Living in JB City Centre: Food, Shopping and Daily Life near CIQ

For anyone weighing up living in JB city centre, the question is less about the condo and more about the neighbourhood around it. Where do you buy breakfast? Where do you shop for groceries? What is there to do on a weeknight? How long is the walk to the checkpoint? This guide looks at everyday life in the streets around JB CIQ and Bukit Chagar: the kopitiams and bakeries of the old town, the malls next to the Causeway, the night market, places of worship, healthcare and green space. It is written for buyers looking at Causewayz Square and other homes near the RTS, and for tenants deciding whether the city centre suits them.

For a full list of shopping malls and what each offers, see our companion guide to malls near Causewayz Square and JB CIQ. For the commuting routine to Singapore, see live in JB, work in Singapore.

What is it like living in JB city centre?

JB city centre is compact, walkable and busy, with heritage shophouses, modern malls and the main Causeway checkpoint all within about 1.5 km of each other. The area runs roughly from the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex and JB Sentral in the south, through Bukit Chagar and Jalan Wong Ah Fook, to the old town grid around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Trus.

Three things set city centre life apart from suburban JB:

• You can walk. Many daily errands, such as breakfast, groceries, a haircut or a pharmacy run, can be done without a car. That is unusual in a city designed largely around driving.
• Singapore is close. The CIQ is within walking distance. Once the RTS Link opens (passenger service targeted for February 2027, LTA–MOT October 2026), the trip from Bukit Chagar to Woodlands North takes about five minutes.
• Old and new sit side by side. Pre-war shophouses, decades-old coffee shops and family bakeries share the streets with glass-fronted malls and new high-rise residences.

Food near JB CIQ: kopitiams, bakeries and local favourites

The streets within a 15-minute walk of CIQ hold some of JB’s best-known everyday eating. Most places are casual, cash-friendly and open early. Food writers regularly list the following near the checkpoint (sources below):

Popular spots can have queues at weekends, when Singapore visitors arrive. For residents, the advantage is simple: you can eat at these places on a quiet weekday morning. Opening hours change, so check before you go.

A typical eating week

A city centre resident might start the day with kopi and kaya toast on Jalan Trus, take a bowl of kway teow on Jalan Segget at lunch, pick up bread from a Jalan Dhoby bakery on the walk home, and finish with a weekend curry fish head on Jalan Wong Ah Fook. For a quick dinner after crossing back from Singapore, the mall food courts and restaurants near CIQ stay open until about 10 pm.

Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and the JB heritage quarter

JB’s old town is about a 15-minute walk from CIQ and is the centre of the city’s café and heritage scene. Jalan Tan Hiok Nee was declared a cultural street in October 2009, with arches at both ends marking the “Laluan Kebudayaan Tan Hiok Nee”. The street is named after Tan Hiok Nee, a 19th-century Teochew merchant and leader of the Ngee Heng Kongsi in Johor.

Today the area is home to:

• Cafés and restored shophouses along Jalan Tan Hiok Nee and Jalan Dhoby, many in converted pre-war buildings.
• Thrift and vintage shops, which are a weekend draw for younger visitors.
• The Johor Bahru Chinese Heritage Museum at 42 Jalan Ibrahim, which tells the story of the Chinese community in Johor. It is open Tuesday to Sunday.
• Places of worship from several communities within a short walk, including the Johor Old Chinese Temple and the Arulmigu Sri Rajakaliamman Glass Temple. The Sultan Abu Bakar State Mosque on the waterfront is a short drive away.

For a resident, the heritage quarter is a free weekend outing on your doorstep. Walk in the morning before the heat, have coffee and bread, and you are home by lunch.

Shopping and groceries near CIQ

Three large malls lie within about 1.5 km of Causewayz Square, and two are linked by bridge to the CIQ complex. JB City Square opened in 1999 and has about 450,000 sq ft of space. It connects to JB Sentral through a pedestrian bridge that opened in 2008. R&F Mall opened in March 2019 next to the CIQ, with Jaya Grocer and MR.DIY among its anchors. KOMTAR JBCC sits next to City Square.

For day-to-day needs, this gives residents:

• Supermarkets inside the malls for weekly groceries, plus wet markets and provision shops in the old town for fresh produce.
• Cinemas, fashion and electronics without needing to drive to the suburbs.
• Air-conditioned routes on rainy days, since the bridges link the malls to the CIQ and JB Sentral.

Causewayz Square will also add about 90,000 sq ft of retail space in its own podium, which brings everyday shops even closer for residents. Mall-by-mall detail, including what each one is best for, is in our malls near JB CIQ guide.

Evenings: night markets and after-work life

JB city centre stays lively after dark, and the best-known example is Pasar Karat. This evening market on Jalan Trus, about 10 minutes’ walk from CIQ, runs from about 6 pm until late, Tuesday to Sunday, according to travel guides. It is known for fashion stalls, snacks and late-night food and drinks.

Other evening options include:

• Mall restaurants and cinemas, which are generally open until about 10 pm.
• Café and bar spots in the heritage quarter.
• 24-hour mamak restaurants for supper.

For cross-border workers this matters. You can get back across the Causeway at 7 pm and still have a full evening ahead, instead of losing it to a long drive home.

Healthcare, schools and daily services

The city centre is well served by public services because it is JB’s historic administrative heart. Hospital Sultanah Aminah, a major public hospital, is in the city centre area. Private hospitals and specialist centres lie a short drive away. Clinics, dental practices and pharmacies are spread through the old town and the malls.

Families will find established national and Chinese-medium schools in and around the city centre, as well as tuition centres in the malls and shophouses. International schools are mostly in the suburbs and Iskandar Puteri, so families who want them should allow for a drive. Banks, the post office, government offices and money changers are all close to CIQ.

Green space and staying active

Green space in the city centre is limited compared with the suburbs, so residents tend to rely on condo facilities and a few nearby parks. The Johor Bahru waterfront along Jalan Tun Sri Lanang is popular for evening walks. Dataran Bandaraya (the city square park) and the grounds around the state mosque offer open space a short drive or longer walk away.

This is one reason facilities matter in city centre projects. At Causewayz Square, the Level 12 podium is planned with 29 facilities, including several pools, a fitness studio, an outdoor gym, a yoga deck and a multipurpose hall for pickleball and badminton. Each tower also has a sky deck. Our Causewayz Square facilities guide lists them all.

Getting around JB city centre without a car

JB city centre is one of the few parts of Johor where daily life without a car is realistic. The main transport hub is clustered around CIQ: JB Sentral railway station, the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar checkpoint and the upcoming RTS Bukit Chagar station. A walkway of about 400 m links Bukit Chagar station to JB Sentral.

• To Singapore: today, most car-free commuters walk across the CIQ bridges and take a cross-border bus. Once the RTS Link opens, the train will take about five minutes from Bukit Chagar to Woodlands North. Trains are planned every 3.6 minutes at peak, and capacity is up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.
• Around Johor: KTM services run from JB Sentral, and many city buses and e-hailing pick-ups start near the hub.
• Short trips: e-hailing is widely used for the Southkey, the hospitals or the suburbs. Fares are usually modest for short city journeys.

For the station layout and walkways, see our Bukit Chagar RTS station guide.

A weekday and a weekend in JB city centre

To show how the pieces fit together, here is what an ordinary week can look like for someone living near CIQ and working in Singapore:

1. Weekday morning: a quick kopi and toast in the old town or the mall, then a short walk to the checkpoint, or to the RTS once it opens.
2. Weekday evening: back across the Causeway, groceries at the mall on the way home, a swim or gym session at the condo, and dinner nearby.
3. Saturday: a morning walk through the heritage quarter, brunch in a shophouse café, and an afternoon film or a slow mall visit.
4. Sunday: a longer drive to the Southkey or a family outing, then an early night before the week starts again.

The key benefit is time. Hours that suburban commuters spend in traffic can go to rest, family or exercise instead.

Practical tips for new city centre residents

A few small habits make city centre living easier from the first week:

• Visit at quiet times. Weekend afternoons and public holidays bring crowds from Singapore. Weekday mornings are the best time for popular eateries and errands.
• Carry some cash. Many old-town kopitiams and hawker stalls still prefer cash, although e-wallets and cards are increasingly accepted.
• Plan for the heat and rain. Walk early or in the evening, and use the bridges that link the malls with CIQ and JB Sentral when it rains.
• Use local services. Money changers, banks and telco shops cluster around CIQ and inside the malls, which helps with cross-border living.

If you are also looking at a quieter, more residential area, our Kebun Teh vs JB city centre comparison sets out how the two lifestyles differ.

The 15-minute neighbourhood around Causewayz Square

Planners talk about the “15-minute city”, where daily needs are within a short walk or ride. JB city centre is one of the closest examples in Johor. Measured from Causewayz Square, the rings look roughly like this:

• Within about 5 minutes: the project’s own planned podium retail, plus small shops and eateries around Bukit Chagar.
• About 10 minutes: R&F Mall, the CIQ, JB Sentral and the RTS Bukit Chagar station.
• About 15 minutes: JB City Square, KOMTAR JBCC, the Jalan Tan Hiok Nee heritage quarter, Pasar Karat and most of the old-town food spots.

That walkable mix is the basic difference between city centre and suburban homes in JB. Owner-occupiers get time back. Investors get a wider tenant pool, because many tenants do not own a car or would rather not drive across the Causeway every day.

Is JB city centre a good place to live and invest?

For people who want walkability, food and Singapore access, JB city centre is one of the most convenient places to live in Johor. It also tends to attract a steady pool of tenants. Most residents fall into one of these groups:

• Cross-border workers who want the shortest possible commute.
• Young professionals and couples who prefer cafés and malls to a quiet suburb.
• Retirees and part-time residents who like being able to do things without a car.
• Investors who look at rental demand near the RTS. See JB condo rental prices near the RTS and CIQ for current asking rents at completed projects.

Causewayz Square (often searched as Causeway Square JB or “Exsim CIQ”) is freehold and is targeted for completion around 2030. It is about 600 m from CIQ and about 800 m from the RTS station, and the developer has proposed a pedestrian link to CIQ/RTS. If you would like floor plans, a site walk-through or the latest SPA price list, WhatsApp us.

Sources

• TheSmartLocal: JB neighbourhood guide (malls, heritage district, Pasar Karat)
• Miss Tam Chiak: Cheap and good food near JB checkpoint
• Penang Travel Tips: Jalan Tan Hiok Nee
• Wikipedia: Johor Bahru City Square (shopping mall)
• Wikipedia: R&F Mall
• LTA newsroom: RTS Link passenger service targeted for February 2027
• EdgeProp: Causewayz Square project details

This guide is general information, not financial advice.