# Malaysia Living Compared to .... (fill in the blank)



## UltraFJ40 (May 20, 2014)

Greetings all. As the thread title suggests, do you have any comparisons on real world living vs another country?

It doesn't necessarily have to be in Asia but I'm just looking for a little comparison between Malaysia (rural or urban) vs other parts of the globe.

I am very familiar with Okinawa, Philippines, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Guatemala and a few others. I am aware that there are many nuances to determining "real" comparisons.

Anything would be helpful as I'm trying to educate myself on the pace of life, safety, cost of living and social issues.

Not a big fan of the money aspect but mostly interested in the people. Just like anywhere else, 'if you've got money then it'll probably be nice and so will the people". I'm mostly looking for insight into the common people's lives and how they treat others. 

Thanks in advance.

Cheers


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## anonserg (May 13, 2014)

As cliche as this may sound, it is really hard to compare living anywhere else with living in Malaysia. Especially different parts of the country is totally different than the other. The more popular ones are Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuching.

KL - has just the right mix of modern local people of so many different race, religion and cultural background and burgeoning expat communities. Probably best to put it as a city in between Singapore and Bangkok (not yet as modern as Singapore but getting there, culturally rich as Bangkok but politically more stable). Will never be as expensive as Singapore and Malaysians are generally passive when it comes to politics. 

Penang - a bit of Miami or Barcelona living with wide stretch of beach and good city vibe. Many beachfront high-rise condos, great shopping malls and vibrant nightlife.


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## UltraFJ40 (May 20, 2014)

anonserg said:


> As cliche as this may sound, it is really hard to compare living anywhere else with living in Malaysia. Especially different parts of the country is totally different than the other. The more popular ones are Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuching.
> 
> KL - has just the right mix of modern local people of so many different race, religion and cultural background and burgeoning expat communities. Probably best to put it as a city in between Singapore and Bangkok (not yet as modern as Singapore but getting there, culturally rich as Bangkok but politically more stable). Will never be as expensive as Singapore and Malaysians are generally passive when it comes to politics.
> 
> Penang - a bit of Miami or Barcelona living with wide stretch of beach and good city vibe. Many beachfront high-rise condos, great shopping malls and vibrant nightlife.


Thank you anonserg. That was quite helpful in characterizing the traits of each.


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