# Retire to Malaysia



## jguyeby

My husband and I and our 4 cats are planning on retiring mid 2016. We have looked at Malaysia as it seems there is more value to our US dollars there. Our concerns and requests:

How good is the MM2H program?

How easy is it to find rental property (3 bedroom fully furnished) that is cat friendly. We have about RM2000

High speed internet a must

Would love to live near water (Panang)

Good public transportation as we will not have a car.


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## jguyeby

Bump


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## roystevenung

There are hundreds if not thousands of people retired on MM2H throughout Malaysia.

I am quite sure that you would be able to get a fully furnished condo for Rm2K~RM3K. 

However to bring in the cat, there are some procedures.

You may check out the MM2H website for details on how to bring in the pets. You may visit the MM2H official website at www.mm2h.gov.my

Penang public transport is run by Rapid Penang, fully air cond buses that ply the roads of Penang. I would say the Rapid Penang is decent. 

Public transportation in Penang is either bus or taxi as there isn't any LRT/MRT/Monorel/tram.

As for hospitals, there are plenty of Doctors who got their papers from the west. Medical insurance is not as expensive as it is in the US, eg heart bypass here < RM80K.

I am from Penang.


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## colmw1

dont bother with mm2h. you can do all without tieing up your money just go to tie boarder every 90 days. I am MM2h and like many others waist of time and money. i live penang and rent it ok.


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## foxshrek

Price as of July 2014

Petrol ron 95 - RM2.10/liter
Diesel - rm2.00/liter

car cost (estimate) - vios rm90k / honda city rm90k / proton sedan around rm70k / honda accord 2.4 RM173k / accord 2.0 rm150k

rental condo (medium to high end) - rm4000 for 1500-1700 square feet 2-3 bedroom condo in hartamas/mont kiara/bangsar/ jln duta

high speed internet (fiber optic) - RM150 month for unlimited usage at 5mbps comes with a land line and free iptv 
astro satellite tv - RM80-150 month depends on package you take lovely full hd 1080 movie/documentary/sports 
cellular - maxis/digi/celcom averagely will set you back at rm100 on moderate usage with a 2gb data plan. maxis has LTE, celcom has LTE, Digi still rolling out LTE. Maxis is a leading telco provider in Malaysia

For grocery price check out : tesco malaysia 

Food eating out in a nice decent restaurant - RM50-60 per head no alcohol
Average restaurant - RM20-30 per head
Beer in a bar - tiger/carslberg RM10-12 per mug draft / tiger/carslberg RM20-25 per pint draft
Cigarette's - RM12 for a dunhill, marlboro 20 stick / RM10.50 for a winston or pall mall 20 stick
Whiskey bottle in a bar will cost you - RM250-280 for a johnny walker black label or equivalent 

Road toll in the Klang Valley proximity is around RM1.50 - RM2.00 per way
Parking around RM1.50-2.00 per hour in prime areas, usually a flat rate after 6pm.

Generally cost of living in Kuala Lumpur has gone up in the past 2-3 years due economical advancement and also generally people earn more these days as well. Hope you find this information useful. 

by crackedbox


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## foxshrek

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/ma...ffer-move-kl-good-salary-not.html#post4553378


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## chrisddickey

I would also say that Penang is a great choice. Much cheaper than KL. Your dollars will go far and more importantly, you will get good value for them. There are many cheaper places to live in the world, but you will get a very good lifestyle here.

You should have no problem finding a 3 bedroom fully furnished for 2000 RM per month with swimming pool and gym, etc. included.

Buses are very doable here, the only problem is that they don't have a schedule (that I have been able to find) other than some vague statement like "every 20 to 40 minutes". You can also consider taking the risk of buying a beater car for cheap and hoping it stays together.


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## DeletedMember5102

*Hi*

Do u have any friend (native english speaker)?. I would like to find an english teacher for my school. If you know anyone in Penang, please contact me. Thanks.


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## tamimi

Malaysia is a great choice indeed


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## chong

colmw1 said:


> dont bother with mm2h. you can do all without tieing up your money just go to tie boarder every 90 days. I am MM2h and like many others waist of time and money. i live penang and rent it ok.


that's right..... u don't need MM2H if you are a frequent fliers


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## Kipperpie

chong said:


> that's right..... u don't need MM2H if you are a frequent fliers


How long can you stay on a visitor visa? Is it 90 days? Are there any problems with doing border runs every couple of months?


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## Munkeyphist

*Due Diligence*

For those of you following this thread, and are curious about the differences between the cost of living of where you are, and where you want to be, take a look at the numbeo web page. 

As with anything that requires great travel (think nearly 20 hours of flying from the US West Coast), it also requires good planning, and research month in advance up to the point of departure, and then some more when you get there..

There are no "blanket" answers to what each person wants, and needs when looking at retirement options, but there are plenty of places to look both on the internet, and through Consulates and Embassies.

I have lived on 5 different continents, and have learned that there is no limit to knowing to much about a place you are going to live, eat, sleep, and travel in. Doing zero research will only lead to huge problems when you get there. Do you due diligence.


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