Buying · 4 min read
Can Singaporeans buy property in Malaysia?
Yes: a Singaporean can buy a home in Johor if it costs at least RM1 million and the state approves it. On a RM1 million condo, stamp duty and government fees add about RM116,500, before legal fees. If you own an HDB flat, wait until its minimum occupation period is over.
In short
- Off limits: low-cost homes, 1-storey houses, Bumiputera units, Malay Reserve land and auctions.
- A Malaysian pays RM28,500 in the same fees on a RM1 million condo. CPF can't be used.
- Work out what it earns after costs and Malaysia's 30% tax on rent.
- Selling is slower: fewer buyers, and gains tax never drops to 0%.
In this article
Buying property in Malaysia as a Singaporean? The yes is easy. The real questions come next: what it costs on top, what it does to your HDB flat, what it earns, and how you'd sell it.
We're RoomGuru, a team in Johor Bahru that runs homes on Airbnb. Most of the owners we work with live in Singapore.
We don't sell property and we earn nothing from a sale. We earn a share of the income when an owner hires us to run their home.
Can a Singaporean buy any home in JB?
Not any home. In Johor, a Singapore Citizen counts as a foreign buyer, and so does a Singapore PR who isn't a Malaysian citizen. A foreign buyer needs 2 things:
- A price of RM1 million or more. This applies to condos, serviced apartments and landed homes, new or resale. Below that, Johor's fee rules name 1 case. A serviced apartment bought from a developer needs the state's OK and a fee of at least RM50,000.
- The state's approval. Your lawyer applies for it. The steps are below.
Johor rules for foreign buyers
What a Singaporean can own
You can
- Buy a condo or serviced apartment at RM1 million or more
- Buy a landed house of 2 storeys or more, at RM1 million or more
- Inherit a home of any type or price
You can't
- Buy low-cost or low-medium-cost homes
- Buy single or 1.5-storey houses
- Buy Bumiputera-quota units, unless the state releases them
- Own Malay Reserve land, even by inheritance
- Buy at an auction or a court-ordered sale
New launch or resale, the same rules apply. Every purchase also needs the Johor state's approval. Your lawyer applies for it. Source: Johor Land and Mines Office, page updated 6 May 2026.
Each project lets foreigners buy only part of its units: up to 50% in a condo, and 20% to 30% of landed homes.
You don't need Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) to buy. The Land Office asks for a passport copy, not a visa.
How does buying work?
- Pick a unit at RM1 million or more that foreigners may buy. It can't be low-cost or a Bumiputera unit, and it must fit in the project's share for foreigners.
- Before you sign the sale and purchase agreement, have your own Malaysian lawyer check the unit is open to foreigners. Ask what happens to your deposit if Johor says no.
- Your lawyer applies to the Johor Land and Mines Office. They send your passport, the agreement, the land title, and the latest quit rent and assessment receipts. For a new launch, the developer fills in a form too.
- Wait for the answer: 2 to 3 weeks, or 1 to 3 months if the office needs to value the home.
- Pay Johor's approval fee, the stamp duty and the fee to register the transfer. Your lawyer handles the rest.
What does a RM1 million condo really cost?
From 1 January 2026, a foreign buyer of a home pays 8% stamp duty, on the price or the market value, whichever is higher. That's set by Malaysia's Finance Act 2025.
Johor adds its own approval fee: 3%, at least RM30,000, plus RM2,000 to apply (Land Office circular 3/2025). On a resale home, the 3% is also on the price or the official value, whichever is higher. Every buyer, Malaysians too, pays RM4,500 to register the transfer.
On top of a RM1 million condo
What you pay before you get the keys
The gapRM88,000 morethan a Malaysian pays on the same condo
| Cost | Singaporean | Malaysian |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty on the transfer | RM80,000 (8%) | RM24,000 |
| Johor state approval fee | RM30,000 (3%) | None |
| Approval application fee | RM2,000 | None |
| Transfer registration fee | RM4,500 | RM4,500 |
| Total | RM116,500 | RM28,500 |
Can you get a loan?
Malaysian banks may lend to non-residents. Each bank decides how much. Some Singapore banks, such as OCBC, also lend for some places in Malaysia.
One thing to know: Singapore caps how much of your pay can go to loans, and loans for overseas homes count too.
Will a JB condo affect your HDB flat or CPF?
Yes. Pick your flat type:
For HDB flat owners
When can you buy in JB?
First 5 years
You can't buy. Not you, your spouse or anyone listed in the flat. Not in Singapore, not overseas.
After 5 years
You can buy, and keep both. CPF can't pay for it.
Separate rule: want a new HDB flat later?
Sell the JB home first, then wait 30 months, before you buy a new flat, a resale Plus or Prime flat or a resale flat with a CPF housing grant, or take an HDB loan. The Proximity Housing Grant has its own rules.
What it doesn't change: ABSD. Only homes in Singapore count when IRAS works out your additional buyer's stamp duty.
Will Airbnb income cover your JB condo?
Nobody can promise you a number. What we can show you is how far apart results are.
From 12 Oct 2025 to 10 Oct 2026, our homes were booked on 75.5% of the nights open for booking. Similar listings nearby averaged 37.8%. Both figures come from Airbnb's own host data, which compares our listings with similar ones near them.
They count nights booked out of nights open, so they aren't income. A lot depends on the building, the unit and how it's run.
Airbnb's host data, past 12 months
Same area, very different results
Our homes75.5%
About 23 of every 30 nights booked
Similar listings nearby37.8%
About 11 of every 30 nights booked
So work it out backwards: what's left after costs, tax and the loan?
Work it out backwards
Will the rent cover the loan?
The numbers below are made up. Put in your own. The answers change as you type.
- Left in a year, before tax
- RM42,000
- (RM6,000 − RM2,500) × 12
- After 30% tax
- RM29,400
- Malaysia's rate for non-residents
- Left after the loan, a year
- −RM6,600
- The rent doesn't cover the loan. You'd top up RM550 a month.
Then 3 things to check before you count on Airbnb income:
- Is short-stay renting allowed in that building? Some buildings ban it in their house rules. Ask the management office in writing, and check with the local council (MBJB or MBIP). We explain the rules in Airbnb rules in Johor vs Penang.
- Will a tenant suit it better? For some units, a long-term tenant is the better choice. We compare both in Airbnb vs long-term rental.
- Who'll be there when something breaks? From Singapore, someone in JB needs keys. We cover that in running a JB condo from Singapore.
Where is the rent taxed?
In Malaysia. If you're a non-resident for Malaysian tax, LHDN taxes your rental profit at a flat 30%, with no personal reliefs. Spending less than 182 days a year in Malaysia is LHDN's main test, but there are others, so check your status.
In Singapore, IRAS says overseas income you bring home is generally not taxed. There are exceptions, such as income received through a Singapore partnership. Ask a Malaysian tax agent, and check your own case with IRAS.
How hard is it to sell a JB condo later?
3 things to plan for when you sell:
- Fewer buyers, so it can take longer. Another foreigner must also pay RM1 million or more and get approval. A Malaysian buyer has no minimum price, so our reading is they'll compare it with every home nearby, not just those above RM1 million.
- Gains tax. For a foreigner, it never drops to 0%. See below.
- The ringgit. You buy and sell in ringgit. If it weakens, your sale brings home fewer Singapore dollars. If it strengthens, more.
Selling later
How much goes to tax when you sell?
Made-up example: you sell for RM1.2 million, and your gain after allowed costs, like legal and agent fees, is RM100,000. Slide to the year you sell.
- Gains tax on a RM100,000 gain
- RM30,000
- 30%, because it's within 5 years
- Your buyer holds back up to
- RM84,000
- 7% of the RM1.2 million price. It goes to LHDN to pay your gains tax, not on top of it. From 2026 it can be less, if you give the buyer your tax figure first
Questions owners ask
Can a Singaporean buy a condo in JB?
Yes, if it costs RM1 million or more and Johor approves it. A serviced apartment or a house with 2 storeys or more works too. Your lawyer asks for the approval.
Can foreigners buy property in Malaysia?
Yes, if the state approves it. In Johor, the home must also cost RM1 million or more, for every foreigner, not just Singaporeans. In another state, check with that state's land office.
What is the stamp duty for foreigners buying property in Malaysia?
8% of the price or market value of a home, whichever is higher, from 1 January 2026. Malaysians pay 1% to 4% in steps, or RM24,000 on a RM1 million home. In Johor, a foreigner also pays a 3% approval fee, at least RM30,000.
What is the minimum property price for foreigners in Johor in 2026?
RM1 million. Below that, Johor's fee rules name 1 case. A serviced apartment bought from a developer needs the state's OK and a fee of at least RM50,000.
Can Singapore PRs buy property in Malaysia?
If you're not a Malaysian citizen, yes, as a foreign buyer, whatever your Singapore status. A Malaysian citizen with Singapore PR buys as a Malaysian.
Do I need MM2H to buy property in Malaysia?
No. Johor's Land and Mines Office asks a foreign buyer for a passport copy. It doesn't ask for a Malaysia My Second Home visa.
Can I use my CPF to buy a property in Malaysia?
No. CPF savings can only pay for property in Singapore.
Can I own a JB condo and an HDB flat at the same time?
Yes, after your flat's minimum occupation period. Before that, you can't buy a private home anywhere, even overseas. The same goes for your spouse and anyone listed in the flat.
Can a Singaporean inherit property in Malaysia?
Yes: in Johor, a foreigner can inherit any type of property, except Malay Reserve land. You need an estate distribution order or a court order first. There's no approval fee.
Can I get a loan to buy a JB condo?
Yes, it's possible: Malaysian banks may lend to non-residents, and each bank sets its own limit. Some Singapore banks, such as OCBC, lend for some places in Malaysia too. Singapore counts these loans when it caps your total loan repayments.
Is Airbnb allowed in JB condos?
As of October 2026, we found no Johor rule or council licence written for Airbnb in homes. Before you buy, check in writing with the management office and the local council (MBJB or MBIP). We explain it in Airbnb rules in Johor vs Penang.
Sources: Minimum price, foreign quotas, what foreigners can and can't buy, inheritance, documents needed: Johor Land and Mines Office (page updated 6 May 2026). Decision in 2 to 3 weeks: Johor Land and Mines Office client charter. Approval fee of 3%, at least RM30,000, from 1 July 2025, and RM50,000 for serviced apartments under RM1 million: PTG Johor circular 3/2025. 8% stamp duty for foreign buyers of homes from 1 January 2026, and up to 7% kept back when a foreigner sells: Ministry of Finance, Budget 2026 tax measures, made law by the Finance Act 2025 (Act 874), and LHDN. Transfer registration fee, RM4,500 up to RM1 million: same circular, 4.1.1. Loan interest as a rental expense: LHDN Public Ruling 12/2018. Resident status tests: LHDN. Malaysian stamp duty steps and 0.5% on loans: Stamp Act 1949. Gains tax for foreigners: LHDN. 30% tax for non-residents: LHDN. Loans to non-residents: Bank Negara Malaysia, foreign exchange notices. HDB flat owners and private property: HDB (updated 24 July 2026). 30-month wait-out covers overseas property: HDB. CPF only for Singapore property: CPF Board on Ask Gov. ABSD counts only Singapore homes: IRAS. Overseas income: IRAS. Singapore-Malaysia tax treaty, article 6: IRAS. Overseas property loans: OCBC and Monetary Authority of Singapore. Occupancy, ours and similar listings nearby: Airbnb's host data, 12 October 2025 to 10 October 2026. Simon runs RoomGuru, which has managed homes in Johor Bahru on Airbnb since 2023. No developer or bank paid for or checked this article. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.