More savings, landed house & a familiar place: Mediacorp actor Shaun Chen, 46, shares why he moved to JB with family

Malaysian Mediacorp actor Shaun Chen, 46, had moved his family from Singapore to the Eco Botanic township in Johor Bahru in August last year.

He currently lives with his Malaysian wife, Celine Chen, and his two daughters, aged nine and seven.

On Jun. 6, he shared on a podcast called "Call Us Daddy", hosted by actor Allan Wu, about the reasons for his move.

Being Malaysian, a bigger house and cost savings

Chen shared that by moving to Johor Bahru, his family would be able to afford a bigger and more comfortable home, however he said the main reason was that both he and his wife are Malaysian.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the Eco Botanic township is a highly sought-after residential area amongst Malaysians and Singaporeans as it offers residents a diverse range of amenities and lifestyle destinations.

Due to this popularity, a simple terrace house in the area has a starting price of RM1 million (S$300,000), reported Zaobao.

Chen shares that his new home is much more spacious and less congested.

"I think if we were to stay in Singapore, I don't know if I have the chance to stay in a landed (property). I don't think so because I am not Singaporean."

The second reason was that the move would help his family save on living expenses.

Wu asked if Chen could give a rough estimate of the amount of savings, which he guesstimated at about 30 to 50 per cent.

Chen acknowledged that despite the majority of people being positive and encouraging about his move, others wondered if his move was driven by problems he might have been facing.

He also shared that others thought that he was going to downgrade his life.

Chen then jokingly countered that he upgraded his lifestyle instead, given his bigger home and cost savings.

Crossing the checkpoint regularly for work

However, Chen shares that his job scope has not changed and that he is still a Mediacorp artiste.

He thus travels to and fro from Johor Bahru whenever he has to work, just like he did for the podcast.

Chen shared that it usually takes 45 minutes by car to reach Singapore, but it can take up to two to three hours in the rare case he faces an incredibly bad jam, which he says does not happen often.

As filming times are mostly within his control, he would also schedule them to take place during off-peak traffic hours.

But Chen also said that a large part of their move had to do with both he and his wife being Malaysians.

Watch the full podcast here.

Top image from @shaunchenhongyu on Instagram and Take Off TV/YouTube