# moving to malaysia



## billythekid

Hello. This is my first post on this forum. My wife and I plan to move to Malaysia in a couple of years under the MM2H program. We plan to relocate to either Kuala Lumpur or Penang. Just a couple of questions regarding either of these two cities:

(1) How much monthly retirement income would be needed to live a comfortable life for two adults (60-65 years old) in either Kuala Lumpur or Penang? Please provide a realistic response.

(2) I've heard that alcohol is very expensive in Malaysia. Can you tell me the average prices for beer and wine in supermarkets and also in restaurants?

(3) We have two cats. Are cats usually allowed in most rental properties (houses, condos, apartments, etc.)?

(4) Can you give me some pros and cons about living in Malaysia?

Thank you very much for your help.


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## chong

_(1) How much monthly retirement income would be needed to live a comfortable life for two adults (60-65 years old) in either Kuala Lumpur or Penang? Please provide a realistic response._
Minimum USD1500 (excluding rental; ie from min USD500)
Fuel for your car - USD100 per month
No frills dinner for 2 person -

_(2) I've heard that alcohol is very expensive in Malaysia. Can you tell me the average prices for beer and wine in supermarkets and also in restaurants?
_Supermarkets - Beer: USD1.50 - USD2.5; Wine: min USD15
Restaurants - Beer: USD1.50 - USD3.5; Wine: min USD20

_(3) We have two cats. Are cats usually allowed in most rental properties (houses, condos, apartments, etc.)?_
House - Yes
Condo / Apartment / Studios - NO

_(4) Can you give me some pros and cons about living in Malaysia?_
Pros - 60-70% can speak english; Food is cheap; Great place to shop; Weather is great; Great beaches
Cons - Internet speed needs improvement; expect some rainy seasons; roads with potholes (direction signages r terrible - get a GPS, ie Garmin, Papago etc)


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## billythekid

chong said:


> _(1) How much monthly retirement income would be needed to live a comfortable life for two adults (60-65 years old) in either Kuala Lumpur or Penang? Please provide a realistic response._
> Minimum USD1500 (excluding rental; ie from min USD500)
> Fuel for your car - USD100 per month
> No frills dinner for 2 person -
> 
> _(2) I've heard that alcohol is very expensive in Malaysia. Can you tell me the average prices for beer and wine in supermarkets and also in restaurants?
> _Supermarkets - Beer: USD1.50 - USD2.5; Wine: min USD15
> Restaurants - Beer: USD1.50 - USD3.5; Wine: min USD20
> 
> _(3) We have two cats. Are cats usually allowed in most rental properties (houses, condos, apartments, etc.)?_
> House - Yes
> Condo / Apartment / Studios - NO
> 
> _(4) Can you give me some pros and cons about living in Malaysia?_
> Pros - 60-70% can speak english; Food is cheap; Great place to shop; Weather is great; Great beaches
> Cons - Internet speed needs improvement; expect some rainy seasons; roads with potholes (direction signages r terrible - get a GPS, ie Garmin, Papago etc)



Thank you very much for your response. So, including housing rental, would you think that USD3,000 is sufficient to live comfortably? Thanks, again.


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## chong

billythekid said:


> Thank you very much for your response. So, including housing rental, would you think that USD3,000 is sufficient to live comfortably? Thanks, again.


rental depend on location.

if staying in the center of mont kiara, ie. i-zen, a fully furnished studio (approx. 600sq.ft. with attached bathroom) cost about RM2500+/- per month (or USD850+/-).

maid by the hours, RM10-15 per hour (min 2 hours, but they normally come after 6pm)

internet 5MB with hyppTV RM150 per month.

if you choose to stay 3km from center of mont kiara, ie. along Jalan Dutamas Raya, a fully furnished condo with three bedrooms (approx. 1,000 - 1,500sq.ft. with 2-3 bathrooms) range from RM2,000 to RM3,500.

a bottle of Jack Daniel (whiskey 750ml) cost about RM150/USD50; Chivas Regal at RM160/USD54 (750ml). what's your favorite? or you can buy from Langkawi (duty free / no tax).

a pack of 20's cigarette is RM20 per pack.

full course dinner at a 5 stars hotel / restaurant cost from USD50 onwards.

a plate of fried mee / noodle range from RM5 - RM25.

one person size pizza only RM9 - large RM36.

a bottle of 500ml mineral water RM2.

*BUT buying car in Malaysia is expensive*. A second hand Toyota Vios J spec MANUAL (2010) cost approx RM60,000/USD20,000. Proton is cheaper and maintenance also cheap for Malaysian standard. easy to get spare parts. RON 95 petrol is RM1.80 per liter (1 liter can get approx 10-12km).

electrical items is Malaysia also cheap. a 32 inch LCD only RM800-900 (brand Haier). 320 liter refrigerator is only RM900. 48 liter electric oven only RM230, if microwave RM1200.

crime rate - depends on location.


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## billythekid

chong said:


> rental depend on location.
> 
> if staying in the center of mont kiara, ie. i-zen, a fully furnished studio (approx. 600sq.ft. with attached bathroom) cost about RM2500+/- per month (or USD850+/-).
> 
> maid by the hours, RM10-15 per hour (min 2 hours, but they normally come after 6pm)
> 
> internet 5MB with hyppTV RM150 per month.
> 
> if you choose to stay 3km from center of mont kiara, ie. along Jalan Dutamas Raya, a fully furnished condo with three bedrooms (approx. 1,000 - 1,500sq.ft. with 2-3 bathrooms) range from RM2,000 to RM3,500.
> 
> a bottle of Jack Daniel (whiskey 750ml) cost about RM150/USD50; Chivas Regal at RM160/USD54 (750ml). what's your favorite? or you can buy from Langkawi (duty free / no tax).
> 
> a pack of 20's cigarette is RM20 per pack.
> 
> full course dinner at a 5 stars hotel / restaurant cost from USD50 onwards.
> 
> a plate of fried mee / noodle range from RM5 - RM25.
> 
> one person size pizza only RM9 - large RM36.
> 
> a bottle of 500ml mineral water RM2.
> 
> *BUT buying car in Malaysia is expensive*. A second hand Toyota Vios J spec MANUAL (2010) cost approx RM60,000/USD20,000. Proton is cheaper and maintenance also cheap for Malaysian standard. easy to get spare parts. RON 95 petrol is RM1.80 per liter (1 liter can get approx 10-12km).
> 
> electrical items is Malaysia also cheap. a 32 inch LCD only RM800-900 (brand Haier). 320 liter refrigerator is only RM900. 48 liter electric oven only RM230, if microwave RM1200.
> 
> crime rate - depends on location.


Thank you so much for such a detailed response. By the way, I'm an American of Japanese descent, and my wife is Japanese (naturalized U.S. citizen). My wife actually learned about Malaysia through a Japanese documentary on television. Malaysia is apparently the number one retirement destination in the world for the Japanese (outside of Japan, of course). In the past we thought about retiring in Thailand (Chiang Mai), but Malaysia seems to offer much more through the MM2H program.

Again, thank you so much all the great information you provided.


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## chong

billythekid said:


> Thank you so much for such a detailed response. By the way, I'm an American of Japanese descent, and my wife is Japanese (naturalized U.S. citizen). My wife actually learned about Malaysia through a Japanese documentary on television. Malaysia is apparently the number one retirement destination in the world for the Japanese (outside of Japan, of course). In the past we thought about retiring in Thailand (Chiang Mai), but Malaysia seems to offer much more through the MM2H program.
> 
> Again, thank you so much all the great information you provided.


u r welcome..... btw, electricity rating in malaysia is 220-240V


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## blueer3

I don't think Kuala Lumpur is really a good place for retirement? My uncle himself (retired) barely gets out because afraid of the traffic jams and crowds  But it does have a lot more shopping malls and choices of eateries.


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## chong

blueer3 said:


> I don't think Kuala Lumpur is really a good place for retirement? My uncle himself (retired) barely gets out because afraid of the traffic jams and crowds  But it does have a lot more shopping malls and choices of eateries.


hahaha....! if afraid of traffic jams, just go between 2pm to 4.30pm.


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