‘same Income, Different Address’: Family Moves To Jb After Rent Hike Pushes Family To Johor Bahru — ‘same Income, Different Address’

SINGAPORE: After their landlord raised the rental rate on their flat by more than 43%, one family decided to move from Singapore to Johor Bahru.

Our “only regret is not moving sooner,” entrepreneur Michelle Hon, also known as The Chill Mom on Instagram and the founder of MomBoss Academy, told The Independent Singapore.

She posted a video on IG on March 11 where she told her family’s story.

She and her husband had been paying S$4,500 for a flat in Singapore for their family of five, when suddenly, “Our landlord raised the rent to SGD $8,000 a month. For the same apartment we’d been living in. For the same 2,000 square feet. So we started looking.”

Ms Hon, a PR from Malaysia, went on to say that they found a three-storey semi-detached house in Johor Bahru with a garden on a 6,000 sq ft property.

It went for RM5,000 per month, which came out to about S$1,600.

“Same business. Same USD income. Same family. Different address,” she wrote in the caption.

When asked how the family is doing since they made the move, Ms Hon said that their children are adjusting very well.

“My daughters, who had been in primary school in Singapore, love their new school. Less stress. And they’ve escaped PSLE!” she added.

Nevertheless, there are drawbacks, one of which is time. She noted how in Singapore, it had been easy to set up meetings, coffees and attend events, given how convenient it is to get everywhere.

“Now, I have to be more intentional, and such outings are minimal,” Ms Hon said, adding that she’s more focused and able to get more things done each day. 

“Could be feeling FOMO sometimes,” she added.

What commenters are saying

Her post has generated a lot of comments, ranging from IG users who could hardly believe anyone would pay S$8000 for a flat (“Oh, it was rented out, after only 2 viewings,” Ms Hon answered) to those who wanted to know why she and her family chose JB instead of, say, Raja Amat or Cambodia.

“Because it’s still near Singapore for the occasional catch-up with friends!” she answered.

“I am in my mid 40s, and my kids are in their early 20s & late teens. Contemplating retiring in JB or anywhere else in my 60s,” a commenter wrote.

Ms Hon also said that her family’s move to JB has been so successful that they’ve since bought a home there. /TISG

Read also: ‘More will eat at JB, McDonald’s,’ Singaporeans say after hawkers raise prices by S$1

This article (‘Same income, different address’: Family moves to JB after rent hike pushes family to Johor Bahru — ‘Same income, different address’) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.