More Singaporeans are looking at landed homes across the Causeway, and Johor is the obvious draw: a double-storey terraced house there can cost what a small condo flat costs here. At a recent showcase covered by EdgeProp Singapore, new freehold terraced homes in Bandar Dato' Onn, Johor Bahru, were priced from about RM1.3 million to RM1.95 million, roughly S$400,000 to S$610,000 at about RM3.2 to the dollar.
Before you buy, it pays to know both sides of the rules: Malaysia's, and the Singapore ones that follow you home. Roov sets them out below.
What is driving interest
The Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link is expected to open in early 2027, which makes the commute more predictable. EdgeProp's figures show Johor terraced house prices rising about 7.2 per cent a year from 2016 to 2025, while high-rise prices rose only 1.9 per cent a year and recovered to pre-pandemic levels only in 2025. Unsold completed terraced houses in Johor Bahru fell from 1,150 in 2021 to 307 in 2025, and Johor's economy grew 8 per cent last year. The strong Singapore dollar adds to the appeal.
The Malaysian rules
Foreigners buying in Johor must generally pay at least RM1 million, and can buy landed homes of two storeys or more, subject to state consent and foreign ownership quotas. Malay reserve land and Bumiputera lots are not open to foreign buyers. Malaysia also has its own stamp duty, real property gains tax on a later sale and legal fees, so get a Malaysian lawyer to confirm the figures for your purchase before you commit. The Malaysia My Second Home programme, for those thinking of living there, requires a property purchase when you apply.
The Singapore rules that follow you
If you own an HDB flat, you cannot buy private residential property overseas until you have met your flat's minimum occupation period, HDB says. The same applies to everyone listed on the flat. Once the period is over, you may buy.
Overseas homes do not count towards Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty: IRAS excludes properties outside Singapore from the property count. A Johor house will not push your next Singapore purchase into a higher ABSD tier. The stamp duty calculator and our stamp duty guide show what applies to a purchase here.
You cannot use CPF savings for property overseas, so the deposit and the loan repayments come from cash. And if you borrow for the Johor home, those repayments count as debt when a Singapore bank works out how much it will lend you next under the Total Debt Servicing Ratio. Our guide to how much you can borrow explains the limit, and the affordability calculator shows it for your income.
Questions to settle first
Who will live in the house, and who will look after it when you are not there? How will you get across, and how often? When might you sell, and to whom? Landed homes in Johor have been easier to resell than high-rise units, but a cross-border sale still takes time.
If the Johor house is part of a bigger plan, such as selling an HDB flat or upgrading here, run that plan first. Roov's upgrade planner lays out the order of sale and purchase, and our analysis of where Singapore launch prices are heading shows what the home side of the decision costs.
Thinking about a home across the Causeway alongside your Singapore property plans? Roov's agent can help you work through the Singapore side. Get in touch.