Cost of living in Malaysia

Dear readers,

If you are reading this, then you're probably wondering about the real cost of living in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. If you're not, then perhaps you're just curious :)

As a Career Consultant in Malaysia, I can advise you that the cost of living in Malaysia really depends on your spending habbit. You can be earning USD 1,000/month but you'll be spending USD 2,000 (on Credit).

So, it's going to be a subjective topic to talk about here. But, let's give you a real scenario from my expat candidate working with a MNC in Malaysia.

Her salary is USD 1,800 USD, or RM 5,400 +/-
Room Rental is RM 600
Utilities bill is RM 200
Daily expense on *Food & Beverage;
Breakfast - RM 5
Lunch - RM 10
Dinner - RM 15
Total: RM 30 x 30 days = RM 900
(Price Varies according to each individual)
Occassional Clubbing or Luxury Dinning - RM 300
*Shopping - RM 500 +/-
(Up to this point, she has already spend RM 2,500)

I've given you a rather typical "conservative" spender in Malaysia who has still over RM 2900 or USD 966.67 in Balance (Still in the GREEN, Yahoo!)

Notice that I did not include any "Transport Expense" ? This is because each individual varies, If you take Public Transport, it will probably boil down to RM 100 or Rm 200 a Month.

If you rent a car per month, will probably boil you down another RM 1,500 (Inclusive of Petrol). You do the maths :)


For More Information on Jobs available in Malaysia feel free to drop me an email [email protected]

Thanks for your post khenhh, and welcome to Expat.com !

thanks for this informative post =)

Thanks you khenhh for sharing this info.

I have a question regarding public transport. Is there any option of some sort, like card or pass, for people who are frequent users of public transport.

Regards,
Usman

usmannaeem wrote:

Thanks you khenhh for sharing this info.

I have a question regarding public transport. Is there any option of some sort, like card or pass, for people who are frequent users of public transport.

Regards,
Usman


Yup, there is an option to purchase a "Touch n Go" Card Sold in the LRT Stations for a RM 150 Monthly Unlimited usage Pass. You can use it for the Light Rail Transport, Monorail, & Rapid KL Busses. *Note* This only applied for the Rapid KL line which does not include other Public Transport Companies like Metro Bus, Mini Bus and etc.

Also good to note, that while public Transport is a cheaper alternative, you need to adjust to the "timing" issue with Rapid KL Busses. Otherwise, the LRT is a wonderful way to travel to work and to any landmark location in KL.

For more information you can check out this URL

http://transitmy.org/2010/05/31/rapidkl … june-2010/

copy and paste it in your address bar :)

Julien wrote:

Thanks for your post khenhh, and welcome to Expat.com !


Glad to be here! I believe there is so much to share about ones country, and this blog strikes me like a good place to share really informative information with everyone :)

Like cost of living, traveling methods, Food and dining experience and Do and Dont's ... etc etc

I'll come up with more informative information for Expats looking to settle down in Malaysia :)

Again, I'm not a professional in handling expats documents and etc, as I am only a Career Consultant from Manpower, so don't expect me to do any paper works for Visa & etc. I do have a colleague who is an expert in this, if only I could get her to be involved as well :)

I'll come up with more informative information for Expats looking to settle down in Malaysia


:top: thanks !

Hello,

Thank you for your information. Yeah, I'm looking for a job as well! Any reference? :P

And just to add, for expat telecommunication cost will be counted as well cos apparently roaming charges are very expensive nowadays! =)

You should also try www.expatistan.com.
It's a collaborative database of prices around the world which helps you compare cost of living between cities. While not perfect (ex. it does not report the atrociously expensive school fees here) it is great to get a rough idea of how much you can expect to spend in any city for general items.

blondeyes wrote:

Hello,

Thank you for your information. Yeah, I'm looking for a job as well! Any reference? :P

And just to add, for expat telecommunication cost will be counted as well cos apparently roaming charges are very expensive nowadays! =)


Well, I'm not sure if this is the right place to place Job Ads :) hehe but you can always drop me an email at [email protected]

Additionally, I would advise against using Roaming in any country, please purchase a prepaid calling card like IDD cards and etc to make calls using a landline. This will save you a whole lot compared to subscribing to a postpaid line in Malaysia.

Another alternative is to use Skype/MSN chat to communicate with family members, but I believe with Smart Phone features, all you need is a Wifi Connection to get connected with Skype or MSN.


For for more practical measures, to make local calls, try getting a prepaid line. As post paid lines are usualy charged differently between Locals and Expats, it's best to find out what are the "hidden" charges.

Unfortunately, I am unable to get this information in short notice, but I'll find out and post it here :)

Thank you very much for the detailed information.

Is there any one from hyderabad /andhra pradesh in the forum

Thank you very much for the detailed information.:)

khenhh wrote:
blondeyes wrote:

Hello,

Thank you for your information. Yeah, I'm looking for a job as well! Any reference? :P

And just to add, for expat telecommunication cost will be counted as well cos apparently roaming charges are very expensive nowadays! =)


Well, I'm not sure if this is the right place to place Job Ads :) hehe but you can always drop me an email at [email protected]

Additionally, I would advise against using Roaming in any country, please purchase a prepaid calling card like IDD cards and etc to make calls using a landline. This will save you a whole lot compared to subscribing to a postpaid line in Malaysia.

Another alternative is to use Skype/MSN chat to communicate with family members, but I believe with Smart Phone features, all you need is a Wifi Connection to get connected with Skype or MSN.


For for more practical measures, to make local calls, try getting a prepaid line. As post paid lines are usualy charged differently between Locals and Expats, it's best to find out what are the "hidden" charges.

Unfortunately, I am unable to get this information in short notice, but I'll find out and post it here :)


Hehe, just kidding! :P

Regarding the roaming charge, I'd suggest everyone especially those who traveling outside Malaysia frequently, to use Flexiroam to activate international roaming..

Use local sim to avoid expensive roaming charge. Flexiroam offers unlimited voice roaming service for only RM10 perday.. it's prepaid basis, no contract. Easier for traveler to making/receiving call from Malaysia.

Regards!
:)

Haha ~ you're funny :)

Hmm, I'm having a terrible flu.

Anyway, I didn't know there was such a cheak RM 10 prepaid for oversea calls ... I think the rate differs where you're going to and where you're calling.

So check with your local telcos :D

Yes, believe me there's such cheap roaming cost in Malaysia.. The cheapest I should say. The rate would be as local charge eventhough we're traveling overseas..

Maybe u can refer here: http://flexiroam.com:)

By the way, get well soon! :)

Thanks for this post OP, its very useful. I'm moving to KL next month and can factor all this in. Cheers :)

(Moderated)

hey, pls could someone help understand the updated living cost in KL for a month... i see this thread was created in 2011.

hey appandya, there is quite a bit of recent posts on cost of living in kl. check it out and if u anything specific, then u can post it.