What is the cost of living in Malaysia?The cost of living in Malaysia per month is much cheaper, compared to other highly developed countries in Asia and the western hemisphere. Going out for dinner or lunch is part of the lifestyle and extremely low-priced. You can have a good meal at a hawker stall from RM 2, or a burger dinner at the fast food chains for RM 6–10 The gasoline prices are subsidized and low around RM 2 per liter, you can hire and pay a maid or nanny easily. With only 30 US$ a day you can have a basic but nice life in Malaysia!
The average cost of living in Malaysia is low, check the Big-Mac-Index below. If you do not have a very demanding lifestyle, you could live in Malaysia as a single person with a budget of 3000 RM (880 US$) and 4000 RM for a couple in the countryside. This includes the rent of a flat or apartment, additional costs, telephone, mobile, internet, cable TV, cloth, restaurants, local insurance, grocery, petrol) . If you are more sophisticated, with 6000 RM (1700 US$) a month you don´t miss anything, holidays, overseas insurance, imported food..
Lets compare the cost of living in Malaysia with it´s south-east Asian neighbors:
Big Mac Index in US$ Malaysia 1,88 Thailand 1,89 Philippines 2,05 Indonesia 2,05 Singapore 2,88
Prices in Malaysia?Shop at the hypermarkets Tesco, Giant, Jusco or Carrefour for good prices:
get 30 eggs for RM 5.50 only
finest Australian lean beef for RM 25 per kg
chicken wings are RM 10 per kg
German pepper sausages for RM 36 per kg
clams are RM 1.70 per kg
get a sweet pineapple for just RM 1
or watermelons for RM 0.90 per kg
tomatoes are just RM 1.29 per kg
cabbage is RM 1.50 per kg
2 liter Coca Cola or Sprite you get for RM 3.50
1 liter pasteurized milk is RM 4.95
750 ml of french table wine is RM 19.90 (yes, alcohol is expensive here)
or get it even lower at the local markets.
Medical care, one of the benefits living in Malaysia:Health care in Malaysia is among the best in the region of South-East Asia and in conformity with Western standards.The quality of tap water is good and safe in the cities. In rural areas it is advisable to boil the tap water. The quality of the food is checked by the Health Ministry and is subject to constant checks. There are very good hospitals here and Malaysia is going to be a top destination for health tourism. A local basic health insurance is only RM 100 a month.
A visit at the dentist to make a new composite filling is only RM 120.
Lung functional test 40 RM
Ultrasound full abdomen 184 RM
Bone densitometry 120 RM
MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging 780 RM
International schools in Malaysia:In Malaysia you will find a large number of international schools, but prices are expensive and range from 16,000 RM to 42,000 RM for primary level and 20,000 RM to 48,000 RM for secondary level per year. Additional there are the costs for the reception, registration, membership fees, deposits, etc. The cost of living in Malaysia with family is correspondingly higher. If you are working in Malaysia as an expat you better ask your company to take over the costs for school and kindergarten.
For your convenience here are some exchange rates (04.2012) :
1 € = 4.05 RM - 1 RM = 0.2570 €
1 US$ = 3.06 RM - 1 RM = 0.33 US$
1 AU$ = 3.18 RM - 1 RM = 0.31 AU$
1 CA$ = 3.09 RM - 1 RM = 0.32 CA$
1 GBP = 4.93 RM - 1 RM = 0.20 GBP
1 HK$ = 0.39 RM - 1 RM = 2.53 HK$
1 Yen = 0.04 RM - 1 RM = 26.60 YEN
1 CHF = 3.37 RM - 1 RM = 0.30 CHF
1 SGD = 2.45 RM - 1 RM = 0.41 SGD
please check a currency converter for the actual rates
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