Is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia a Good Place for Expats?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Today I'm talking about whether I could live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and if I think it's a good city for expats to live. I've only been in Malaysia for a little while, but I'm excited to share my first impressions with you.
Is Kuala Lumpur a place I could see myself living or even retiring in the future? 🤔 I'll go over what I love about the city, some things that are a bit different, and what it's like to be an expat here.
From the delicious food, the warm weather, and the friendly people, to the hustle and bustle of city life, I'll cover it all!
If you're curious about moving to Malaysia or just want to know more about Kuala Lumpur, be sure to watch till the end. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more videos about my adventures and thoughts on living abroad!
Thanks for watching!
#KualaLumpur #Malaysia #ExpatLife #Travel #LivingAbroad #Retirement
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Yes, KL is considerably a good place to live in for expatriates and digital nomads. KL is such a wonderful city, KLCC park is really beautiful.
Yes, I really like this park. Great place to be.
@@WalkAboutWayne Wonderful. 😀
You’ll find smaller cities such as Malacca, Penang or Ipoh charming.
Nice 👍
Nice summary of just about everything that KL has to offer mate. One other thing I have noticed is the general upkeep around the streets of KL compared to Bangkok, road quality and especially the much wider footpaths with bugger all trip hazards plus the general cleanliness comparisons of the two. For me KL wins hands down. You are right that a different style of tourist would go on a mission to KL while the monger types moreso use it as a place to go to on a visa run, a few days and back out. Top video well presented. Great work Wayne. Cheers 🍻🤩
Yes mate the roads and paths are spot on, 99% is perfect. I have come across some rough parts but nothing major. Nice one mate.
Malaysia is the best place to settle down.. You will live in peace and harmony in this diverse country.. very interesting country indeed..
Yes, I can see why lot's of families settle in Malaysia. Great place to be.
KL is a beautiful city with less pedestrian and vehicle congestion. Very clean and well maintained! Good infrastructure too. The population is more modern and educated as well than the blended population of city/country big cities in Thailand. Think you would need at least one month there before you can get an accurate perspective of the city/country. In my opinion, you're more of a smaller city or countryside person. You're doing it right in "going with the flow". I concur with your estimation of Thailand and Malaysia. Thank you for your transparent position and sharing the adventure.
It's a great city, very clean but some not so clean areas also, but that happens in any city. I would probably need a few months to really get the feel of living here. Sure, I'm from the countryside in England, I've never been a big city guy. Cheers.
@@WalkAboutWayne I'm in the same "mind" meld, enjoy the serenity and quiet solitude of a more rural setting.
Welcome to Malaysia need to try eat cendol durian Ramli Burger
Thank you! Durian Ramly sounds good!!
Malaysia is more stable etc, a beautiful place . West coast wow , absolutely scenic
👍👍
Welcome to Malaysia. Enjoy your stay and Stay Safe.
Thank you!
Great summary and very honest and tasteful impressions Wayne. You covered everything and each facet of life very well and in sufficient detail to give us a reasonable chance to understand the city and how we might feel about the experience. Thank you Mate!
Thank you John, lot's more I could have covered but it was just a chat about my thoughts.
Penang has a much more laid back vibe than KL. I think you’d like it there 🙂
Penang looks good. Kuching is more on my radar though. Hope all is well Kirsty.
Great summary!
I'm an old fashioned and simple kind of guy, don't like fancy hotels, skyscrapers or restaurants, your walk around in that older neighborhood was completely in my taste, so lovely!
I saw your earlier video from Hua Hin which by the way is my favorite place in Thailand, best area is "the old town" close to the fishing pier, small simple restaurants and accomodations, some of them on stilts.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I prefer the older style neighborhoods also. I really enjoyed my time in Hua Hin, hoping to return soon. Yes, great area near the fishing pier.
I found Malaysia was cleaner as well!😊
Yes mate, very clean in most places.
Sarawak in East Malaysia is also a good place to live...
Sabah as well, paradise n Msia😊
Nice 👍
I strongly recommend Penang Island. Good food good people beautiful beaches and many places to hang out. Come over here and do some research 😊
Ah, FYI, Penang go to Thailand just a borderline, you can take Van, train or flight. It's very near.
Maybe one day buddy 👍
Wayne, that was an excellent review of KL. You touched on everything I was curious about. I'm not in to big cities but it appears to be a nice one. And I picked up another British word from you: monger. Not in our American lexicon, 555. So I'm always learning from you...
Kuala Lumpur is a nice big city, different from most others. Haha, here's me thinking Monger was universal.
Hi Wayne, try to visit Langkawi. It’s awesome. You can then re-enter Thailand through the Koh Lipe ferry, that’s also a brilliant little island
Maybe one day buddy.
I agree Malaysia is a great place to live and you are right, the language barrier is nearly non existing if you speak English. What keeps me off from Malaysia to retire are the VISA requirements of liquid assets. Thailand has much lower requirements but even younger people are not fluent in English or too shy to try to speak. In Vietnam surprisingly the younger population is mostly fluent in English, country has a lower cost of living level but you have to be comfortable with the way of life there. Yes, spend a few months as a tourist in each country to get a good feeling, then make your decision or become a South East Asian traveller; based on the season stay for 3 months at a time in one country before moving on to the next to have great weather - rotation is the name of the game. I honestly consider this. It needs first to solve health insurance especially when you get older above 70 y as this is often an exclusion limit in Asian countries for Health Insurance coverage.
Yes the long term visa does seem abit tricky in Malaysia, it would be something to think about. I didn’t really have that experience of everyone speaking English in Vietnam. Lots of people do, but it was far from everyone being fluent. 3 months is a good stint to see if you like it yes. The Philippines is always an option also. Thanks
The islands of Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia are must visits too! In fact you could travel back to Thailand via Langkawi and visit the Thai island of Ko Lipe, tropical paradise 🏝️. I’ve been to Ipoh about 3 hours north of Kuala Lumper, it’s a much less touristy town and more traditional, it may be more to your liking! It’s also easy access to the Cameron Highlands, sort of similar to the English Lake District, with beautiful tea plantations and rolling hills and a much cooler climate 😊
Nice one mate. I think Kuching is more on my radar in the future. But hope to check out some other places also.
@@WalkAboutWayne Kuching is great, reminded me of Penang of 20 years ago but with modern transport and shopping malls. Great food, very friendly - first afternoon there... welcomed twice by locals in English.
Fantastic video !!!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻BEAUTIFUL MALAYSIA 🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾🇲🇾with EYE CATCHING GREENERY PARK LOVE IT A A LOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT 😍😍😍😍😍MUST VISIT AND LIVE DESTINATION!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! Malaysia is great! 🇲🇾😃
Great commentary Wayne. I laughed when u mentioned the bloke's puffin their chest out. I see that everywhere around Thailand now😂
Cheers mate. 😂😂
George Town, Wayne! George Town! Look it up!
I know all about George Town buddy. Kuching catches my eye more. Hope to visit both at some point though 👍
@@WalkAboutWayneaccording to numbeo Kuching is cheaper than Chiang Mai, it looks really nice! Hot as the freaking sun though 😅
Love your balanced outlook on Kuala Lumpur.
If you get the opportunity to get to the east cost you might find places like Kuala Dungun (it is lovely there) provide a real balnced contrast.
That said the trains up the west coast are cheap, easy and a good route back to Thailand there are so many choices on the way.
Thank you buddy! Hopefully I'll see more of Malaysia soon. Kuching is where I want to see.
"Wam bam thank you maam"
Haha love that description. Anyway, maybe you can try the rural area of Malaysia & maybe u could change your mind after a visit. But I have to warn the rural area women are even more difficult to date. Even less wam bam for u 😂
🤣🤣🤣 Thanks.
If you want into a bit more asian, try Kuching Sarawak, I was there in the late 80s, loved the place? More Christians there!
👍👍
Transportation's gotten a LOT better over the last 4-5 years, with the new MRT and LRT lines. And will get better over time as they open more lines (much like it is in Bangkok). The bus service can be improved, but with Google Maps it's sort of demystified. I got to the airport this last trip using the new Putrajaya MRT line, total cost for trains coming to under RM10 (admittedly this was with Senior Citizen discounts, without the discounts it probably would have cost a little less than RM20).
Then again.. I just spent 9 days in Japan, and WOW.. THAT was amazing. Coupled with Google Maps I could get anywhere I wanted to, by bus or train or combination. it gives you several options, it even tells you how much each option costs. (Walking, though - that's the Achilles heel of Google Maps - not so easy to figure out how to get to a certain spot..)
The transport in Kuala Lumpur has been great for me, really easy. Google maps are aways ok with my walks also.
I have basically done close to a years research on SE Asia and this is my conclusion about ML. The apartments are little bit more expensive but they are not super tiny like Thailand. Transportation seems to be the biggest expense increase by percentages. Not sure about food at grocery stores or restaurants. It does seem safer. I do not think Thailand is crime dangerous. Now I do think it's walking dangerous. lol
Visit Sabah and Sarawak....another part of Malaysia in borneo.
I would love to go Borneo Malaysia.
It's true
👍👍
Great subject mate and well presented , a lot of positives , agree Thailand just has that rough edge about it - nice work WW 👌👋👍🙏
Nice one Ant, mate.
@@WalkAboutWayne Or, if you want the best of both worlds - up near the Thai border. Sungai Golok in Kelantan or Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah. 😁 The latter would be better, very close to Penang. Easy to pop over to Thailand when you feel like it..
I looked at the long term digital nomad visa there they cost a fortune what the food shopping prices like be interesting to know great vid as always mate
Yes, the more I've looked into it, the more expensive it seems for longterm visas. Thanks.
Excellent video ...thank you sir . Welcome to our country ..
Thank you my friend 🇲🇾
Wayne, your videos are so fun and heartfelt. 🎉❤ Thank you
Thank you Michael, much appreciated buddy.
@@WalkAboutWayne 🙌
There are so many places to visit in Malaysia. KL is not my first choice after visiting Malaysia many times.
Yes, I doubt it’s the place I would settle if I lived here.
Yes bro .. surely truly asia
👌👌👌
MAN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾 IS BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING KUALA LUMPUR GO TO Cameron Highlands
Municipality in Malaysia 🇲🇾 it's very cool weather 17💭 to 19💭 DEGREES
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
👍👍👍
Some like a city life n some prefer laidback environment.For Msian they are more in between.So thats why u can find why k.l. a bit not so congested like any other cities in south east asia.😊
Yes, KL seems a medium city. Lots of places in the city to relax and get away from things.
At the moment most expats and retirees/pensioners choose to live in Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown, Langkawi, Melaka, Johor Bahru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
Kuala Lumpur or Malaysia is not the place for looking boobs and boozes, and easy girls that chasing farangs/white men like in Thailand or Philippines where white men feel like you said 'alphamale' or king. It is more for expats either singles or with family to work for life balance, similar like Singapore but with much cheaper living cost.
Kuching is somewhere i want to visit 👍
KL looks fantastic, from what I've seen the accomodations are reasonably priced and similar in quality to Thailand, and the multicultural food looks phenomenal. However, the visa options are not as good for retirees...the MM2H program is expensive. They do have an excellent digital nomad visa though.
Msia has to raise its visa requirements as to avoid being a duped by a not a genuine people coming into Msia.😊
Yes the hotels and food are still great value here. The longterm visas would be something I would need to look into more.
Few other vlogers advised visa runs have been rejected in Malaysia and best to leave for 90days before returning for 90. Might get away with it few times but wouldn't go renting long term there without correct visa which is unfortunately now a bit pricey.
Yes, it’s never a good idea to keep doing runs. Like you mentioned, could probably get a year or so that way. The long term visas don’t look so straightforward as I first thought.
The level of English proficiency in KL is the probably among the top 3 in Asia.
Philippines probably Number 1. Like you said though, Malaysia is right up there.
Wayne...i know everyone talks about the cost of living. But maybe the happy soul is more important. R you We are not to happy in the West right now . Waking up in KL with a smile. I haven't done that for a awhile. Also, traveling around SEA is still cheap. There are other expat in vloggers in KL with good advice. Thanks.
.
Lots of expat vloggers everywhere. Waking up in KL every morning would be great! It still doesn’t beat Thailand for me, but it’s a great place to live.
yeah. good summary. Malaysians dont want too many outsiders here, yet at the same time want some quality tourists & expatriates...
cheapos can go to thailand, it is more fun with all sorts of entertainment & cheaper booze..
people with family minded, more upscale, wants to live peacefully but have lesser bucks to spend can come to Malaysia
those who doesnt really like to socialize but do have big amount of money or at least money oriented can move to Singapore...
Yes, seems to be a different type of expat in Malaysia .
If you can stand the crazy heat. You're welcome 😊
Yes, it sure is hot.
All I've ever heard about Malaysia and expats is George Town in Penang, even if KL is not specifically what you are looking for, you might find that in a more expat accommodating part of Malaysia. No doubt the women in Malaysia are going to be pretty, they are all over Asia, but if they are Muslim, I wonder if it could ever work with a non-Muslim, really don't know.
Kuching is more on my radar mate. But hope to see more of Malaysia in the future.
I like the pavement here , looks safer than Thailand. Would like to see some rural places to gauge if rural Living Is doable . Thanks for a great summary. 👍
Sidewalks are a dream to walk on in Kuala Lumpur. Big difference from rolling my ankle in Thailand 😂. Yes, I would love to see some rural Malaysia.
Hey Wayne,as far as I am aware you do not need a Visa for Malaysia,you can stay for 90 days,you only need Visa for longer than 90 days.
Yes mate, Visa Exempt is a 90 day stamp (that’s what I’m on buddy)I was calling it visa on arrival for some reason. You probably gonna need a Visa to live here though, unless you keep reentering every 3 months.
WOW no stray dogs !!!!!!
I’ve not seen a dog anywhere in Kuala Lumpur. Not 1 😂😂
Looks a nice city ,has everthing.close to penang and langkawi
Nice place Julie. 👍
Thanks for the videos about KL, this one in particular! I am going to go there in June. Did you visit Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world? Is there some kind of observation deck on the top floor there, like inside Burj Khalifa in the UAE? Any other unique places to visit?
Thank you. Yes, I did visit Merdeka 118. I’m not sure if you can go up, but most of the other high landmarks have that option , so I would say it’s possible. KL tower might better with the 360 views.
@@WalkAboutWayne thanks, interesting, yes, I’ll try to climb them 🙂
In terms of sustainability of normal life, one where you can eat at legitimate eateries 2 or 3 times a month, good movies in nice theaters, etc., my bet would be on somewhere like Hua Hin or even Bang Saen. Anyway, I trust something like that already crossed your mind. Most importantly is happiness long-term. Cheers!!!
Hua Hin is nice mate, good place to settle with everything on hand. The North is for me but I could easily live in Hua Hin.
Hua Hin resident here 🙌🏼
Wayne. Go to Desa Park City and Mont Kiara. You will see Farangs there.
That’s the last thing I want to see 😂😂
Without any doubt, KL is a great affordable city. But I would live cheap in Pattaya.
Yes, it's cheap but not Thailand cheap.
Give Borneo's kota Kinabalu a visit mate....its a smaller semi rural city with a number of bars with some fine working ladies ....and some seriously beautiful nature
I would love to go Borneo Malaysia soon. I’m liking the look of Kuching 👍
You should visit Ipoh if you're looking for the Chiang Mai vibe
Nice 👍
We're not like Thailand or else where
We're not strong nor rich
We're just malaysian on this beautiful land known as Malaysia
Nobody can compare Msia with other countries in south east asia.We hv our own way of life.Being independent frm Britain we are different n the system in Msia resembles British systen but with Msian style😂
Great words 👍👍
Nice video Wayne. I'm considering moving to Malaysia or the Philippines from southwest Florida. Have you thought about checking out the Philippines?
Nice one Frank, I’m sure you will like The Philippines. I’ve been many time buddy 👍
You can get 3 bedroom 2 bathroom condo in mont kiara Pines ..USD 500-600 permonth.
Nice, that's good to know.
Wayne you should try to check out George Town Penang Malaysia?
Kuching is the place I'm interested in.
try getting out of KL ..try melacca ..you would cut down on cost way more
One day hopefully. This vlog is about KL though.
Vietnam is the place to live on the cheap and has good as Thailand for scenic places to go etc
Vietnam is very cheap, maybe cheaper than Thailand. I agree with the scenery too. Vietnam not got that Thailand feel for me though.
Go to many National Parks in the Whole Malaysia including East Malaysia.
Malaysia has one of the oldest Tropica l rain forest in the World.
Nice one! Thanks.
Try malacca
👍👍
If you like western food (beef, cheese, dairy, pasta, pizza, bread, anything made with wheat, tomatoes, pickles, etc), imports can be a lot cheaper in Malaysia as Thailand taxes it all by 60% if its not made in Thailand.
Yeah I never really looked at any of that. It would be really important for living here though. 👍
Western food in Bangkok tastes much better and original because they don't have to follow halal restrictions.
@@theanhoe72 there are many non halal restaurants - they have to be labeled as such, and you can search for them with many lists available
People lives in the suburban area KL cbd is for work, per sqft KL is cheapest
Nice 👍
If you are looking for a change of pace and can afford the airfare eastern europe would be interesting
Europe not on my radar really mate. Albania was for a while though.
Thank you for this content. Do you know what the visa requirements are to live there - minimum income requirements? And how long can you stay on a tourist visa? Thank you!!
They scrapped the income requirement last year
MM2H - Silver
Make a fixed deposit into a Malaysian bank of RM 500,000 (USD 105,000)
I been told that they would start asking some question after a few visa exempts.
I was in Morocco last year and Tinder worked fine with the local ladies who are Muslim. Malaysia might be the same plus there are other minority religions present in the country, it's just not in your face like Thailand.
Sure, Tinder will work anywhere. Lots of Thai ladies in Malaysia too
Thailand wins hands down for humpty Dumpty! 😂
😂😂😂
Thais are more open and understanding when it comes to those who are not majority religion, beliefs etc compared to Malaysia.
Yes, I can feel that already. It feels abit more strict in Malaysia.
Wayne, sorry but "K squared" had been in KL for 2 months He loves everything there that you found. But just too hot and humid for him now. Everyday over 35 degrees and feels hotter. He can't enjoy the walking. Surprisingly, natives have told him that it hasn't been so hot in the past Actually cold in the 199Os during the mornings. So the climate is changing.
Never hear of K squared
It is the El Nino effect, my friend!
I liked KL but would never consider living there. It's just...well, it's just not Thailand.
I hear you 👍
Wayne look around It's a concrete jungle.
It sure is buddy, in amongst lots of greenery 👍
How is the crime rate?
I do believe crime is on the rise in Kuala Lumpur. It wasn't anything I was worried about but the stats show it's higher then Bangkok.
Everywhere the same as long as it suits one。
Not sure about the same, but if the shoe fits 👍
Thailand trumps Malaysia for me
Thailand is still the place for me.
Not likely you would go to KL for any long term from Thailand. Lets face it.
Probably not, but I wouldn’t rule anything out in the future.
So.. what you're saying is that you like the ladies. noted
No, i like Khao Soi 👍
@@WalkAboutWayne You will have to try all the different laksas then.. 😁
Playboy Wayne Rooney gettin the Digits !
He shoots, he scores ⚽️
People live longer in Thailand than in Malaysia. Humidity can affect lifespan.
Don't think it's any more humid than Bangkok, or hotter. Chiang Mai would be drier and cooler, though.
Don't drink too much and your life will shorter..😂😂
Sorry but that not right the pollution is bad in northern Thailand and Bangkok it's not bad in Malaysia
@@stephenharris7982Msia wins hands down😊
Bangkok can get really humid also.
That's right Dude, Malaysia is quite difficult to have free sex because it doesn't matter if you are Malay, Chinese or Indian, they look at honest relationships and want to have a family. It does not mean that there are no such women regardless of skin color in Malaysia but less than women in Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam or in Bali. However, if there are bars, lounges and nightclubs, you may be able to meet women in such places, especially in Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang, from various races and countries. I once followed a Vlog an expat from the United States who lived in Penang for more than 3 years finally met a new lover and he had to move to Kuala Lumpur for his new acquaintance.
Sure, you can find it in any city if you search long enough. Lot's go nice women here for relationships aswell.
MAN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾 IS BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING KUALA LUMPUR GO TO Cameron Highlands
Municipality in Malaysia 🇲🇾 it's very cool weather 17💭 to 19💭 DEGREES
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Nice 👍
@WalkAboutWayne
YEAH IT'S BEAUTIFUL PLACE AND VERY GREEN