Moving to Subang Jaya - 7k salary- is that ok for family of 3?

The salary is typical level for IT workers.

1. What would be the rent for 1bed room house with our sharing? RM1.5k
2. What is the cost of transportation ? Depends on distance e.g. RM250 per month for bus or train
3. Cost of living ? RM2k per month for groceries, supplies and utilities

Income tax deduction based on annual salary = RM 715 per month but first 6 months it will be flat rate of 25% as you are considered non-resident

0-5,000                0%                                                 
5,000-10,000      1% (RM50 )
10,001-20,000    1%  (RM100)
20,001-35,000    5%  (RM750)
35,001-50,000   10%  (RM1,500)
50,001-70,000   16% (RM3,200)
70,001-100,000   21% (RM6,300)
100,001-250,000  24% (RM36,000)
250,001-400,000  24.5% (RM36,750)
Exceeding 400 000  25%  (+)

Hi Sathya ! Hi Gravitas ! Pleasure to meet you in here.

Just saw the post ... would like to share a little on expenses and Subang Jaya, to best of my knowledge.

The cost of living in Malaysia is not high. There are people earning a lot lesser and still manages. In general, a manager's pay is within the RM5,000 to RM7,000 range and they also have a family.

Here are some basic cost you might want to know, hope it may help a little ...

1. ACCOMMODATIONS:

Most houses in Subang Jaya comes with 3 or 4 bedrooms. A semi-furnished double storey house with 1,000sf – 1,650sf build-up will cost around RM1,200 – RM1,800 per month on rental, approximately @ RM1 per square foot and also to what extend the fittings or furnishing provided. These are the current rates within the USJ2, USJ4, USJ5, USJ6, USJ14, SS19 and such, areas. As for the additional rooms, you may consider renting it out if privacy is not an issue. There may be a requirement for a Tenancy Agreement with the owner on rent duration, deposits (usually 2 months rental, 1 month rental advance + utilities), maintenance, notices should you decided to move out and so on.

Please google on search like PropWall, iProperty, Mudah or others on Malaysian sites for more information on units I mentioned...

2. TRANSPORTATION:

a) Rail - The LRT/MRT rail in Subang Jaya is still at development stage. However, there is a "Komuter" train service by KTMB, connecting Subang Jaya – Kuala Lumpur. Please note that the station for this service is located near Subang Parade shopping mall. You may need a connecting ride out or to your home. The fare one-way for adult is about RM1.60 to KL Sentral, not sure if it has increased. Even so, it could be minimal.

b) Bus - There is a RAPIDKL public bus service No. U63 by MYRAPID connecting to Kuala Lumpur. The fare is RM3 per trip.

c) Taxi - Taxis are also available with a rate of RM3.00 for 1st Km, and subsequent RM0.87 for every kilometre. This does not include booking fees RM2.00. It also depends on traffic where there can be additional charges. Please google on Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Taxi Auto Fares and such on details.

d) Car - The current Fuel Price: RON97 is RM2.25, Diesel is RM1.95. A car would increase your mobility despite common heavy traffics occurrence in city area. A new car would be nice but a pre-owned ones serve the purpose just as well. For RM30,000 and below you can get a pretty decent 1300cc or 1500cc car such as Perodua, Proton or other Japanese make models. On the other hand, it also means additional monthly commitment on instalments. Generally speaking, these models are reliable (good condition ones), economy and popular among locals should you want to sell it off later on.

However, with a car you will incur Parking charges and this may not be cheap in Kuala Lumpur city centre. The 1st hour charge is around RM3.50 and subsequent hour on RM1.50 or RM2.50 depends on the operator's policy. Seasonal parking passes may cost to about RM350 per month. Most companies provide their employees with such facility. It may not be an issue with your pay grade, I guess.

3. LIVING COST:

a) Food - In Subang Jaya township, there's plenty shophouses, food courts, stalls/hawkers available day or night with a reasonable price and not expensive. They have a large varieties of Chinese, Indian, Malay, Nyonya, Japanese, Korean cuisine available, as well. A dish with decent portion of rice, a piece of fried chicken, a dish on vegetable it only cost RM5.00 at an Indian restaurant. A glass of coffee or tea drink is about RM2.20. In sum, for RM8.00 you can have a pretty good and full-filling dish at a local coffeshop (non air/cond type) for one person.

The other alternative is to cook at home. Just my opinion, for a 2-adult and a kid, a "weekly grocery" cost of RM250 is more than sufficient, if you shop at hypermarkets like Giant, Tesco and Mydin itself with decent portion of fish, meat and even some ice cream to go by. They are available in Subang Jaya. All this however, is subjective and depends greatly whether anyone is a big eater. It also boils down to personal preferences and choice.

b) Clothing/Wears - A working attire (branded) is priced at RM200 and above, but you may shop wise if not in a hurry, buy it like RM120 during sales time in Malaysia (with a discount), as it has many sales and promotions throughout the year. There is, almost ... a festive celebration coming up in Malaysia, around every corner! LOL!

c) Utilities (Per month basis)
- Mobile Phone/Internet: RM180 (estimates, with about 6GB 3.5G data and calls, with 1 sub user). Many operators to choose from and it is also common that fixed lines are rarely being used these days at homes. Most companies may also provide mobile phone/data card facility to their employees if work relevant.
- Electricity: RM120 (estimates, with 1 air/cond running every night for 7 hours, no microwaves, no electric oven, no hairdryer)
- Water: RM20 (estimates, as the first 20 meter cube is being subsidized by the Selangor state government)
- Sewage: RM8 (estimates on connected sewage pipe services)

d) Entertainment - Beer is about RM10-RM12 for a small bottle, RM18 to RM20 for a larger one. In a normal pub & pool place before 9pm usually weekdays you may get like RM40 per jug/pitcher. Sometimes there's promotions as well and may go as low as RM36. There might be other places I do not know ... which can be cheaper. Average movie at a cinema will cost about RM10 and RM18 or RM20 even more for sophisticated ones. Shopping/Sightseeing: RM300 per weekend on average is more than enough for me, for clothes, shoes, accessories, visits to National zoo, a simple day trip out in or away from Kuala Lumpur etc.

Apart from all these cost I've mentioned, you may also need to set aside some allocations for purchase of some electrical items such as a TV set, washing machine, fridge and so on. Do bear in mind, however, that I have not include any educational/nursery expenses for your kid/kids.

I can't comment whether your salary is enough or not as I am not familiar with your spending habit and lifestyle nor your spouse's. I am also not aware of any other commitment or deductions you may have with your employer on contract nor anything about your Net-Take-Home-Pay.

So, it is only appropriate that you have a workout first, with a little bit of research from the internet, categorizing the monthly expenses with priority to what is "necessity cost" to you ... and the balance would be brought in towards your wants, would-like-to-have, entertainment, travel or simply just pure savings.

Wish you good luck and the people of Malaysia welcomes you, Sathya! 

warmest regards,