Best place to live as an expat in Asia

First thing to think about is what kind of visa you would look for: investment-based or employment visa? We are considering Malaysia and Bali. Both quite affordable with reasonably low rents compared to most Western cities. Both offer flights around the region.

Thanks very much

I've been living here in Malaysia since 2011 under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) "life-time" visa programme.  I can say that Malaysia is an excellent country where retirees can live cheaply and in utter security.  The 3 ethnic groups (Malays, Chinese and Indians) are extremely friendly and helpful.  English is widely spoken.  Rentals are very cheap.  I have been living since 2011 here in Cameron Highlands where the average temperature is 21° C.  It does rain often but the sun will appear almost daily.  There is utterly no air pollution.  It is very sparsely populated except on week-ends and holidays when domestic and foreign tourists arrive.  We are surrounded by the rain-forest here;  the altitude is about 1,600 metres above sea-level.  Having lived in China for about 30 years, I speak Mandarin, I also speak French (my nationality) and English.  Good luck!   Pan Si Nuo 潘思诺

Malaysia is still far better than any other option in southeast Asia. But u must find a valid visa to live. MM2H can be an option for retirees. Work wise it is getting difficult for expats no thanks to covid situation. Hopefully things will improve if and when we get rid of Covid. But yea, Malaysia is still good even though perhaps its not as good as it was 10 yrs ago.

I have lived in Manila for 2 years, currently am in my 3rd year in Kuala Lumpur.  This is how I would compare the two countries:

Climate:  Tropical for both countries.  Plenty of rain & sunshine in both places, but the Philippines is more prone to flash flooding, and dare I mention they are regular victims of typhoons and earthquakes?

Congestion:  Very bad in the Philippines.  Humans and vehicles are fighting for space 24/7 on those tiny islands.   Traffic congestion and noise pollution is much worse in the Philippines due to poor road infrastructures and lack of space for development.   

Society:  People are equally friendly and welcoming in both countries, but the Philippines can be a depressing place because you see so much poverty and suffering, the income disparity is very wide and there are too many homeless people and animals on the streets.

Economic development:  the Philippines had become a "rising tiger" in East Asia during the last 10 years, but that's only because they started from a low base.   Malaysia is relatively more developed, and the general population enjoys a better and stable standard of living.

Cost of living:  Electricity is outrageously expensive in the Philippines compared to Malaysia.  Rental is also comparatively higher if you want to live near to Manila.  For expats, your grocery bill can be painfully expensive if you only buy imported items. 

Language:  The Philipino people are more English conversant, but in Malaysia you can get by with English too.

So to sum it up, Malaysia is a better choice for me, but this is all down to individuals, I have many expat friends who are long term residents in the Philippines and they wouldn't think of going anywhere else.

Before the pandemic I would have said Malaysia was highest on the list, but the new, and unelected government, seems hell bent on getting rid of foreigners! The MM2H shite show, treatment of foreigners in the pandemic and general isolationism cannot be ignored. This will prob last many years. Work wise it is one of the easiest as a certified/qualified teacher (NOT TEFL) so if that is your route then I recommend Malaysia as "Asia lite". Kids are great and people speak English. And best food in Asia!

One of the main upsides to Malaysia in the past was buying property, as in Thailand and Indonesia (especially Bali) owning property is not allowed (if you think you are buying a property you are being scammed or doing an illegal deal where you risk being scammed or a local government official just taking the property away from you). But I STRONGLY advise against buying any property in a country where you are easily cheated, and judges easily bribed to scam you.

Also don't make your mind up without trying first. I suggest you try, on tourist visas, 3 months in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. A nice year! Then think about it, get a job after that.

Best to rent in Asia as you are better protected, if the government decides it wants rid of all the foreigners you have less ties. I was in Thailand when the 2007 military coup happened - easy to leave with no real ties but imagine that with a property (lease only and still many issues here and I dont recommend it 0- rent!) to get rid of? Invest at home, where you understand the legal process and are protected as a citizen. It also gives you more flexibility, and in many Asian hotspots properties are at silly valuations. Why buy when renting is so much cheaper? Also inheritance becomes a serious issue. Better to invest at home, spend overseas!

Visa for Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines exist for retirees if that is what you want (you mention teaching - if you do that you get a visa and your husband gets a spouse visa). Many youtube videos about these. Decide after a year of living overseas.

As for work, the best places to be a teacher (certified or TEFl? Certified pay 3x TEFL btw) these tend to be capitals, like the dumpster capital Jakarta - and my wife is Indonesian and she refuses to let me work their as a dump - or KL that is relatively nice, to Bangkok that is dirty (in many ways lol) but exciting. Some of the better places to live/be a "digital nomad" have less teaching options eg Chiang Mai.

Nemodot says it well.

I wish to add as a reminder just in case expats think otherwise, owning property, having children, marrying, jobs, none of these things tie a person to the country. If the govt wants you out, then you go and leave the above behind. For some reason expats think the govt cant toss them if they own a house or if they have been here a long time or even if they have a valid visa. Anything you have can be snapped away and its wise to consider things like investments here as some version of "temporary accommodation" of a situation. Had this happened in a developed country, maybe a claim of rights could be made but here, as an expat you have no rights.

In the case of marriage, if the govt puts you out and your spouse cant get a visa to wherever you are going, the family is left behind. Likewise, if you marry a Malaysian under whom your visa sits and that spouse dies, you have no more visa to stay.  If you own a house, its still intact except that you no longer live in it. In that case you can sell it or hire an agent to rent it out for you and deposit the cash in the bank which you can access online until the bank finds out you no longer have any status in the country and cancels the account.

My point is to make the distinction between you and whatever your activities are here. They are not mutually inclusive. For this reason, I live light. I dont go into things I cant get out of easily. Example, if I put cash into a longer term account at the bank to earn higher interest, I CAN quickly liquidate and although I would lose the interest for premature withdrawal, the principal isnt lost. But having the account in the first place exists by itself and I have no rights because of it. In fact it has a greater connection to the bank than to me.  A great example is MM2H. You did all the expensive steps and moved here. Then you went back to your old country and found yourself barred from re-entry during covid or other restrictions. You THOUGHT this couldnt happen, that you had rights, this is your HOME and get so angry. Well? Thats Malaysia, sorry! Be careful what you do here and always have a Plan B, an Escape Pod. Maybe in a thousand years Malaysia will rise to the level of a 2nd World country and bestow a right or two but till then, careful.

I think Gia says it very well and also Mr. Sriva.

Im stumbling here trying to sort out a thought. 20 years ago.....wait, stop.....see, the thing is....wait i think i know why im stumbling. I want to say Malaysia is better today than 20 years ago but its hampered or not better because some town getting faster net doesnt make the country better. It comes down to the mindset which has never advanced and hampers progress. Food was much better before, prices were lower, weather same, more population now, more people with car loans (or people with more car loans), fewer expats, higher regulations that stifle and strangle, higher corruption (witness all the "titled" individuals in court these days) and this ongoing "village" mindset that blankets and smothers everything. The govt is village, the response to covid is village, and yet the average person is much better informed today because of the net and wants to progress but is held back by "the village." This is why Malaysia hasnt achieved Vision 2020 and maybe never will. If younger people with more current and modern attributes had a greater role in govt, maybe Malaysia would make actual progress and the onlooker could say its much better than 10, 20 or 30 years ago.

Malaysia is cheaper than USA, for example, and that means a lot but dont judge a place simply by that. You have to live in a place for a while to see it fits or not. My own thinking, its better than Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, China too, but as Gia said, I too know people who live in those other places and wouldnt leave. It depends what one is looking for in life. Malaysia has 100 upsides and 100 downsides. One thing I cant stand anymore is the dirt. DIRT has worn me out. Dirt in houses, restaurants, streets, everything you touch is dirt. Brown, oily grime everywhere. Chipped and broken tiles and stairs and sidewalks. It gets to you when the charm has worn off. Its a great place for retirement, a poor place to get anything serious done.

Lucky you didn't get locked out when COVID hit. You'd still be out for the past year. What they did to MM2h'ers when COVID hit is absolutely the worst nightmare. Locking you out of your main residence because you're an mm2h'er totally absurd. Can't even quarantine for 14 days to get back to YOUR HOUSE. If you were renting you still have to pay the rent or lose all your belongings. If you own well too bad so sad. What about the expenses that build up if you were stuck outside and had to go rent another apt for 12-16 months?
IF they don't guarantee re-entry with another pandemic. I would stay away from Malaysia.

1openmind,

All true but its basically everywhere, not just Malaysia. Australians cant even go home to Australia. So the issue isnt MM2H but that going forward, all govts know how to quickly lockdown and they will in the future. I would be afraid to travel because you can be so easily trapped during a 1-week vacation somewhere. There are 7 million foreigners trapped in US alone right now facing all the difficulties of your comment.

I know how people feel if we are talking about MM2H and Malaysia being ones only home but its selfish to think it directed at you or any one person. We all want govts to accommodate us but even with the vaccines I dont believe much will change. The safest place might be ones own home country which one never leaves even for a little trip.

It irks me that people wont heed that or your comment. People think life is still normal and this inconvenience will pass and they can get back to all their expat plans. Working or living, life wont be normal  again. If a person does move for a program like MM2H, then take the program (if its even possible) and dont leave the country again because it will be too easy to be locked out. I'll say something for the millionth time, expats have no rights or special accommodation for anything. Whatever normalcy comes to a place, it applies to its own citizens first. For example, I dont want the vaccine but here in Malaysia the foreigners go to the end of the line. If you were in your own country you could have the vaccine today; in Malaysia, next year. If you extrapolate that idea for different aspects of living, wherever you are as an expat is the worst place to be.

This and more pandemics and the ensuing inept govt responses to them overshadow everything now and later. IF a person had their shots, plus the boosters, plus more shots for the variants and mutants, MAYBE there is a change for limited travel and expat plans but I wouldnt bank on that. Anything can happen.

Myself, I need to be in Malaysia for my work but realize thats ended without the required ability to ship goods and travel back and forth to US. I could even forgoe travel if I could at least ship but I cant even have that. I havent worked in 15 months. My only hope at life is to sell off goods, pack up and leave here and thats all im working on now. At least in US I can work without begging on hands and knees for a temporary visa that means nothing to a govt.

So, my advice to any expat is that if you proceed with ideas, have the plan to be planted wherever you go without the need to go in and out even if some travel is subsequently allowed. Its safer to at least ask the question, "if I went there, could I stand the thought I might not be able to leave again and do I have a secure income source for that?" If the answer is negative, drop the plans. Its better to suffer on the side of safety than suffer your comment.

That said, who knows, maybe im 100% dead wrong and all of this will just blow over in a couple months and life is totally back to normal like nothing ever happened.