S’porean surprised to pay RM48 for nasi kandar with sotong in JB: ‘More expensive than S’pore’
Many Singaporeans go to Johor Bahru for the cheaper food.
So Stomper Alan was surprised when he was charged RM48 (S$15) for nasi kandar with squid at a restaurant in Taman Nusa Sentral, Iskandar Puteri.
“Nothing is cheap in Johor,” he lamented. “It’s more expensive than Singapore.”
Alan had ordered the food for his mother on March 23 at around 11am. It was his first time at the restaurant. A photo of the receipt shows that he was charged RM12 for the nasi kandar and RM36 for the sotong kari.
“When I told my mum about the price, she was shocked, especially by the sotong,” he said. “I was also surprised I was charged separately since it was on the same plate as the rice.”
The Stomper said he had expected to pay RM30 at most. His Malaysian friends were shocked that he paid RM48 for the plate of food.
He added: “My Malaysian aunty, who sells Chinese vegetable rice, said the sotong costs around RM15. She told me if she charged this kind of price, she would be scolded by the customer.”
Alan wondered if he was charged a different price because he is Singaporean, although he felt that RM12 for the nasi kandar was “reasonable” since it included fish and vegetables.
In December, it was reported that fewer Singaporeans were visiting JB likely due to the recent strengthening of the Malaysian ringgit.
On March 18, the ringgit rose to RM3.0615 versus the Singapore dollar, the highest since March 2021.
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