and supermarket prices in SG.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/09ab2fb6fbc05cdb7e62cf05763b75986ab4696717ab8f6e844bce7262b8315f" />
He ordered a plate of chicken rice for $3.50 whereas for Hokkien mee was $4. Comparing the prices, he mentioned that there wasn&rsquo;t much difference at all between the prices from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. 
However, the purchasing power of the Singapore dollar is much higher as compared to Malaysia despite the pay being about the same in each country&rsquo;s own currency. 
To provide an example, he furthered on by claiming that to buy an iPhone, someone only needs to work for a fortnight in Singapore, unlike someone who works in Malaysia and needs one and a half or two months of his salary to purchase it. Malaysians, can you imagine how much of our hard-earned money we could save? It's no wonder that many Malaysians aspire to work in Singapore while also enjoying the advantages of reasonably priced housing in JB. 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/4faeeaa03f9f0189473e4d98fc352c767b020684ef3ee3389d9df32a2ecddfdc" />
Chun Weng then hopped to a supermarket to compare the price difference in groceries. For example, if you compare 41 cents of egg in Singapore with 67 cents of egg in Malaysia, there wasn&rsquo;t much difference. He was astonished that the price of Maggi in Singapore was much more affordable than in Malaysia. He expressed, &ldquo;dollar to dollar, it&rsquo;s so much cheaper.&rdquo; Not only that, Starbucks and Mcdonald's also seemed to be more affordable. 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/e6cdaf93fcda7f4f3c762d8227151d7a27c911457d343586e7ab3117b9330bf1" />
He believes that this can be due to the expensive housing estate in which Singaporeans invested much where it was 10% higher as compared to the rest of the world. We know Singapore is an expensive city to live in and this is the lifelong burden that Singaporeans have to bear. 
Therefore, Chun Weng suggested that if you would like to kill two birds with one stone, it is by staying in JB and working in Singapore because you would have a cheaper housing estate as well as a higher salary. 
Interviewing A Seasoned Traveller To Gain Deeper Insights 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/e9099c9cfa4277c2a2a74a5a886423fc03f201667d1ac992a91ef3065b19dc40" />
During his trip, he had an opportunity to converse with Ash who has been a seasoned cross-border worker for eight years. She shared how the rise of the conversion rate between Singapore and Malaysia has lured many to embrace and accept the cross-border work routine. 
She added on with her statement, &ldquo;I think it makes sense, let&rsquo;s say (if you are) in Malaysia and going to Singapore to look for a job, then the salary will be like SGD 2,000 (RM6,800). The conversion rate is like 3.4x now.&rdquo;
Chun Weng really saluted and respected Ash and others who were willing to cross the border every day to Singapore. She even revealed that she woke up at 4am and had only three hours of sleep. To Chun Weng&rsquo;s notice, her lifestyle shocked him a lot. Ash told him if you do not mind the strenuous exercise, then crossing the border would be a reasonable and appropriate approach. If not, it is best to find a reasonable stay in Singapore, and that will avoid much hassle. 
The End of His Day
It was at 4.40pm and he began to prepare himself to go back home. Despite the tiredness that came earlier around 3pm, he still needs to make his way back to Malaysia. 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/a3744d57507f2c3fd30994b3c20474b14d8aedabbae8aa15dc1cab9c37c5bcd7" />
To him, it wasn&rsquo;t a fun experience to endure as it had been taking a toll on him. He rushed to the bus and then headed to Woodlands checkpost which took him about 15 minutes. Later on, he had to scan his passport and then he had a bus ride to get to the border to in the end reach Malaysia. Overall, it was indeed an uncomfortable travelling experience for him since he had to prepare himself mentally and physically to be fit for the challenge. 
Here is the full video of him sharing his experience travelling from JB to SG:
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QYME5xsJQxs?t=1s" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
So, what do you think about Chun Weng&rsquo;s travelling experience and would you like to work in Singapore one day?
Comment below, alternatively, check us out for more!
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, YouTube &amp; various cross-references for context.
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A higher currency rate in Singapore is truly a reward for Malaysians who work there. However, there are sacrifices that need to be made to enjoy the benefits. 

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A Day In The Life: Malaysian's Commute To Singapore Leaves Him Exhausted!

A Day In The Life: Malaysian's Commute To Singapore Leaves Him Exhausted!

A higher currency rate in Singapore is truly a reward for Malaysians who work there. However, there are sacrifices that need to be made to enjoy the benefits.

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