Johor Bahru had 108,863 serviced apartments in existing stock in 1Q2026, with 41,832 more under construction to about 2030 and 18,712 planned to about 2031 (NAPIC data cited by CIMB Research). Statewide, NAPIC recorded 10,261 home completions, 11,501 housing starts and 12,114 units of new planned supply in 2025, with 3,705 completed homes unsold at year-end. For buyers, the data points one way: supply is plentiful across JB as a whole, but homes within walking distance of the CIQ and the RTS Link are a small, geographically limited slice of it.
“Isn’t JB oversupplied?” is one of the first questions any buyer asks, and it deserves a straight answer with numbers. This guide sets out the official JB new housing supply figures: what exists, what is being built, what is planned and what remains unsold. Then it explains what those numbers mean when you are choosing a location and a type of unit, especially near the Johor Bahru CIQ and the Bukit Chagar RTS station.
The figures come from NAPIC (the National Property Information Centre of JPPH), as published in its Property Market Report 2025 and as cited by CIMB Research and the major media. Where a number is our own calculation, we say so.
JB new housing supply: the key numbers
The single most important figure for condo buyers is the serviced apartment pipeline, because most new high-rise homes in the JB city centre are built on commercial land as serviced apartments.
| Johor Bahru serviced apartments | Units | As at / horizon | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Existing stock | 108,863 | 1Q2026 | NAPIC, cited by CIMB Research |
| Incoming supply (under construction) | 41,832 | Through about 2030 | CIMB Research, via The Star (Jul 2026) |
| Planned supply (approved, not started) | 18,712 | Through about 2031 | CIMB Research, via The Star (Jul 2026) |
| Incoming plus planned | 60,544 | To 2030/2031 | The Edge Malaysia (Jul 2026) |
| Pipeline as a share of existing stock | about 56% | Our calculation | 60,544 ÷ 108,863 |
CIMB Research noted in July 2026 that this pipeline raises oversupply risk if demand does not keep pace. That is a fair, factual caution, and it is exactly why location and product selection matter more in JB than in a market with tight supply.
Johor residential supply in 2025: completions, starts and planned units
Across all housing types in Johor, NAPIC’s 2025 figures show a steady flow of new homes, with the state accounting for roughly one in ten national completions.
| 2025 (NAPIC) | Johor | Malaysia | Johor share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completions | 10,261 | 99,877 | 10.3% |
| Housing starts | 11,501 | 82,097 | 14.0% (our calculation) |
| New planned supply | 12,114 | 75,370 | 16.1% (our calculation) |
| New launches | 11,151 (2024: 14,147) | 64,487 | 17.3% |
| Sales performance of new launches | 55.3% (highest of any state) | 35.5% | n/a |
| Completed but unsold (overhang) | 3,705 units, RM3.30 billion | 30,471 units, RM17.73 billion | 12.2% |
Two readings stand out. First, Johor’s new launches fell by about a fifth from 2024 to 2025 (14,147 to 11,151), so developers were already pacing launches. Second, Johor sold 55.3% of what it launched, well above the national 35.5%, which suggests the market was absorbing new projects better than most states.
What is unsold in Johor, and at what price?
Johor’s overhang rose from 2,964 units (RM2.49 billion) in 2024 to 3,705 units (RM3.30 billion) in 2025, and it is spread across price bands rather than concentrated in one.
| Price band | Johor completed unsold units, end-2025 | Share (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|
| RM300,000 and below | 577 | 15.6% |
| RM300,001 to RM500,000 | 560 | 15.1% |
| RM500,001 to RM700,000 | 907 | 24.5% |
| RM700,001 to RM1 million | 941 | 25.4% |
| Above RM1 million | 720 | 19.4% |
Serviced apartments are counted separately from this residential overhang. Nationally, NAPIC recorded 23,375 completed unsold serviced apartments worth RM19.33 billion in 1H2026, with more than 55% priced between RM500,001 and RM1 million, alongside 33,094 unsold residential units, according to The Edge Malaysia. A state-level serviced apartment overhang for Johor was not given in the sources we reviewed, so we do not quote one.
Put in proportion, Johor’s 3,705 unsold completed homes equal less than a tenth of the 42,566 homes that changed hands in the state during 2025. Johor also holds 12.2% of national unsold completed homes, below its 16.6% share of national home sales. The interesting detail is that the largest single band is RM700,001 to RM1 million, the price range where many city-centre high-rise units sit, so buyers in that range have room to compare and negotiate on completed stock.
What this means for you: unsold stock is real, but it tends to sit in projects that buyers did not prioritise. Knowing why a building is unsold (location, layout, access, pricing) is more useful than knowing the total.
The demand side: what absorbs new JB supply?
Supply numbers only mean something next to demand, and Johor’s demand indicators are among the strongest in Malaysia.
| Demand indicator | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Johor residential transactions, 2025 | 42,566 (about four times the 10,261 completions) | NAPIC Property Market Report 2025 |
| Sales performance of new launches, 2025 | 55.3%, highest of any state | NAPIC Property Market Report 2025 |
| RTS Link capacity | Up to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction | LTA / MOT |
| Cumulative investment in Iskandar Malaysia | About RM525 billion by October 2026 | IRDA, as cited in our 2027 outlook |
| Johor house price index, 2Q2026 | +3.6% year on year | NAPIC MHPI |
Transactions include resales as well as first sales, so the four-to-one ratio is not a direct absorption rate. It does show a deep, active market in which completed homes change hands regularly. Our Johor property transactions 2026 guide breaks this down by quarter.
The demand drivers most relevant to the city centre are cross-border commuters, professionals drawn by the Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone and data-centre investment, and short-stay visitors. Each of these groups places a premium on easy access to the CIQ and, from 2027, the RTS. That is why the same supply number can mean very different things for a building next to the checkpoint and one a long drive away.
Walkable to the CIQ: why this slice of supply is limited
The 60,000-unit pipeline is spread across the whole of Johor Bahru. Homes within an easy walk of the CIQ and the Bukit Chagar RTS station are a much smaller group, and geography keeps it that way.
- The circle is small. An 800 m walking radius covers about 2 sq km. Around the CIQ, a large part of that circle is the Strait of Johor, the Causeway approach, the CIQ complex itself and railway land, none of which can host housing.
- The existing set is short. Our transaction dataset near the CIQ and RTS covers seven completed projects, from TriTower Residence about 350 m from the RTS station to R&F Princess Cove about 700 m away.
- Infrastructure is fixed. The Bukit Chagar station is linked by a walkway of about 400 m to JB Sentral, and both ends of the RTS have co-located customs. The station will not move, so walkable land around it cannot expand.
- Prices already reflect it. New launches around Bukit Chagar were pricing at about RM1,000 to RM1,500 psf in 1H2025 (JLL), while the Johor serviced apartment average transacted price was RM711 psf in 2025.
This is the data-based version of the “scarcity” argument: not a claim that prices must rise, but an observation that the number of homes with a short, weather-proofed walk to Singapore-bound transport is physically limited compared with the citywide pipeline. You can see these distances on our JB amenities map.
How should buyers use supply data when choosing location and product?
Use supply data to filter, not to frighten. A plentiful citywide pipeline means buyers have choice, so the projects that stand out will be those with a clear demand advantage.
- Location first. Ask how a tenant or your own family will actually travel. Walking distance to the CIQ and RTS is a demand driver that newer, farther projects cannot copy.
- Product second. Layouts that match real tenant groups (cross-border commuters, couples, small families, sharers) tend to let more easily than one-size-fits-all studios. Dual-key and triple-key layouts are one way developers answer this.
- Tenure and land status. Know whether the unit is freehold or leasehold and residential or commercial title, because they affect financing and holding costs. See our guide to serviced apartment vs residential title.
- Completion timing. A project completing around 2030 will meet the market after much of today’s incoming supply has been delivered and absorbed or not. Judge it on that later market.
- Rent evidence. Check actual asking rents in the immediate area with our JB RTS and CIQ rent index before relying on any yield figure.
Where does Causewayz Square fit in the supply picture?
Causewayz Square is one of the few new projects inside the walkable zone: about 600 m from the CIQ and about 800 m from the Bukit Chagar RTS station, on freehold land, with completion targeted around 2030. The developer has proposed a pedestrian link bridge towards the CIQ and RTS; it is a proposal, not a built or confirmed structure.
Its case therefore rests on location within a limited zone rather than on the overall JB supply number. Buyers comparing it with Kebun Teh projects such as The Asteriaz should note that those are not walkable to the RTS and rely on a drive or a proposed shuttle, but offer a mall neighbourhood and larger layouts for own-stay. For a walk-time breakdown, see Causewayz Square to the CIQ and RTS on foot. WhatsApp us for the latest SPA price list and floor plans.
But what if the pipeline delays rents or resale?
It can, in some buildings, and planning for it is sensible rather than alarmist.
- Plan for a letting period. In a building where many units complete at once, budget for a few months to find the first tenant and for furnishing.
- Stress-test the yield. Run your numbers at a lower rent and a higher interest rate in the JB property calculator.
- Hold for the RTS era. RTS Link passenger service is targeted for February 2027 (LTA–MOT, October 2026), and the fare has not been announced. Commuter demand will only be measurable once trains run, so short holding periods carry more uncertainty than five-to-ten-year ones.
- Follow official signals. Malaysia’s Finance Minister II has urged developers to plan launches using NAPIC data, and Johor’s launches already fell in 2025, which points to more disciplined supply ahead.
For how transactions and prices have moved alongside this pipeline, see Johor property transactions 2026 and the Johor house price index trend.
Sources
- REHDA Institute: Summary of NAPIC Property Market Report 2025
- The Star: Johor high-rise segment faces oversupply risks (Jul 2026)
- The Edge Malaysia: CIMB on Johor Bahru serviced apartment supply (Jul 2026)
- The Edge Malaysia: NAPIC 1H2026 property market and overhang (Sep 2026)
- Bernama: Johor property outlook after the state election (Jul 2026)
- EdgeProp: JLL on four-figure psf serviced apartments in JB (Jul 2025)
- EdgeProp: Johor tops residential price increase, JLL (Nov 2025)
This guide is general information, not financial advice.