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JOHOR BAHRU\/SINGAPORE<\/span> \u2013 When Malaysian tour executive Loo Yong Tat converted a portion of his monthly Singapore salary to Malaysian ringgit recently, he felt shortchanged.<\/p>\n For most of 2024, Mr Loo\u2019s remittance of $2,000 was worth around RM6,800 after conversion, and could cover his family\u2019s home expenses in Kulai, Johor, and support his elderly father and a brother.<\/p>\n With the ringgit trading at around 3.20 against the Singapore dollar as at Nov 18, he now loses around RM400 when converting the same amount. <\/p>\n Like Mr Loo, Malaysians working in Singapore who were polled by The Straits Times say they are feeling the \u201closs\u201d from the appreciating ringgit even more now. However, this is still not enough to deter them from working in the Republic.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not much affected, since I have worked in Singapore since 2009,\u201d Mr Loo told ST.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that time, the exchange rate was only $1 to RM2.40. So now, even 1:3 to me is good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n The <\/p>\n ringgit\u2019s recent strong performance<\/p>\n <\/a> has raised questions about whether those who cross the Causeway in search of higher wages will now stop doing so, and head home to work instead. <\/p>\n Workers and industry observers on both sides of the Causeway told ST that it is still too early to tell.<\/p>\n In a post on the Malaysia-Singapore Border Crossers Facebook group, some users have pointed out that the current conversion rate for the two South-east Asian currencies is still among the highest in decades.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve felt what it was like when it was 2.25, 2.44 between 2000 and 2010,\u201d said Facebook user Shahril Umf. \u201cOnly after 2020, we started seeing the rate reach up to 3.00.\u201d<\/p>\n Singapore has the largest Malaysian diaspora community. A total of 1.13 million out of 1.86 million Malaysians who have migrated overseas are residing in Singapore as\u00a0at\u00a02022.<\/p>\n The migration trend has yet to abate among Malaysians, as the cost of living in Johor Bahru remains relatively high.<\/p>\n Recruitment consultant Shawn Moo, 27 who works in Singapore, said living expenses in Malaysia must decline before he considers moving to JB, where he has bought a house.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Johor Bahru for instance, it is very expensive to eat outside food. Just a curry noodle in a cafe will cost from RM10 to RM25,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Travel industry executive Shernice Chong, a Johorean who has worked in Singapore since 2012, said that if the exchange rate falls below 2.80, it may be convincing enough for her to seek work in the southern Malaysian state.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I will probably jump to another industry as the travel industry in Johor doesn’t make a lot of money,\u201d said the 33-year-old mother of two.<\/p>\n She said she wouldn\u2019t mind earning less in that case, as working in Johor would mean she no longer needs to go through busy checkpoint traffic daily to work in Singapore.<\/p>\n According to Malaysia\u2019s Department of Statistics, Johor topped the list of year-on-year inflation rate among Malaysia\u2019s states. In September 2025, it recorded an inflation rate of 2 per cent. <\/p>\n In comparison, the country\u2019s most industrialised state Selangor was ranked third (1.8 per cent) while capital Kuala Lumpur placed 8th (1.3 per cent). <\/p>\n