If you have been tracking the Singapore property market recently, you already know the numbers. New launch two-bedders are regularly crossing the $1.8 million mark. Resale flats in mature estates are hitting record prices. And for buyers who are not upgrading within Singapore’s ecosystem, the case is getting increasingly difficult to justify.
Which is why a growing number of Singaporeans are looking at the property landscape just across the Causeway — and finding that it looks very different from what they expected.
According to a 2025 study commissioned by Sunway Property, nearly 1 in 2 Singaporeans are now actively interested in purchasing property in Johor — for retirement, as a holiday home, for rental income, or as a long-term investment. This reflects a meaningful and structural shift in how Singaporeans think about wealth, lifestyle, and portfolio diversification.
“For the price of a compact two-bedder in Singapore, you could own a larger freehold apartment in Johor Bahru for roughly $200,000 — in an established hub area, no less.”
The Johor of 2025 is not the Johor of 2013
Singaporeans who were around for the Iskandar Malaysia excitement of the mid-2000s may carry some scepticism — and that scepticism is worth acknowledging. The last cycle was driven by speculative demand, with promised but undelivered infrastructure and an oversupply of units that sat empty for years. It was a cautionary tale.
But the fundamentals today are materially different. Property analysts at Stacked Homes have noted that the current cycle is driven by real cross-border demand: logistics firms, cross-border workers, and international school families — not mere speculative condo flippers. According to NAPIC data, the number of unsold properties in Johor Bahru has dropped from 16,799 units in 2022 to 14,063 in 2024 — a 16% reduction that signals improved market discipline from developers.
The initially promised infrastructure is actually being delivered. The RTS Link connecting Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru to the Woodlands MRT is due to be operational by 2027, able to complete the point-to-point journey in under six minutes. The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone initiative, signed in early 2025, creates a formal bilateral economic corridor drawing serious industrial and services investment to the region. These are operational timelines backed by signed agreements — and both projects are visibly underway.
What Sunway Property is building — and where
To meet the shifts in demand, Sunway Property has strategically positioned two key developments that speak directly to what Singaporean buyers are looking for:
Sunway Majestic — Johor Bahru City Centre
Sunway Majestic is Johor Bahru City Centre’s first freehold SOHO apartment — a 46-storey development on a 15.5-acre site in Yahya Awal, valued at RM4 billion as a fully-integrated development with Sunway Property’s partner Majestic Gen. Units are priced from RM380,000, with one-to-three-bedroom configurations across 473 to 688 sq ft.
The location is its headline: Situated 3KM from the upcoming RTS Link station at Bukit Chagar, adjacent to Hutan Bandar Johor Bahru (a 50-acre green lung), and next door to the upcoming Sunway Commercial Square — a retail and F&B hub operated by Sunway Malls. A dedicated shuttle service to the RTS station is included. Malls including City Square, Komtar JBCC, and KSL City Mall are within easy reach, as is KPJ Johor Specialist Hospital at 1KM.
Sunway Majestic’s Flex-Layout design — what Sunway Property calls its Design to Own concept — allows buyers to personalise their unit configuration, whether for own stay, a work-from-home setup, or a rental-optimised layout targeting cross-border professionals. Since its launch, data shows that 30% of buyers were Singaporeans, with the majority of Malaysian buyers working in Singapore. The cross-border demand is not theoretical — it is already in the sales data.
Sunway LakeHills — Taman Molek
Sunway LakeHills offers a different proposition: a luxury high-rise resort experience within an established Johor Bahru neighbourhood. Part of Sunway Property’s 88-acre Sunway Lenang Heights masterplan in Taman Molek, is valued at RM1.1 billion and comprises three towers — two 46-storeys and one 33-storeys — among the tallest residences in the Taman Molek area.
The first launch offers 862 premium residences starting from RM560,000, with completion targeted for 2029. Units range from 694 to 2,076 sq ft., with Sky Semi-D and Sky Bungalow formats featuring private lift lobbies. The development fronts a 30-acre lakeside garden and delivers 360-degree panoramic views of the Johor Bahru skyline, the adjacent Ponderosa Golf and Country Club, and the lake.
Facilities include over two acres of recreational space with 88 amenities, for e.g. an infinity pool, indoor and outdoor gyms, pet-friendly walking areas, children’s play zones, and landscaped green decks. The development is GreenRE and CASBEE-compliant, is EV-ready, and features a 6-tier security system. Nearby offerings include AEON Tebrau City and IKEA Toppen at 7KM, Mid Valley Southkey at 8KM, Hospital Sultan Ismail and Columbia Asia Hospital at 9KM.
A quality level up
One thing that consistently surprises Singaporean property visitors today is the quality of finish. Independent reviewers who have tracked the Johor market over time — including long-term investors and repeat visitors — have noted that Johor Bahru properties in 2025 are ‘light years ahead’ of what the market looked like a decade ago.
The developer question
Any conversation about Johor property would include a frank discussion about developer selection. The last cycle saw some developers build, sell, and disengage — leaving buyers with degrading assets and no management infrastructure. Sunway Property’s model is structurally different: they build, own, and operate their townships.
With over 100 projects across Malaysia and a GDV exceeding RM40 billion across Sunway Property’s integrated township portfolio, Sunway manages the retail, hotel, schools, and community facilities within Sunway City Iskandar Puteri — because the value of each residential unit depends on the wider ecosystem functioning well. For Singaporean buyers who cannot monitor their assets daily, that alignment of incentives matters enormously.
Register your interest in Sunway Majestic or Sunway LakeHills at sunwayproperty.com/johor — Sunway Property’s sales team is available to walk Singaporean buyers through the full process.
