Hong Kong · Bangkok Post
How Malaysia offers Chinese property investors Singapore’s comfort at prices lower than Thailand
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 outlet. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
Malaysia is proving to be a middle ground for many Hong Kong and mainland Chinese investors looking to buy property in a country that provides the stability Singapore offers, but with competitive price points similar to those found in Thailand, according to analysts.
Key facts
- Data from Juwai IQI, a property portal with 7 million listings across 111 countries, showed that in the first half of 2026, Malaysia was the fourth-highest destination for inquiries received from Chinese buyers
- Johor Bahru, the Malaysian city closest to Singapore, has seen a 132% increase in data centre capacity since 2024, according to property consultancy Savills.
- Malaysia's long-term residency programme - the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) - was also boosting the country's residential property market, generating US$1 billion in foreign inflows in 2025, he added.
- Investors from China were the top foreign property buyers in Malaysia, accounting for 329 deals worth 834.6 million ringgit (US$204.3 million) in the first half of 2025, according to the latest official data.
- Year-on-year there's an increase of about 50% in data centre capacity in the special economic zone in Johor Bahru,"
- Malaysia is proving to be a middle ground for many Hong Kong and mainland Chinese investors looking to buy property in a country that provides the stability Singapore offers, but with competitive price points similar to those found in
Summary
Data from Juwai IQI, a property portal with 7 million listings across 111 countries, showed that in the first half of 2026, Malaysia was the fourth-highest destination for inquiries received from Chinese buyers. That compared with its seventh-place ranking in 2024 and sixth spot in 2025.
"Malaysia is a very popular destination for Hong Kong and mainland Chinese buyers, especially as a lifestyle, education, retirement or residency-linked investment," said Kashif Ansari, co-founder and group CEO at Juwai IQI.