2.89/5
102 reviews
Photo by Louis Gan via Unsplash

Johor Bahru

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project

lost

great

singapore

times

Johor Bahru (JB) has been developing quickly, with many modern shopping centers and plenty of good food options available throughout the city. The general vibe is more relaxed compared to neighboring Singapore, which many visitors find appealing. There are also reasonably priced housing options in peaceful communities such as Leisure Farm and Bayou Creek, making it suitable for extended stays.

However, while JB shows a lot of potential, it struggles with follow-through on major projects. There are frequent reports of failed or underused developments, like Forest City, and many public transport projects that never materialize. A big concern is the local healthcare system—some visitors shared serious negative experiences, raising questions about quality and reliability.

Despite its flaws, JB offers plenty of positives that still make it a rewarding place to live or visit for extended time. The relatively low cost of living and laid-back pace of life continue to attract people, but anyone considering long-term relocation should be aware of the limitations, especially in healthcare and infrastructure.

AI-generated summary of reviews
10 months ago

There are some lovely communities to base yourself from with very reasonable rents. Check out Leisure Farm, Bayou Creek.

3 years ago

JB is developing nicely. Lot of ultra modern shopping centers, good food everywhere, ppl are more chill than in SGP.
JB however can't seem to go the distance. Shops and new fashipnable areas are empty. Project disasters like the ghost Forest City. Frequently cancelled public transport projects. Healthcare is still questionable. (Lost 2 rellies to poor/wrong treatment in JB. One of them just recently.)
If JB just pulled off what they intend to do, it would be a great place.
Still love visiting JB and could stay for extended time. The upsides are bigger than the downsides.

3 years ago

Johor is a dirty, ugly city across the causeway from northern Singapore. It's a very busy crossing both ways. I've been here many times to shop with my wife and MIL but have nothing to recommend. It was at least a cheap place to get glasses. Last time I went the 1MDB project had been launched to great fanfare in Johor. It was supposed to the the project that would unseat Singapore. It turned out to be a big scam and lots of people lost money, especially the Malay taxpayers.
Other parts of Malaysia are fantastic (Borneo, Penang, KK, KL). Johor is kind of lousy. Got sick a few times eating there.

6 years ago

✅ Good food

✅ Affordable rent

✅ Modern shopping centers

✅ Relaxed atmosphere

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality usually

✅ Many Nomads.com members here all year round

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Good hospitals

✅ Democratic

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ Not a lot of alcohol abuse

❌ Unreliable public transport

❌ Healthcare concerns

❌ Underdeveloped or empty areas

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Not much to do

❌ Very sweaty and humid now

❌ Nomads.com members didn't like going here

❌ Roads are very dangerous

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not safe for women

❌ Not family friendly

❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

3391°
hot

3493°
hot

39102°
hot

3595°
hot

3697°
hot

3595°
hot

3799°
hot

38100°
hot

3697°
hot

Real (median)

2882°
very warm

2984°
very warm

3086°
very warm

2984°
very warm

3085°
very warm

2984°
very warm

3085°
very warm

3086°
very warm

2984°
very warm

Humidity

sweaty
87%

sweaty
78%

sweaty
85%

sweaty
86%

sweaty
83%

sweaty
84%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
87%

Most common

☔️ Rain

Rain

rainy
195mm

dry
49mm

rainy
215mm

rainy
247mm

rainy
228mm

rainy
171mm

rainy
153mm

rainy
184mm

rainy
182mm

rainy
228mm

rainy
305mm

rainy
220mm

Cloud

cloudy
54%

pockets
46%

pockets
47%

cloudy
52%

cloudy
51%

cloudy
53%

cloudy
55%

pockets
49%

cloudy
51%

cloudy
55%

cloudy
57%

Air quality

clean
42 US AQI

clean
48 US AQI

okay
55 US AQI

okay
52 US AQI

clean
48 US AQI

okay
53 US AQI

okay
59 US AQI

okay
69 US AQI

okay
60 US AQI

clean
49 US AQI

clean
40 US AQI

Sun

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

Remote workers

1,200 people

1,000 people

1,575 people

1,440 people

1,000 people

825 people

857 people

600 people

1,560 people

1,029 people

1,350 people

1,000 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Johor Bahru's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 40° 104° 31° 89° 🥵

🚕53min

$4,602 / mo

121 Mbps

Malacca

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 85°

✈️15min

$1,329 / mo

18 Mbps

Pekanbaru, Sumatra

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😝 Cheap

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 36° 97° 29° 85° 🥵

✈️23min

$870 / mo

12 Mbps

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 46° 115° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️23min

$1,612 / mo

18 Mbps

Ipoh

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌩 Feels 41° 106° 31° 88° 🥵 AQI 56 😷

✈️37min

$1,483 / mo

14 Mbps

Palembang, Sumatra

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 39° 102° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 66 😷

✈️40min

$1,120 / mo

11 Mbps

Penang

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 40° 104° 31° 88° 🥵

✈️46min

$1,169 / mo

18 Mbps

Medan, Sumatra

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😝 Cheap

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 41° 106° 31° 88° 🥵 AQI 132 😷

✈️50min

$870 / mo

10 Mbps

Langkawi

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 44° 111° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️56min

$1,630 / mo

16 Mbps

Kuching

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 38° 100° 30° 87° 🥵 AQI 40

✈️59min

$1,170 / mo

16 Mbps

Ko Lipe

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 32° 90° 29° 84°

✈️59min

$2,401 / mo

20 Mbps

Ko Lanta

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌩 Feels 33° 91° 29° 85°

✈️1h

$1,656 / mo

19 Mbps

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 40° 104° 31° 89° 🥵

🚕53min

$4,602 / mo

121 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 50° 122° 35° 95° 🥵 AQI 77 😷

✈️2h

$1,580 / mo

24 Mbps

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 46° 115° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️23min

$1,612 / mo

18 Mbps

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 15° 59° 15° 58° AQI 47

✈️14h

$5,769 / mo

22 Mbps

Tokyo

Japan

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 21° 70° 20° 68° AQI 35

✈️7h

$3,020 / mo

27 Mbps

Hong Kong

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 33° 91° 29° 84°

✈️3h

$2,760 / mo

71 Mbps

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 45° 113° 34° 93° 🥵 AQI 57 😷

✈️1h

$1,049 / mo

12 Mbps

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 18° 64° 17° 63° AQI 59 😷

✈️13h

$4,168 / mo

27 Mbps

Taipei

Taiwan

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82° 🥵 AQI 50

✈️4h

$2,200 / mo

23 Mbps

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 29° 84° 27° 80°

✈️20h

$7,198 / mo

28 Mbps

Detroit, MI

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 21° 70° 21° 70°

✈️20h

$4,906 / mo

38 Mbps

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 21° 70° 20° 68° AQI 31

✈️16h

$4,070 / mo

39 Mbps

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 40° 104° 31° 89° 🥵

🚕53min

$4,602 / mo

🌇 Also went here81 people

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 46° 115° 33° 91° 🥵

✈️23min

$1,612 / mo

🌇 Also went here67 people

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 45° 113° 34° 93° 🥵 AQI 57 😷

✈️1h

$1,049 / mo

🌇 Also went here44 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 50° 122° 35° 95° 🥵 AQI 77 😷

✈️2h

$1,580 / mo

🌇 Also went here76 people

Canggu, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 37° 99° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 177 😷

✈️2h

$1,911 / mo

🌇 Also went here43 people

Ubud, Bali

Indonesia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 37° 99° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 177 😷

✈️2h

$2,091 / mo

🌇 Also went here40 people

Chiang Mai

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 41° 106° 36° 97° 🥵 AQI 143 😷

✈️3h

$1,253 / mo

🌇 Also went here55 people

Hong Kong

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 33° 91° 29° 84°

✈️3h

$2,760 / mo

🌇 Also went here41 people

Tokyo

Japan

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 21° 70° 20° 68° AQI 35

✈️7h

$3,020 / mo

🌇 Also went here49 people

Prague

Czechia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 18° 64° 17° 62° AQI 96 😷

✈️13h

$3,921 / mo

🌇 Also went here42 people

Amsterdam

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 12° 54° 13° 56° AQI 36

✈️14h

$6,920 / mo

🌇 Also went here40 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 16° 61° 16° 61° AQI 19

✈️14h

$5,523 / mo

🌇 Also went here46 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 15° 59° 15° 58° AQI 47

✈️14h

$5,769 / mo

🌇 Also went here44 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 21° 70° 20° 68° AQI 36

✈️14h

$4,494 / mo

🌇 Also went here41 people

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 21° 70° 20° 68° AQI 31

✈️16h

$4,070 / mo

🌇 Also went here41 people

3,000 remote workers in Johor Bahru now, of which 4+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	2.89/5 (Rank #924) 102 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍3 liked it 👎2 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Bad
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	1% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,225 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 16 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Bad
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Too hot: 31°C89°F (feels 40°C104°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	🥵 Sweaty: 79%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😊 High: 80%
💨 Air quality (now)	😐 Moderate: 87 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Good: 55 US AQI
👌 Safety	Okay
👩 Safe for women	Bad
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Bad
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Good
💰 Income level*	Low: $792 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Okay
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Great
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Okay
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Bad
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Okay
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Malaysia
🗓️ Average trip length	11 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	16 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 31°C 89°F + 🥵 Sweaty (79%) = feels 40°C 104°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👎😷 87 US AQI = 🚬 / day
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 55 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Grab
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 10 MYR in USD	USD 2.51
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	MYR 1,000 = USD 251
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners)
💻 Best coworking space	Hacker Space
💻 Best alt. coworking space	-
☕️ Best coffee place	Espresso Garage
🏪 Best 24/7 coffee place	THE FACTORY 30
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍15% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	5,571,400 visitors
📸 Tourists now	106,776 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	420,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$9,508 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 47% 👱‍♀️ 53%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 51% 👱‍♀️ 49%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 74% 👱‍♀️ 26%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Lazada
🏠 Apartment listings	Air BnB
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Air Asia
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Malaysia
🏥 Best hospital	Penawar Hospital

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,225 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$862 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$2,140 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$612 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$483 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,180 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$368 / month
🏠 Median home price	$135,712
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$23 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$39 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$162 / month
🍛 Dinner	$2
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$4
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$3
👩‍🏫 International school	$5,975 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$8 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$2 / trip