Malaysia & Singapore on Less than $25 per day - Johor Bahru Tips & Tricks

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Cheapest Places to Live > Malaysia & Singapore on Less than $25 per day

When we visited Malaysia for the first time, it was only really to keep costs low while we explored Singapore. So, we stayed just across the border in Johor Bahru and made our way into Singapore 4 separate times over the 2 months that we were staying there. Actually, we liked Malaysia so much that we ended up going back afterward! Here is our budget breakdown during those 2 months and how we lived in Malaysia and Singapore on less than $25 USD per day per adult. Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions.

Johor Bahru, Malaysia & Singapore

April 30, 2019 - June 29, 2019

Total Number of Days

61 days (61 nights, technically that means we had 62 days)

Total Expense

$2,815.36 USD + $427.47 USD = $3,242.83
NOTE: $2,882.04 not including airfare to Malaysia - why mention this? Because everyone’s airfare to Malaysia will be dependent on where they are from. The other expenses - while in Malaysia - should be comparable for everyone.

Average Daily Cost per Adult

$26.58
NOTE: $24.57 per adult WITHOUT airfare to Malaysia.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Because we spent most of our time in Malaysia, with a few days in Singapore, we have split this budget to show expenses for each. The first number is Malaysia, the second is Singapore, and the third is the total.

Transportation (airlines, taxis, trains, subways, buses, etc.)

$437.54 + $84.59 = $522.13

• Airlines: $245.55 + $0.00 = $245.55
  The airline tickets to get to Johor Bahru, Malaysia from Bangkok, Thailand were fairly cheap, but they still took up 56% of our Malaysia transportation expense and 47% of our total transportation costs.

• Taxi’s and Grabs (like Uber): $219.65 + $47.14 = $266.79

• Buses: $8.34 + $23.88 = $32.22

• Metro (MRT, ARL etc): $0.00 + $13.57 = $13.57

Accommodation

$1,267.21 + $0.00 = $1,267.21

• Airbnbs: $1,267.21 + $0.00 = $1,267.21
  Our entire time was spent at an Airbnb in Nusajaya, Malaysia. That’s 61 nights for this price - which was so amazing especially considering everything that was nearby and that this place had a resort style pool and workout room included - plus it was almost right next to Legoland. We were actually really sad to leave this Airbnb and are already planning to return to Malaysia due to how much we enjoyed it here! NOTE: Hostels, hotels, and serviced apartments who list on Airbnb are completely legal for any term of stay, while private residence Airbnb’s are only legal in Singapore for 3+ month stays - or a shorter duration with special permission from the Urban Redevelopment Authority - however, we did not stay overnight in Singapore. Instead, we chose to cross over the border on 4 separate occasions instead.

Food

$978.61 + $131.97 = $1,110.58

• Groceries: $531.17 + $0.00 = $531.17

• Fast Casual Type Restaurants and Food Courts: $16.59 + $91.25 = $107.84

• Dine-in (table service) Restaurants: $346.73 + $23.37 = $370.10

• Pastry Shops / Cafe’s: $71.17 + $7.68 = $78.85

• Convenience / Street Food: $12.95 + $9.66 = $22.61

Activities/Entertainment

$23.14 + $177.35 = $200.49

• Local Attractions: $0.00 + $110.32 = $110.32
  This included exploring Sentosa Island’s Resort World as well as tickets to the Singapore Zoo, River Safari, River Safari Amazon Quest, and Rainforest Lumina

• Cultural Sites: $0.00 + $67.03 = $67.03
  This included the tickets to see the Cloud Forest, Flower Dome, and Floral Fantasy at Gardens by the Bay.

• Amusement: $23.14 + $0.00 = $23.14

Miscellaneous

$72.86 + $33.57 = $106.43

• Hygiene items / Bathroom supplies: $18.87 + $0.00 = $18.87

• Laundry Machines & Soap: $3.87 + $0.00 = $3.87

• Phone SIM & Data: $40.45 + $33.57 = $74.02

• Other Items: $9.67 + $0.00 = $9.67

MORE OF MALAYSIA

• Kuala Lumpur

• Penang

• The Habitat

• Historical Malacca

• The Lost World of Ipoh

• Cameron Highlands

• Iskandar Puteri & Johor Bahru

• Delicious Straits Recipes, and

• Johor Bahru to Singapore

What does this not include?

• Life Insurance 

• Berkshire Hathaway Travel Insurance + Medical (annual cost of $328 for a family of 3 - ask us how)

• Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card Annual Fees for additional Insurance & Airport Lounges (annual net cost of $150 annually - ask us how)

While these are costs associated with our travels, they are not country-specific, which is why they are not included in this expense report. 

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