Malaysian residents spent the most on food & beverages in border towns in 2025: DOSM

Food made up nearly a third of the RM15.8mn spent abroad, with most of the expenditure flowing through two Johor crossings to Singapore.

Malaysian residents spent the most on food & beverages in 2025, which accounted for 32.7% of their expenditure in neighbouring border towns, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).

The figures come from the Expenditure of Malaysian Residents Survey Report (PRM) 2025. The survey covers spending by Malaysian residents in border towns in Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, and Thailand, travelling by land and sea. It is conducted every five years, and the previous round was in 2017.

Total expenditure rose to RM15.8bn

Malaysian residents spent RM15.8bn in neighbouring border towns in 2025, an increase from RM10.5bn in 2017 – representing a growth rate of 5.2% a year. Average expenditure rose from RM349 to RM361 over the same period, or 0.4% a year.

The 2025 survey was carried out at 10 immigration entry points across six states. These were Tambak Johor, Gelang Patah, Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal, and Stulang Laut in Johor; Bukit Kayu Hitam and Langkawi in Kedah; Rantau Panjang in Kelantan; Pengkalan Hulu in Perak; Padang Besar in Perlis, and Sungai Tujuh in Sarawak. The survey results are an input for the travel services data in Malaysia’s Balance of Payments.

Stulang Laut recorded the highest average expenditure

Stulang Laut recorded the highest average expenditure at RM704 per resident, followed by the Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal (RM567) and Bukit Kayu Hitam (RM544). Sungai Tujuh, a new station in the 2025 survey, recorded the lowest at RM100.

Langkawi saw the fastest growth in average expenditure since 2017, at 9.9% a year (RM247 to RM528). It was followed by Padang Besar at 8.9%, Rantau Panjang at 8.0%, Pengkalan Hulu at 6.9% and Stulang Laut at 4.2%.

Land routes made up 98.8% of expenditure

Land routes accounted for RM15.6bn, with an average of RM359 per person. Buses recorded the highest total at RM7.7bn (48.9%), followed by cars at RM6.2bn (39.3%), motorcycles at RM1.6bn (9.8%), and trains at 0.8%. Cars had the highest average expenditure per person at RM460, followed by buses (RM450), trains (RM420), and motorcycles (RM124).

Sea routes accounted for 1.2% of total expenditure, or RM0.2bn. Ferries were the only mode used, with an average expenditure of RM650 per person.

Overnight visitors accounted for 85.8%

Residents who stayed at least one night spent RM13.5bn, or 85.8% of the total, averaging RM427 per person. Stulang Laut had the highest average among overnight visitors at RM710, followed by Puteri Harbour at RM570. Sungai Tujuh had the lowest at RM245.

Day trippers, defined as residents who stayed less than 24 hours, made up 14.2% of expenditure, with an average of RM187 per person. Puteri Harbour recorded the highest among them at RM387, followed by Stulang Laut (RM252) and Gelang Patah (RM216).

Purpose of visit

PRM 2025 expanded its analysis to cover five purposes of visit: work, tourism, visiting family, business, and transit.

For work, Stulang Laut recorded the highest average expenditure at RM569. Tambak Johor led for both tourism (RM881) and visiting family (RM1,114), while Stulang Laut led for business purposes at RM914. Transit was recorded only at Sungai Tujuh, at RM98 per person.

Gelang Patah (RM173) and Tambak Johor (RM162) had much lower averages for work, in line with residents commuting to Singapore for work.

Cash made up 59.6% of payments

Cash transactions accounted for 59.6% of total expenditure, or RM9.4bn, while cashless payments made up the remaining 40.4% (RM6.4bn). Tambak Johor recorded the highest cash expenditure at RM4.8bn, followed by Gelang Patah (RM3.0bn) and Bukit Kayu Hitam (RM0.8bn). For cashless payments, Tambak Johor and Gelang Patah led at RM3.7bn and RM2.1bn respectively.

Food and beverages led, followed by accommodation and transport

Beyond food and beverages, residents spent 22.5% on accommodation and 18.8% on transport. Shopping made up 17.3% and entertainment 7.5%, while medical, organised tours and others were 1.3% combined.

Singapore accounted for 86.7% of expenditure

Singapore accounted for 86.7% of total expenditure, followed by Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei. Tambak Johor recorded RM8.5bn (53.8%), and Gelang Patah RM5.2bnc(32.8%). Both stations connect Johor to Singapore.

At Tambak Johor, 77.0% of residents travelled for work, and spending was spread across food and beverages (31.3%), transport (23.7%) and accommodation (23.4%). At Gelang Patah, 65.1% travelled for work, with food and beverages at 34.9%, accommodation at 23.5% and shopping at 20.3%.

Among the stations linked to Thailand, Bukit Kayu Hitam recorded the highest total expenditure at RM994.2mn, with food and beverages (34.0%) leading, followed by shopping (26.7%). At Pengkalan Hulu, entertainment was the largest category at 38.4%. Stulang Laut recorded RM122.1mn and the Puteri Harbour Ferry Terminal RM51.4mn, both for travel to Indonesia.

Longer stays meant higher expenditure

For residents who stayed overnight, average expenditure rose with the length of stay. It was RM191 for one night, RM721 for two nights and RM933 for three nights. Residents staying more than a week recorded the highest average at RM2,703 per person.

The bottom line

The numbers suggest that Malaysians’ spending abroad is shaped less by the border itself than by the journey: a daily commute to Singapore, a weekend shopping trip to Thailand, or a week-long stay. Food & beverages led at seven of the 10 stations, regardless of why residents made the trip.

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Infographic / DOSM