Given the favourable exchange rate and low prices, it’s no wonder that JB is so alluring. Shoppaholics can go on massive shopping sprees at malls near the border such as Johor Bahru City Square Mall, while cafe hoppers can have their dainty cakes and cuppa joe at the many new cafes in JB.
Should you be looking for more nifty ways to stretch your Singapore dollar, here are some supermarkets in JB where you can stock up on groceries while saving some hard-earned money.
The current exchange rate is RM1 = S$0.30 as of 16th December 2024.
Table of Contents
| Nearest checkpoint | Drive time | Supermarket | Best feature | Price range |
| Woodlands Checkpoint | 9 minutes | Giant Leisure Mall | Familiar brands & cheap groceries | $ |
| 18 minutes | Aeon Mall Tebrau City | Located opposite IKEA for furniture shopping | $$ | |
| 22 minutes | Lotus’s Bukit Indah | Indoor playground & arcade for kids | $$ | |
| 15 minutes | Village Grocer Mid Valley Southkey | Wide variety of imported goods not found in SG | $$$ | |
| 10 minutes | Mercato | Wide variety of imported goods not found in SG | $$$ | |
| Tuas Checkpoint | 30 minutes | Mydin Mall Mutiara Rini | Indoor playground for kids, nearby food court for meals | $ |
| 20 minutes | NSK Trade City Nusajaya | Wide variety of produce sold at competitive prices | $ | |
| 22 minutes | Ben’s Independent Grocer | In-house restaurant & bakery | $$$ | |
| 21 minutes | Jaya Grocer Eco Galleria | Stocks a wide range of Australian-imported goods | $$ |
There are a couple of regulations imposed by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) when bringing your groceries from JB back into Singapore.
For starters, you are only allowed to bring in food strictly for your own consumption and not for sale. Next, you have to check whether the food item is allowed to be brought back into Singapore or not by consulting SFA’s website.
Finally, you must ensure that the amount of food that you’re bringing in falls within the maximum allowance; for example, meat products brought into Singapore have to be under 5kg. Below is a handy table for looking up if your grocery haul is legal to bring into Singapore.
| Food type | Product | Approved sources | Limit |
| Meat | Beef | Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Uruguay, USA | 5kg |
| Mutton | Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Uruguay, United Kingdom, USA | ||
| Pork | Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA | ||
| Poultry | Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom | ||
| Fish | Frozen cooked crabmeat and frozen cooked prawn meat | All countries/regions | 5kg, out of which a maximum of only 2kg of frozen cooked crabmeat and frozen cooked prawn meat |
| Fish products such as live fish, fish fillets, canned tuna, and dried fish | |||
| Live/frozen oysters | Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, USA | ||
| Fruits & vegetables | All fruits & vegetables | All countries/regions | A small, reasonable quantity (i.e hand-carry size) |
| Eggs | Shell eggs | Australia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia (West), The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Korea, Thailand, Ukraine, USA | 30 eggs |
| Processed food | Cleaned dried bird’s nest | All countries/regions | 1kg, no restriction on the total value |
| All other processed food that is not meat, fish, eggs, or fruits and vegetables | Combined weight of all items < 5kg/5 litres, total value should not exceed $100 per traveller |
Not only is Giant a household name to most Singaporeans, but it’s one to most Malaysians too. After all, the ubiquitous supermarket chain was founded in Malaysia, having opened its first supermarket in Selangor back in 1974. Today, it boasts 40 hypermarkets across the country, including one at Pelangi Leisure Mall.
A mere 9-minute drive from Woodlands Checkpoint, Giant at Pelangi Leisure Mall boasts a wide selection of groceries for a fraction of the prices in Singapore supermarkets. For example, a kilogram of salmon goes for RM42.90 in JB. The same amount will only get you 300g of the fatty fish back home.
Price: $
Getting there: 9-minute drive from Woodlands Checkpoint
Address: Lot 1.01 & B1.01 Pelangi Leisure Mall, Jalan Serampang, Taman Pelangi, 80050 Johor Bahru, Johor
Opening hours: 8am-10pm, Daily
Contact: +603 5544 8888
Given Singaporeans’ familiarity with them, AEON malls are unsurprisingly some of the most patronised by Singaporeans. Some of them even sport AEON supermarkets, making grocery runs even more accessible after a day of shopping. Prices of household consumables here are relatively affordable too, further adding on to its appeal.
AEON Mall Tebrau City is no exception. On top of the budget-friendly supermart, cinema and food and beverage outlets, it’s also conveniently located across the road from IKEA Tebrau, perfect for grabbing some DIY furniture and Swedish meatballs for cheap. It’s also connected to Toppen Shopping Centre, which has an indoor theme park and rooftop skatepark.
Price: $$
Getting there: 18-minute drive from Woodlands
Address: 1 Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Contact: +60 1-300-80-2366
Hailing from Thailand, Lotus’s first entered the Malaysian market in 2020 when it acquired Tesco Malaysia. Given its predecessor’s reach, including an outlet in the basement of KSL City Mall, it’s definitely no stranger to those who make frequent trips up north.
A wide variety of fresh produce can be had here.
Image credit: Nazrul Adha via Google Maps
Besides stocking a wide range of wares, a variety of entertainment outlets are available here as well. The little ones can play and have fun at the playground, while the older ones can have a go in the arcade, all while you trawl the aisles.
Price: $$
Getting there: 22-minute drive from Woodlands Checkpoint
Address: 1 Jalan Indah 15, Taman Bukit Indah, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8am-10pm, Daily
Contact: +60 1-300-13-1313
Full list of Lotus’s supermarkets.
Image credit: Lester Chua via Google Maps
Nestled away in the corner of Mid Valley Southkey, one of JB’s largest malls, lies Village Grocer. Here, in addition to the fresh produce that is sourced locally, you can find a wide variety of imported goods as well, with some selections unavailable in Singapore.
Image credit: Flo Yeow via Google Maps
Some examples include French Lactel yoghurt (from RM7.55) or a variety of fruit and vegetable juices from American company V8, which are available from RM22.90 for a 1.25L bottle.
Price: $$$
Getting there: 15-minute drive from Woodlands Checkpoint
Address: Lot AT-02 LG The Mall Mid Valley, Persiaran Southkey 1, Southkey, 80150 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Contact: +60 7-336 5426
Image credit: Mercato Pelangi Plaza via Google Maps
Those looking to whip up a budget-friendly storm this Christmas can head over to Mercato. Similar to Cold Storage or FairPrice Finest, they stock a wide range of upscale products, but at a fraction of Singaporean prices.
Carnivores will rejoice knowing that popular cuts of steak such as the Tomahawk are available at RM173/kg before discount, while those looking for gifts can consider boxes of Heath & Heather organic tea, which are available from RM14.99.
They’ve even got seasonal catalogues to browse through. Right now, they’re having a slew of deals for Christmas and New Year goodies to feast on such as an Xmas Chicken Platter for 2 going for RM125.90
Price: $$$
Getting there: 10-minute drive from Woodlands Checkpoint
Address: Plaza Pelangi, Jalan Maju, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 9am-10pm, Daily
Contact: +60 7-333 5708
From its humble beginnings as a wooden general store in Kelantan, Mydin has since grown to become Malaysia’s largest Halal hypermarket chain. It’s been coined the “FairPrice of Malaysia” due to its affordable prices and boasts 65 stores nationwide. 3 of these are conveniently located across the Causeway in Pelangi Indah, Taman Rinting, and Mutiara Rini.
In addition to the supermarket, Mydin Mall Mutiara Rini also houses a variety of other stores. Those wanting to entertain their tykes will be glad to know that a playground complete with a ball pit is available, while the onsite bowling alley offers games from as low as RM10. A wide selection of food and drinks can be found here too, ranging from pastries at Harold’s Bread to meals available at the food court.
Price: $
Getting there: 30-minute drive from Tuas Checkpoint
Mydin Mall Mutiara Rini
Address: 7 Persiaran Jaya 1, Mutiara Rini, 81300 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: Mon-Thu 9am-10pm | Fri-Sun 8.30am-10pm
Contact: +60 1-300-30-8786
Mydin Mall Pelangi Indah
Address: Persiaran Pelangi Indah, Taman Pelangi Indah, 81800 Ulu Tiram, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am-7pm, Daily
Contact: +60 7-862 4051
Mydin Mall Taman Rinting
Address: Jalan Rinting, Taman Rinting, 81750 Masai, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 8.30am-10pm, Daily
Image credit: Endro Sunarso via Google Maps
A close competitor of Mydin, NSK Trade City is another supermarket chain that stocks a wide variety of goods at affordable prices. For example, a box of Dr Oetker’s frozen pizzas can be found for RM19.25, more affordable than supermarkets in Singapore, where they usually retail for S$11.45. Frozen Ramly Burgers, which are unavailable back home, can also be found for RM6.20/pack.
Image credit: Endro Sunarso via Google Maps
They currently have 2 outlets in JB. One is located near Mount Austin, while the other is situated within Sunway Big Box, perfect for a grocery run after a fun-filled day.
Price: $
Getting there: 20-minute drive from Tuas Checkpoint
NSK Trade City Nusajaya
Address: Lot G-01, Pusat Komersial Sunway Marketplace Persiaran Medini 6, Sunway Iskandar Bandar, 79250 Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia
Opening hours: 9am-10pm, Daily
Contact: +60 17-330 6344
NSK Trade City Pandan
Address: Jalan Waja 9, Kawasan Perindustrian Pandan, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 7am-11pm, Daily
Contact: +60 7-351 2540
Image credit: Andre Santoso via Google Maps
For those wanting something a little more atas, Ben’s Independent Grocer might be just the place for you. Besides the usual fruits and veggies that other supermarkets stock, they carry a wide range of imported goods that aren’t available at other supermarkets, such as Japanese snacks and muesli bars.
If you’re looking to silence your tummy’s growlings, head over to their in-house restaurant, The Grocer’s Kitchen. There, you can have the chefs cook the meat or seafood you just bought for RM15/300g. Alternatively, you can opt for pasta such as the Spaghetti Alle Vongole (RM20)or pizzas like the Carnivore (RM33).
Sweet tooths can grab pastries such as chocolate rolls (RM4.60) or kaya twist (RM4.20) at Crumbs, their in-house baker.
Price: $$$
Getting there: 22-minute drive from Tuas Checkpoint
Address: Lot G06-G08 Anchor 2A-2C Ground Floor Mall of Medini, No.4 Lebuh Medini Utara, Medini Iskandar Malaysia, 79200 Iskandar Puteri, Johor
Opening hours: 8.30am-10pm, Daily
Contact: +60 7-510 2399
Image credit: Ivan Lam via Google Maps
Alternatively, you can also consider Jaya’s Grocer. In addition to their 3 existing outlets in Austin Heights, Sunway Citrine, and R&F Mall, they’ve recently opened their largest outlet in Iskandar Puteri.
Standing at 35,000sqft, the supermarket lists nearly 400,000 items for sale, enough for your weekly grocery runs. Thanks to its tie-up with Australian supermarket chain Coles, the store also stocks a wide range of Australian products, so yes, you can grab some honey and marmite while you’re here.
Price: $$
Getting there: 21-minute drive from Tuas Checkpoint
Address: C0110 Block C Eko Galleria, 3 Persiaran Eko Botani, Taman Eko Botani, 79100 Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am-10pm, Daily
Sure, we have plenty of supermarkets and grocery stores in Singapore. But, with the favourable exchange rate as far as the Singapore dollar is concerned, JB proves to be an attractive alternative for grocery shopping, traffic notwithstanding.
Whether you intend to shop for rare imports unavailable in Singapore or just simply looking for a cheaper alternative to your local grocer, save this list of supermarkets in JB for you to shop at.
If you like to cross the Causeway, these may be useful too:
Cover image adapted from: Lester Chua via Google Maps, Jason T Via Google Maps, Ivan Lam via Google Maps
Last updated by Khoo Yong Hao on 16th December 2024.
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