The answer to the question of the cost of living in malaysia for decent lifestyle is that it is relatively affordable.
As someone who has lived in various countries, I struggled to determine how much money was necessary to maintain a decent lifestyle in Kuala Lumpur. Despite the abundance of information available, I couldn’t find a clear answer, which only added to my frustration. My family and I eventually decided to travel to Malaysia to see what kind of lifestyle we could afford. While researching, Malaysia ranks pretty high on the living index ratings.
We were able to tour schools, look at housing options, and get a feel for the overall cost of living. While this may not be possible for everyone, I hope to provide details that can help others determine the cost of living in Malaysia and the amount of money needed to sustain a decent lifestyle in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, where most expats reside.
Housing costs can be a significant expense for anyone, and this is true in Malaysia as well. However, it is still relatively affordable compared to other countries. Houses in Malaysia are typically more spacious than those in Europe, similar to homes in the USA or Australia.
Houses tend to be newer and modern construction, making them easy to live in.
I’ll use a family of four as an example for ‘mid-luxury’ living.
| Kuala Lumpur Penang | ||
| 4+1 Bedroom house 1200-1500 USD 1000-1200USD | ||
| 2+1 Bedroom House 700-1000 USD 600-900 USD | ||
| 1 Bedroom Apartment. 400-600 USD 300-400 USD |
For around 1200 to 1500 USD a month, you can get a big 4+1 bedroom apartment in a gated community, with amenities like a swimming pool, sports facilities & gymnasium included in your monthly rental.
Bedrooms are mentioned as 3+1 typically, as plus 1 bedroom is for the maid living area. The 1 bedroom comes as a separate unit with its own bath as it’s common here in Malaysia to have a Live-in-maid or house helper.
It’s always wise to choose a place within a gated community where most expats live, and chances of you meeting with like-minded other expats are far improved. While another advantage also is that most children would be going to the same school.
The gated communities and apartments tend to be far safer, making them best places to live.
Most neighbourhoods have small shop lots close enough for you to purchase your daily requirements. There would also be restaurants mamaks (places for local absolutely delicious Indian street food), and a shopping area in close proximity.
Most expats like to live in urban areas like Bangsar, seputeh, Kota Damansara, Mont Kiara & Klcc. Recently Bukit Jalil has been attracting many expats and Digital nomads due to the proximity to the golf course, places like the Pavilion shopping mall, and the CBD district.
The average price of monthly rent for an apartments or a house in the above neighbourhood tends to be between $1,200 and $2,500.
For lower rentals, it’s best to look are adjoining areas.
https://wise.com/us/blog/category/living-abroad-life-in-malaysia/
Education is surprisingly outstanding. There are lots of schools to choose from & the academics and extracurricular activities are very good in International and private schools. It depends on what you want out of school; several international and public/private schools exist.
I sent my daughter to an Australian international school, as I wanted my child to have sports and outdoor activities as a part of her growing up. And there has not been a single day in the past six years, even while she’s sick, that she doesn’t want to go to school.
In international schools, the fee tends to be a lot higher. Still, a range of private schools is available here to fit everyone’s budget.
The public school here tends to be more ethnic-based, and it’s rare to find another ethnicity in these schools. You can find Chinese schools, Malay schools, and Indian Tamil schools. A few local private schools like Sri Kdu, Taylor’s & Sri Cempaka International School exist.
The UKC is considered one of the best universities in Asia; Taylor’s has a partnership with Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and has grown through its association with Nottingham Trent University. These schools have great connections abroad & their kids get into top universities worldwide.
A few International schools ranked very highly, and their children tend to go to excellent universities worldwide.
Below is the list to give you a fair idea:-
Grade 6 and above USD-25000
https://www.international-schools-database.com/in/kuala-lumpur
If you have not heard it, Malaysia is a foodie’s paradise. This place spoils you with choices from street food to cafes to fine dining. The decisions here are always made depending on your mood of, what cuisine you crave and the budget. Food in Malaysia is a story in itself; you can never seem to have enough. The amount of restaurants and cafes which are around is not even funny. Malaysia has a culture of eating out every meal or ordering in due to the low cost of food; you’ll always have food here.
If you’re a good coffee and bakeries fan, then there’s good news for you!
It is funny to see Grab food scooters doing delivery rounds starting early morning until late night, bringing you a hot cuppa coffee and evening desserts. All oversized and small cities of peninsular Malaysia have food available from 7 am to 12 am.
For quick work lunches, there are food courts, with amazing food choices, with an average cost of $ 4.50 for a healthy combo meal and $1 for a coffee.
If you plan to go to slightly fancy cafes or restaurants for your meal, an average of $9 for a person for a sandwich and a Colombian coffee.
One can get a beer from a supermarket for $1.60, and at restaurants, on average, it is about $5.46.
Regarding a family of 4 dinners in an Expat neighbourhood in a posh restaurant, it is approximately $51.60.
But there is such a massive range of restaurants available on every street and corner that you can budget your spending accordingly and get good quality food.
Monthly cost for Day To Day Living expenses Approx.
| Kuala Lumpur | Penang | |
| For 1 Person | 500 USD | 450 USD |
| For 2 People | 800 USD | 700 USD |
| For family of 4 | 1200 USD | 1000 USD |
You can use credit cards at all locations.
You are again pretty spoilt when it comes to entertainment; Malaysian citizens and residents enjoy indoor and outdoor recreation. Malaysia provides a humongous amount of joy, be it a movie, sports facilities, indoor gyms, Parks, or water sports; they have it all at very nominal prices.
| Entertainment | Price |
| Movie | $4.69 |
| Badminton group lesson | $ 5.70 |
| Tennis Personal coaching | $ 22.76 |
| Karaoke per hour | $ 6.83 |
| Kayaking | $5.70 |
| Skateboarding | $5.70 |
| Swim lessons | $ 5.70/ lesson |
It’s one place you’ll never regret spending a few years or your retirement years. It has a lot to offer.
It’s a beautiful country with beautiful locals and an excellent lifestyle at a reasonable cost.
The quality of the roads, as well as public transportation in Kuala Lumpur, are one of the best in all of Asia. The highways/ motorways connecting Kuala Lumper are very well developed and well designed, and very wide, connecting the city to rural areas, making it easy and pleasurable to make road trips. Living there, you’ll be making loads of road trips and spending a fair bit on traveling and exploring Malaysia and neighbouring countries.
One can find a considerable amount of motorbikes, and it is preferred by many to travel around.
People love to drive here as the cost of cars as well as gas is pretty reasonable, so on any given weekend or extended holiday, one tends to find all roads out of Kuala Lumpur or coming into Kuala Lumpur totally packed.
The interest rate for purchasing a car largely depends on your visa status; if you are Foreigner buying a new car, the rates are available from 2.5- 6% depending on the car you wish to purchase.
The Fuel price in Malaysia as of 2023 in USD is-
RON 95- 0.46 /litre.
RON97- 0.74 / Litre
V-Power Racing- 0.83/Litre
Diesel Euro 5 B10. 0.48/ Litre
Public transport cost – 0.30/ trip
Car rentals option is also available if you plan to stay short term, Paying around 700USD monthly.
I owned a Mazda sedan, and on average, I would be driving 10 miles every day; weekends were definitely more. We spent around 15 USD monthly.
The cost of utilities, like any other country, the electricity and water bill would depend on the actual size of your house and usage.
The price of electricity is 0.050 USD/KWh.
The price of water is reasonable too. For usage of 80mm, you’ll be spending 1.97 USD.
The Price of the Internet for 2Gbps is around 89 USD.
The advantage of living in Asian countries is that the culture of keeping a Live-In-maid is very prevalent.
Depending on your requirements, One can choose from a Live-Out & Live-in.
Most of the helpers in Malaysia are from Indonesia or else the Philippines. Philippine workers are more in demand as they can speak and understand English.
For Live-out helpers, you pay monthly or every 15 days as you negotiate with the prospective maid.
Approximately the cost of a Live-Out helper working 3 days a week, 4 hours each day is around 350 USD/month
The cost of having a live-out helper depends on the amount of time they spend with you, but usually, they work 4 hours.
For live-in helpers, who work exclusively on-site at your home and stay with you costs approximately 650 USD; in excess of their salary, one needs to include a round trip ticket for their family each year and an agency fee which is pretty high of 3360 USD.
With having live-in helper at low cost, provides a very decent lifestyle in Malaysia.
If an opportunity presents itself for you to move to Malaysia, it’s worth a grab; it’s like that hidden gem that people know about but have yet to fully understand. The business opportunities are substantial here: making it favourite place to live for digital nomad. With the cost of living low, good education, good facilities, low crime from any standards. Ease of travel to various parts of the world at a very affordable cost, and easy short flight access to many south eastern Asian countries and Australia and New Zealand.
Making Malaysia home would be relatively easier if planning on relocating. With modern cities like Kuala Lumpur & Penang island being the choice of nomads to make it their second home. I know many families who came here for a year or two and have lived on and made it their home forever.
After living in Kuala Lumpur for 6 years, having a beautiful home at city centre of capital city with a low cost of living in Malaysia providing decent lifestyle. I can confidently say that it’s worth considering a country if you are planning on relocating.