As a local Malaysian, I can say that with USD 1000 a month, a single person can live more than comfortably. This budget allows for stable living, including renting a medium-sized HOUSE and living alone. In my experience, take-out meals are often cheaper than home cooking for a single person, while cooking at home is more economical for families. However, if you have dietary restrictions, cooking at home may be necessary despite the cost.
Is it possible to rent an apartment for three months at a time? Not through Airbnb. What is the best real estate site to search for apartments in Malaysia? As a foreigner, we can get three months' visas at a time, hence that is why I am asking. Thanks, Shaun
Thanks Benjamin. I always enjoy when you do price comparison videos with US money, since im in USA still. USA prices are getting crazier. My rent now is $1600/mo USD. I wish my job was remote AND able to work international.
You can definitely live comfortably here with $1,000 if you don't need to own a house, a reliable durable car and a comfortable retirement plan. But you'd struggle to afford nice oversea vacations or have a family.
I'm Female single LIVING ALONE in KL- My salary Rm 3260 monthly - Living in single terrace house - 2 loan For House 1 loan for car - Saving Rm 500 at least - others spend -
u can live really well here if you live with your friends / housemate.. the expenses can be split, down from bills + internet, groceries etc.. i rarely heard people live alone here also here we have a culture where is not frown upon if you still live with your family/parents/sibling when youre over 30 (especially in KL) ... we take care of each other, so like combined income household (usually moved out after getting married)
KL median monthly wage is RM3,800. Renting room/rent or stay with relatives, cheap eateries (warung), get groceries from wet markets & ride motorcycle are basics of thrifty living in KL. Luckily Malaysia’s gas price among the lowest in SEA.
@@benfishermin Well it depends on the occupation, most professionals earn around that or more, however those that are not working in professional fields might earn less.
$1000 is a good salary for local, i have friend who work in KL earned less than that and still managed to save and send money to her family in the village. She travel oversea once a year too but under very strict budget.
Lifestyle is key to figuring out what kind of budget you need.....doesn't matter if you're in Thailand, Malaysia, or the Philippines. If you "live like a local" you will get by on less, but if you want to mirror your standard of living you had in the West (or at least partake in some of it), a bigger budget is required. In addition to going out, shopping, etc., if you are actively dating or are in a relationship/married, your budget will need to take that into consideration.
Many Malaysians live outside of KL City centre, they live in sub urban cities and travel to KL City centre for work etc using public transport, cars, etc. The cost of living in sub urban cities are a bit cheaper.
Lived in Thailand (working) on six figures (USD). SUPER easy to spend ungodly sums there. Lived in Malaysia (not working) on $2,000 per month budget. Honestly, still an incredible lifestyle, never had to think much about money, lived in an Airbnb in a nice condo. Living in Cambodia at the moment (on about the same as I was making in Malaysia) and honestly best bang for my buck so far. Savings potential is very high here.
It’s so true, I find that even though Thailand is cheap it’s very easy to spend more than you want, I find it a bit harder to actually budget myself there. Nice to hear about Cambodia I’m really curious to check it out, what area do you find is nice there for long term stays?
@@benfishermin I live in a gated community outside of the city center/ main area of Phnom Penh and pay $280 per month on a 4 bedroom house. My groceries, utilities, and eating out+ transport come to about $500-550/month. Also I must add, I keep Halal so it's not as easy here as in Malaysia or even Thailand to find proper ingredients or restaurants, but I make it happen. Personally, I would love to live in Siem Reap since the nature there is so beautiful, and there's another town I saw on the way to Vietnam that I thought was beautiful that I wouldnt mind living in either. But I'm getting married very soon (to an Indonesian) and will probably move to Indonesia in a year or two. Definitely SUPER cheap Also just to note: some things are unnecessarily expensive in Cambodia, and some areas are also unnecessarily expensive. But I think cost evens out to be equal to or lesser than Thailand. My job provides health insurance and lots of other benefits so that takes the cost of that off too. Power is more consistent in Thailand and internet speeds are faster in Thailand. But here it's dirt cheap, honestly, if you're not an idiot and don't smoke, drink alcohol, or have any vices/ go out all the time
Cost & salary increase a bit & still in a middle income trap. One of the reasons is uncontrolled illegal immigrants workers that dragging down the salary
It is definitely possible to live in Malaysia on a net income of RM3000 per month, if you are single, even in KL. Its only when you have a family & kids, your monthly expenses would go beyond RM5000/month.
I used to earn a bit lower than 1k USD and raised a family of four in KL. I managed to travel around southeastasian countries every year, and few domestically. These two years my kids earn their own, I travel to farther away places, mainly not backpacking style. There are ways to do budgeting.
Malaysia Income Classification by Household is divided by B40 Bottom 40%, M40 Middle 40%, T20 Top 20%. USD 1000 is categorized under B40. You can get more info about it online. Malaysia GDP per Capita is USD13,310 which is an indirect indicator of average income. Just an insight of the income based on credible datas.
Thanks for this. People kept telling me I make 2-3x the average Malaysian in some of my other videos, and lots of conflicting info from people in the comments, it was hard for me to figure out the real average salary
Yes, you can live comfortably in KL, Malaysia with a budget of monthly USD1,000, even less than that for many locals. If you manage properly, you can save a lot from your budget.
My reality, I live with more or less with USD100 only. It's because I retired early due to my 2nd depression since 2012. Should I stayed working with KLCC, I would probably avoided my first depression leaving KLCC in 1999, probably already earn nothing less than USD2,000 monthly. That's about 20 times more than my current budget. Life, full of surprises, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but whatever it is, we have to move on forward. 😀
Yea this money could go much further if I lived more steadily and not in hotels moving around so much. That’s crazy you are surviving on 100USD only, are you paying rent or you own a house/condo already?
@@benfishermin Yes, you could use the money saved for lots of other usage, USD1,000 is considered a lot living in KL, well all depends on your lifestyle. Yes, USD100 per month, that's crazy, but somehow I manage to survive with all the basics only including electrity bill, water bill, internet bill. After 3 years of my posting in MIDA Mumbai, I came back to KL with a second depression. Eventually I had to force myself to retire early, had to sell my only apartment in KL (very near Sentul LRT station, quite near Lake Titiwangsa Garden). I was a bit lucky, myself and my siblings owned a house in Kuantan, very near the city centre, it's an old house and lots of repairs been done by my younger brother, and still needs a lot of repairs. Without permanent income, how am I supposed to do that. Crazy. What can I do with USD100 only a month. However, should I was not that stupid in 1999, I wouldn't leave my job in KLCC and now earn more than USD2,000 each month, and not only that, I could help my younger brother all the way, my other siblings too, and do all the repairs for the house I'm living now. Now, I learn to live as minimalist, all the basics only, but I learned it the hard way. You could save a lot with USD1,000, believe me, you could, organize your expenses to your basic needs, and let the rest be saved for the rainy days. 😀
@@benfishermin Yes, you can save a lot from a monthly budget of USD1,000 living in KL. And yes, living with USD100 monthly is crazy. When I forced myself to retire early in 2013 with a 2nd depression, I also had to let go of my apartment in KL. I moved to Kuantan, my late mom's hometown, where we siblings own our late grandma's house near the city centre. My younger brother took really good care of the old house, made lots of repars, but it still needs lots of other repairs. Should I have stayed in KLCC, I would probably earn more than USD2,000 or RM10,000 each month, more than enough to help my younger brother, my other siblings, and more than enough money to do all the repairs necessary for our old house. I learned to live with the basics only the hard way, and I learned a lot from my past silly mistakes. Sometimes, we just need to count our blessings, every now and then. 😀
@@benfishermin Yes, you can save a lot from a monthly budget of USD1,000 living in KL. And yes, living with USD100 monthly is crazy. When I forced myself to retire early in 2013 with a 2nd depression, I also had to let go of my apartment in KL. I moved to Kuantan, my late mom's hometown, where we siblings own our late grandma's house near the city centre. My younger brother took really good care of the old house, made lots of repars, but it still needs lots of other repairs. Should I have stayed in KLCC, I would probably earn more than USD2,000 or RM10,000 each month, more than enough to help my younger brother, my other siblings, and more than enough money to do all the repairs necessary for our old house. I learned to live with the basics only the hard way, and I learned a lot from my past silly mistakes. Sometimes, we just need to count our blessings, every now and then. 😀
It can be done..for locals in the lower bracket salary the food budget are like 5 ringgit for bfast 10-15 lunch and 10-15 for dinner..in between meal budget for snacks are 5-10..that's roughly about 10 usd for the whole day..
Bro, rent in the further suburbs in greater KL, less than 300usd per house or apartment, greater KL suburbs are amazing, talking from my experience travelled around Europe and NYC, everything is there except Patpong style entertainment
Just remember that as a foreigner, you can't stay long term (or longer than 90 days straight technically) wo some sort of visa. Luckily, I signed up for the MM2H right before Covid and before the government raised the requirements. Don't worry, I am helping the economy by buying a condo and spending my retirement money there.
The lizard is not rare.😁 If you live just outside the CBD, it is a lot cheaper. Check out places like Cheras or neighborhoods on the MRT/Train lines. You've probably spent over a month, total in KL, and always managed to find content. You've not even explored outlying areas yet. Slow travel should cost less.
I’m surprised it’s the first one I’ve seen in around 2 months here and going to that park often. Curious about Cheras, is it decent without a car over there? I’ve seen a lot of accommodations over there, I’ll have to go explore it first and see how it feels. Yea I can make content in KL pretty easily. It would be way cheaper if I did slower travel renting monthly accommodation, I will be doing this at some point at least in between the more fast traveling to break things up, give myself a break from checking in and out of hotels, flying / trains / buses etc
I think if I could manage on 3000 (barely) if I rented a longterm cheap studio and cooked all of my own meals. I’d have to stop walking so much so I could eat less honestly. And no more Nasi Kandar 3x per day 😅
@@benfishermin Wow, near Brickfields, who would have thought, near KL Sentral, near Little India, used to work at MIDA HQ near KL Sentral, after leaving KLCC. Beautiful Dusun. 😀
Whenever I goto the market I end up buying more then I need and spending more then eating out everyday. I think it's just the temptation of being in the market and filling up the cart with stuff that I don't really need. Seems to happen every time to me hence why I go out to eat most of the time.
This place is called Kebun Bandar (City Garden), and City Council plants a lot of fruit trees around this garden for learning purposes.. but people rarely come here because lots of mosquito 😂😂😂 😂😂😂
Also take a grab to pj sektion 14, goto the digital mall...try burger lab in sektion 14 too! My name is Ben too from Dallas Tx. Lived in KL for 4 yrs now living in Manila. I'll be in KL for a week in July. Let's meet up so I can show you around other parts of KL. Hit me up!
$1,000 a month.. That's about right.. I thought it was less cuz I budgeted $30 a day but that's actually 900.. Not as cheap as I thought.. I got a room for around 10 bucks if I ain't locally not inside the mall for 10 to $15.. But with everything considered a thousand is a really good estimate.. If you'd like to live really well though 2000 2500 but that is five stars across the board.
1k usd after exchange rate you can pretty much raise a family in Malaysia not a big one but definitely doable, I saw your other comments about doing design for tattoo artist you know Malaysia is pretty much a hub for creative industry even Malaysian doesn't know this, my fiancé work as a 2d animator that does "My Little Pony", one of my friend works in "Playstation Studio" he pretty much involved in most AAA title games that is released by Sony, one of my friend as well works in "Bandai Namco" a Japanese game studio, its funny most Malaysian dont realize how involved Malaysia is in the creative industry not knowing Malaysia have this kind of studio, I know some foreigner work as a freelance artist at my fiancé workplace, you might actually eaen more if you're into creative industry.
@@benfishermin depends on the company, mostly are decent foreigner usually get paid more probably because the way you guys think or probably because most Malaysian doesn't want to get involve doing art with nudity and gruesome element, my friend who work at playstation studio used to work for "Unity" a game engine company he was earning in USD it was 5kusd back then so he was living large back then, I think its possible for you to earn in USD working in Malaysia it all depends on the company you apply to.
Me and you have similar spending habits. How is it comparing to Thailand in terms of rents? Rent will be the main factor for me when i retire in future. I like comfortable one bed condos.
Thanks for the vlog as it is appreciated. When I look on Airbnb I see renting a "room" for maybe $300 USD but not a condo. I see condo rental prices for around $500 to 600 USD. I was just wondering if you were also using an additional search tool to find the more economical prices. As far as being able to continue to rotate in and out of Malaysia, my understanding is you can stay for 90 days but immigration wants you to not come back for at least 90 days, but you can correct me if I am wrong. I was considering retiring there in Penang but the price of admission went up substantually during the beginning of Covid d/t expats having to flee Thailand and began coming to Malaysia. My thought is the prices were increased to keep a certain element out of Malaysia. I was wanting to spend 90 days in Penang and 90 days in the Philippines and rotate back and forth now that I can't afford to out right retire there.
Malaysia will likely be more expensive soon in 1 - 5 years. Malaysia is going through subsidies rasionalization where subsidies will be removed for fuel and essential goods. If you suddenly find that goods, services, rentals, fees etc are significantly more expensive then the rasionalization is working. More expats and TH-camrs will have to switch base to cheaper countries i.e. Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Laos.
Have you been to either Cambodia or India, and which would be more affordable and suitable for a female senior American searching for a new homeland? I understand that both countries offer long term retirement visas, whereas Malaysia does not and I am too old to make visa runs four times a year from Penang.
I haven’t been to either so I can’t offer much. To me Cambodia looks more comfortable to live in versus India in general but I need to go and see for myself
Indeed, less salary yet surviving in KL. Lucky for Some may living with parents or partner. For single person like us who living alone by renting room which are from village or rural town. It's definitely a battles for us to budget our expenses and send back home to parents. If the basic salary RM2000 is a happiness ❤❤. Oh Wow...I started to likes your channel, haven't subscribe yet tho for now. Wanna see more then decide. I guessed am too countryside Malaysian😅.
The worst is the taxes on Alcohol for me. I drink around 9 beers and a packet of cigarette a day, that costs me $3000 already and that is just beers bought in groccery stores and not pubbing etc . If you are a drinker and a smoker, just keep that in mind. Cigarettes by the way are cheaper than in most other countries.
@@amirulshafix8759 why insane bro? I dont drink any hard alcohol like whisky ans stuff. eg;- a bottle of whisky is equivalent to like 23 cans of beers and when I was a bartender, its common for bar tenders (including Malays) to polish a bottle of liquer daily. what is insane is just the cost now :)
I do TH-cam and I also create tattoo designs, and book through instagram (@benfishermin) which are tattooed by a tattoo artist in New York, and I take a % of the money for the tattoo.
Whenever I feel down about how much money I earn I think about this, that people live on much less, and it puts things into perspective that I don’t have it so bad at all
@@benfishermin Many wealthy people also register their supercars on those islands since it's tax-free, but they can only drive them outside of the island for 90 days. So you might stumble across many house or seems to be abandoned building with dozens super cars parked at their porch in Langkawi.
@benfishermin too bad langkawi is not for you. If you live outside kuah or cenang, you may get cheaper airbnb, and buy food at night markets. Also chocolates, liquor, cars are cheap there.
In NYC my apartment was $3000 and it was a studio, although it was a loft in a factory building, in Brooklyn (bushwick). And then $2000 for rent at the tattoo studio I worked. That’s $5000 already each month before food or anything else 😱
Nowadays some stores getting more business than wet market as they are cheaper. At my place a supermarket next to big wet market winning the business and Giant too are in price competition. You can see the huge crowd early morning in front of the supermarket. This in Penang.
I kept hearing foreigners say Malaysia is super cheap yadayadayada.. the truth is.. the exchange rate is so very very cheap..but this won't last for too long.. Malaysians can buy using one ringgit.. what an American can buy with only one USD.. 2000 ringgit is there for what 2000 USD is.. this might sound simplistic.. but it is called purchasing power parity.. once the USD collapses for which it will very soon according to most top economists.. than you are in trouble Ben.. that day is very near.. but the rest of the world won't know any difference.. I thought in New York the average rent is now 3000$ and I've seen what it's like.. the homeless in the US are exploding.. in most US cities their main city centre is boarded up.. in some places it's apocalyptic.. i was watching metal Leo and nick Johnson video.. America is going down fast.. if I were you try to find ways to stay where you are permanently.. things will be horrible.. the US regime doesn't care about its people they care about their corporation.. your infrastructure is collapsing.. they spent trillions they don't have by just printing fiat money.. just to create war with much blood shed around the world..
I'm not interested in Malaysia. I am a gay Lithuanian man and I have traveled to Thailand and Philippines many times and always have fun with the gay men and the transgender women. I have so much fun in the bedroom. Stress leaves my body and I feel free when I am in Thailand and the Philippines.
Average Malaysian just need USD 500 for big city 🏙️🌆 like KL, outside just USD 250 is enough, me income USD 1200 per month, only spending USD 300 is enough. I'm living at ampang . Hint if you wanna find good price for house 🏡, just go 7 eleven there got billboard add for house, adding more, if you go resident got add, go to billboard at resident too ,you can compare which one is better suited.
Hello from Ca & many thanks 4 video. What are ur feelings about the visa runs? KL has many really nice apts with pools & gyms listed at $500-600. Can u book them for short-term? Kuala Lumpur is an amazing city & US could learn a lot from urban planners there.
For the visa runs I’m not really sure yet. Someone commented that if you stay 3 months that you’ll need to leave for 3 months but I don’t really know about this. I know people who have stayed for several years by leaving and returning on a tourist visa, unless things are changing. So far the most I’ve stayed is one month, then left to Thailand and returned without any problems. Maybe they don’t mind as much if you’re not staying the full 3 months and so they can clearly see I’m traveling around, not really trying to game the system. Only some places will rent short term but typically offering higher rent is a good way to get 6 months instead of 12 month contract, this is what I’ve been told!
⚠WATCH NEXT: Quality of life in MALAYSIA vs USA (honest opinion) th-cam.com/video/g4wh1bihkDI/w-d-xo.html
As a local Malaysian, I can say that with USD 1000 a month, a single person can live more than comfortably. This budget allows for stable living, including renting a medium-sized HOUSE and living alone.
In my experience, take-out meals are often cheaper than home cooking for a single person, while cooking at home is more economical for families. However, if you have dietary restrictions, cooking at home may be necessary despite the cost.
Yes, correct.Fresh graduate starts at rm3k per mth, slowly increase to rm5k as average joe😊
Kan..
Is it possible to rent an apartment for three months at a time? Not through Airbnb. What is the best real estate site to search for apartments in Malaysia? As a foreigner, we can get three months' visas at a time, hence that is why I am asking. Thanks, Shaun
Thanks Benjamin. I always enjoy when you do price comparison videos with US money, since im in USA still. USA prices are getting crazier. My rent now is $1600/mo USD. I wish my job was remote AND able to work international.
You can definitely live comfortably here with $1,000 if you don't need to own a house, a reliable durable car and a comfortable retirement plan. But you'd struggle to afford nice oversea vacations or have a family.
I'm Female single LIVING ALONE in KL- My salary Rm 3260 monthly - Living in single terrace house - 2 loan For House 1 loan for car - Saving Rm 500 at least - others spend -
the sky looks good
Reasonable good service apartment rental Rm2000-2500 per month . Balance RM2000 more than enuf for one person's living allowance.
u can live really well here if you live with your friends / housemate.. the expenses can be split, down from bills + internet, groceries etc.. i rarely heard people live alone here
also here we have a culture where is not frown upon if you still live with your family/parents/sibling when youre over 30 (especially in KL) ... we take care of each other, so like combined income household (usually moved out after getting married)
KL median monthly wage is RM3,800.
Renting room/rent or stay with relatives, cheap eateries (warung), get groceries from wet markets & ride motorcycle are basics of thrifty living in KL. Luckily Malaysia’s gas price among the lowest in SEA.
That’s not too bad then, I keep getting a lot of conflicting info from people and from google about the average monthly wage here!
definitely not RM3800. KL and surrounding area median are around RM10,000. source: data.gov.my/data-catalogue/hies_state?visual=income_median
@@benfishermin Well it depends on the occupation, most professionals earn around that or more, however those that are not working in professional fields might earn less.
$1000 is a good salary for local, i have friend who work in KL earned less than that and still managed to save and send money to her family in the village. She travel oversea once a year too but under very strict budget.
That’s great that she can still help her family on that salary, and travel a bit too. It does take discipline to do this for sure
Lifestyle is key to figuring out what kind of budget you need.....doesn't matter if you're in Thailand, Malaysia, or the Philippines. If you "live like a local" you will get by on less, but if you want to mirror your standard of living you had in the West (or at least partake in some of it), a bigger budget is required. In addition to going out, shopping, etc., if you are actively dating or are in a relationship/married, your budget will need to take that into consideration.
Yes this is 100% true!
Many Malaysians live outside of KL City centre, they live in sub urban cities and travel to KL City centre for work etc using public transport, cars, etc. The cost of living in sub urban cities are a bit cheaper.
Yes true, I always try to stay closer to the center since I don’t have a car or motorbike
Lived in Thailand (working) on six figures (USD). SUPER easy to spend ungodly sums there. Lived in Malaysia (not working) on $2,000 per month budget. Honestly, still an incredible lifestyle, never had to think much about money, lived in an Airbnb in a nice condo. Living in Cambodia at the moment (on about the same as I was making in Malaysia) and honestly best bang for my buck so far. Savings potential is very high here.
It’s so true, I find that even though Thailand is cheap it’s very easy to spend more than you want, I find it a bit harder to actually budget myself there. Nice to hear about Cambodia I’m really curious to check it out, what area do you find is nice there for long term stays?
@@benfishermin I live in a gated community outside of the city center/ main area of Phnom Penh and pay $280 per month on a 4 bedroom house. My groceries, utilities, and eating out+ transport come to about $500-550/month. Also I must add, I keep Halal so it's not as easy here as in Malaysia or even Thailand to find proper ingredients or restaurants, but I make it happen.
Personally, I would love to live in Siem Reap since the nature there is so beautiful, and there's another town I saw on the way to Vietnam that I thought was beautiful that I wouldnt mind living in either. But I'm getting married very soon (to an Indonesian) and will probably move to Indonesia in a year or two. Definitely SUPER cheap
Also just to note: some things are unnecessarily expensive in Cambodia, and some areas are also unnecessarily expensive. But I think cost evens out to be equal to or lesser than Thailand. My job provides health insurance and lots of other benefits so that takes the cost of that off too.
Power is more consistent in Thailand and internet speeds are faster in Thailand. But here it's dirt cheap, honestly, if you're not an idiot and don't smoke, drink alcohol, or have any vices/ go out all the time
That's true, Ben. Malaysians earn less and cost or expenditure costs keep going up.
Not true. Cost up and salary up is even
This is what most people tell me, that wages aren’t keeping up with inflation
Cost & salary increase a bit & still in a middle income trap. One of the reasons is uncontrolled illegal immigrants workers that dragging down the salary
It is definitely possible to live in Malaysia on a net income of RM3000 per month, if you are single, even in KL. Its only when you have a family & kids, your monthly expenses would go beyond RM5000/month.
That’s true, it’s much less responsibility being single for now
great stuff…thanks for sharing.
No problem my friend 😄
I used to earn a bit lower than 1k USD and raised a family of four in KL. I managed to travel around southeastasian countries every year, and few domestically. These two years my kids earn their own, I travel to farther away places, mainly not backpacking style. There are ways to do budgeting.
Thumbs up
Malaysia Income Classification by Household is divided by B40 Bottom 40%, M40 Middle 40%, T20 Top 20%. USD 1000 is categorized under B40. You can get more info about it online.
Malaysia GDP per Capita is USD13,310 which is an indirect indicator of average income.
Just an insight of the income based on credible datas.
Thanks for this. People kept telling me I make 2-3x the average Malaysian in some of my other videos, and lots of conflicting info from people in the comments, it was hard for me to figure out the real average salary
@@benfishermin I think it's more towards personal experience and opinion. I prefer to look at datas lol.
RM5K a month isnt b40 , its middle class. It could be considered T20 too if u live in cheap places like Ipoh.
@@slemonman You can refer to Department of Statistics Malaysia website. It's quite detailed.
Refer to Department of Statistics Malaysia.
Yes, you can live comfortably in KL, Malaysia with a budget of monthly USD1,000, even less than that for many locals. If you manage properly, you can save a lot from your budget.
My reality, I live with more or less with USD100 only. It's because I retired early due to my 2nd depression since 2012. Should I stayed working with KLCC, I would probably avoided my first depression leaving KLCC in 1999, probably already earn nothing less than USD2,000 monthly. That's about 20 times more than my current budget. Life, full of surprises, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but whatever it is, we have to move on forward. 😀
Yea this money could go much further if I lived more steadily and not in hotels moving around so much. That’s crazy you are surviving on 100USD only, are you paying rent or you own a house/condo already?
@@benfishermin Yes, you could use the money saved for lots of other usage, USD1,000 is considered a lot living in KL, well all depends on your lifestyle. Yes, USD100 per month, that's crazy, but somehow I manage to survive with all the basics only including electrity bill, water bill, internet bill. After 3 years of my posting in MIDA Mumbai, I came back to KL with a second depression. Eventually I had to force myself to retire early, had to sell my only apartment in KL (very near Sentul LRT station, quite near Lake Titiwangsa Garden). I was a bit lucky, myself and my siblings owned a house in Kuantan, very near the city centre, it's an old house and lots of repairs been done by my younger brother, and still needs a lot of repairs. Without permanent income, how am I supposed to do that. Crazy. What can I do with USD100 only a month. However, should I was not that stupid in 1999, I wouldn't leave my job in KLCC and now earn more than USD2,000 each month, and not only that, I could help my younger brother all the way, my other siblings too, and do all the repairs for the house I'm living now. Now, I learn to live as minimalist, all the basics only, but I learned it the hard way. You could save a lot with USD1,000, believe me, you could, organize your expenses to your basic needs, and let the rest be saved for the rainy days. 😀
@@benfishermin Yes, you can save a lot from a monthly budget of USD1,000 living in KL. And yes, living with USD100 monthly is crazy. When I forced myself to retire early in 2013 with a 2nd depression, I also had to let go of my apartment in KL. I moved to Kuantan, my late mom's hometown, where we siblings own our late grandma's house near the city centre. My younger brother took really good care of the old house, made lots of repars, but it still needs lots of other repairs. Should I have stayed in KLCC, I would probably earn more than USD2,000 or RM10,000 each month, more than enough to help my younger brother, my other siblings, and more than enough money to do all the repairs necessary for our old house. I learned to live with the basics only the hard way, and I learned a lot from my past silly mistakes. Sometimes, we just need to count our blessings, every now and then. 😀
@@benfishermin Yes, you can save a lot from a monthly budget of USD1,000 living in KL. And yes, living with USD100 monthly is crazy. When I forced myself to retire early in 2013 with a 2nd depression, I also had to let go of my apartment in KL. I moved to Kuantan, my late mom's hometown, where we siblings own our late grandma's house near the city centre. My younger brother took really good care of the old house, made lots of repars, but it still needs lots of other repairs. Should I have stayed in KLCC, I would probably earn more than USD2,000 or RM10,000 each month, more than enough to help my younger brother, my other siblings, and more than enough money to do all the repairs necessary for our old house. I learned to live with the basics only the hard way, and I learned a lot from my past silly mistakes. Sometimes, we just need to count our blessings, every now and then. 😀
And like what some other commentators said, consider other outer areas or the burbs like sunway, subang, cheras, pj or damansara
Thumbs up 👍 Fisher
Thanks 🎉🎉
I live on 250 USD monthly bro, my accommodation is only 75USD/ per month haha :D
Wow that’s amazing! Did you save up for a while to travel?
Thanks!
Thank you too, highly appreciated!!
It can be done..for locals in the lower bracket salary the food budget are like 5 ringgit for bfast 10-15 lunch and 10-15 for dinner..in between meal budget for snacks are 5-10..that's roughly about 10 usd for the whole day..
4700 ringgit = 1000 usd. It is possible
Yea very possible, not for a mega luxury life but still a good life
@benfishermin yes. If the partner is working, combined income will be 7000 to 10000 ringgit.
Bro, you can save a lot when traveling across Malaysia if you travel by bus state to state.
Bro, rent in the further suburbs in greater KL, less than 300usd per house or apartment, greater KL suburbs are amazing, talking from my experience travelled around Europe and NYC, everything is there except Patpong style entertainment
Since I don’t have a car or motorbike I prefer to stay closer to the center of KL, so I can walk most places and easy train access
Just remember that as a foreigner, you can't stay long term (or longer than 90 days straight technically) wo some sort of visa. Luckily, I signed up for the MM2H right before Covid and before the government raised the requirements. Don't worry, I am helping the economy by buying a condo and spending my retirement money there.
The lizard is not rare.😁
If you live just outside the CBD, it is a lot cheaper. Check out places like Cheras or neighborhoods on the MRT/Train lines.
You've probably spent over a month, total in KL, and always managed to find content. You've not even explored outlying areas yet. Slow travel should cost less.
I’m surprised it’s the first one I’ve seen in around 2 months here and going to that park often. Curious about Cheras, is it decent without a car over there? I’ve seen a lot of accommodations over there, I’ll have to go explore it first and see how it feels. Yea I can make content in KL pretty easily. It would be way cheaper if I did slower travel renting monthly accommodation, I will be doing this at some point at least in between the more fast traveling to break things up, give myself a break from checking in and out of hotels, flying / trains / buses etc
Vagabond Buddha did it for usd 1500 per month for a couple in Penang, KL or Malacca.
Nice that’s reasonable, I’d definitely need to make a bit more if I had a girlfriend/family (unless she worked too)
May i know where this beautiful park is ?
Locals have parents to assist. 2500 to 3000 is possible for locals.
I think if I could manage on 3000 (barely) if I rented a longterm cheap studio and cooked all of my own meals. I’d have to stop walking so much so I could eat less honestly. And no more Nasi Kandar 3x per day 😅
That's right. Depends on where u work and live as well. Without car commitment is a big plus, only if u live/work near train stations.
Where's Taman Dusun Bandar actually, it looks like a fruit orchard, well not in the season of some local fruits.
Near brickfields! Hm yea tons of fruit trees there
@@benfishermin Wow, near Brickfields, who would have thought, near KL Sentral, near Little India, used to work at MIDA HQ near KL Sentral, after leaving KLCC. Beautiful Dusun. 😀
Whenever I goto the market I end up buying more then I need and spending more then eating out everyday. I think it's just the temptation of being in the market and filling up the cart with stuff that I don't really need. Seems to happen every time to me hence why I go out to eat most of the time.
This place is called Kebun Bandar (City Garden), and City Council plants a lot of fruit trees around this garden for learning purposes.. but people rarely come here because lots of mosquito 😂😂😂 😂😂😂
It’s Taman Dusun Bandar near brickfields
Also take a grab to pj sektion 14, goto the digital mall...try burger lab in sektion 14 too! My name is Ben too from Dallas Tx. Lived in KL for 4 yrs now living in Manila. I'll be in KL for a week in July. Let's meet up so I can show you around other parts of KL. Hit me up!
I must say 1500-2000 USD is more than enough for an individual.
Drink out is expensive. You can get beers from wholesalers for the equivalent of rm5/can($1+) and drink at home with friends
Will wait for Chinese new year or Christmas promotion for whole crates
I thought you said in another video we could stay up to 5 months at a time in Malaysia. 3 months visa exemption then 2 months extension
$1,000 a month.. That's about right.. I thought it was less cuz I budgeted $30 a day but that's actually 900.. Not as cheap as I thought.. I got a room for around 10 bucks if I ain't locally not inside the mall for 10 to $15.. But with everything considered a thousand is a really good estimate.. If you'd like to live really well though 2000 2500 but that is five stars across the board.
1k usd after exchange rate you can pretty much raise a family in Malaysia not a big one but definitely doable, I saw your other comments about doing design for tattoo artist you know Malaysia is pretty much a hub for creative industry even Malaysian doesn't know this, my fiancé work as a 2d animator that does "My Little Pony", one of my friend works in "Playstation Studio" he pretty much involved in most AAA title games that is released by Sony, one of my friend as well works in "Bandai Namco" a Japanese game studio, its funny most Malaysian dont realize how involved Malaysia is in the creative industry not knowing Malaysia have this kind of studio, I know some foreigner work as a freelance artist at my fiancé workplace, you might actually eaen more if you're into creative industry.
Wow never knew this, do those creative jobs earn a good salary here?
@@benfishermin depends on the company, mostly are decent foreigner usually get paid more probably because the way you guys think or probably because most Malaysian doesn't want to get involve doing art with nudity and gruesome element, my friend who work at playstation studio used to work for "Unity" a game engine company he was earning in USD it was 5kusd back then so he was living large back then, I think its possible for you to earn in USD working in Malaysia it all depends on the company you apply to.
RM5K is enough if you dnt have any morgage, and just used public transportation.
You may choose to live in a state capital and save 50 pct off that. Or in a village for..
Yea true, you pay extra to live in the big city with access to everything
Me and you have similar spending habits. How is it comparing to Thailand in terms of rents? Rent will be the main factor for me when i retire in future. I like comfortable one bed condos.
No weed in Thailand anymore either, without a permit anyway.
Thanks for the vlog as it is appreciated. When I look on Airbnb I see renting a "room" for maybe $300 USD but not a condo. I see condo rental prices for around $500 to 600 USD. I was just wondering if you were also using an additional search tool to find the more economical prices. As far as being able to continue to rotate in and out of Malaysia, my understanding is you can stay for 90 days but immigration wants you to not come back for at least 90 days, but you can correct me if I am wrong. I was considering retiring there in Penang but the price of admission went up substantually during the beginning of Covid d/t expats having to flee Thailand and began coming to Malaysia. My thought is the prices were increased to keep a certain element out of Malaysia. I was wanting to spend 90 days in Penang and 90 days in the Philippines and rotate back and forth now that I can't afford to out right retire there.
U got a point.u are not going outside to enjoy that avoid u spending on unnecessary.Only in Msia u can do that😊
I live on the razors edge 360usd, granted i live with my mom
Imported cars have 100% duties here except Ev and local cars
It’s insane, that’s how you know when you see imported cars that person has some serious $$
Malaysia will likely be more expensive soon in 1 - 5 years. Malaysia is going through subsidies rasionalization where subsidies will be removed for fuel and essential goods. If you suddenly find that goods, services, rentals, fees etc are significantly more expensive then the rasionalization is working. More expats and TH-camrs will have to switch base to cheaper countries i.e. Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Laos.
Have you been to either Cambodia or India, and which would be more affordable and suitable for a female senior American searching for a new homeland? I understand that both countries offer long term retirement visas, whereas Malaysia does not and I am too old to make visa runs four times a year from Penang.
I haven’t been to either so I can’t offer much. To me Cambodia looks more comfortable to live in versus India in general but I need to go and see for myself
Indeed, less salary yet surviving in KL.
Lucky for Some may living with parents or partner.
For single person like us who living alone by renting room which are from village or rural town. It's definitely a battles for us to budget our expenses and send back home to parents. If the basic salary RM2000 is a happiness ❤❤.
Oh Wow...I started to likes your channel, haven't subscribe yet tho for now. Wanna see more then decide. I guessed am too countryside Malaysian😅.
Drinks yes, other stuff legal or illegal is sky is the limit and grave is the bottom
Yes it’s true
The worst is the taxes on Alcohol for me. I drink around 9 beers and a packet of cigarette a day, that costs me $3000 already and that is just beers bought in groccery stores and not pubbing etc . If you are a drinker and a smoker, just keep that in mind. Cigarettes by the way are cheaper than in most other countries.
Bro that insane 9 can everyday 😮
@@amirulshafix8759 why insane bro? I dont drink any hard alcohol like whisky ans stuff. eg;- a bottle of whisky is equivalent to like 23 cans of beers and when I was a bartender, its common for bar tenders (including Malays) to polish a bottle of liquer daily. what is insane is just the cost now :)
@@amirulshafix8759 i admit if you are not a Kaki botol like me, that sounds insane :)
What do you do for a living to get that 1000 USD per month in Malaysia? I want to get some side income
I do TH-cam and I also create tattoo designs, and book through instagram (@benfishermin) which are tattooed by a tattoo artist in New York, and I take a % of the money for the tattoo.
@@benfishermin I see... That's nice to know... I hope being a TH-camr is worth enough to support you
Many malaysians earn 3000 ringgit and below.
Whenever I feel down about how much money I earn I think about this, that people live on much less, and it puts things into perspective that I don’t have it so bad at all
It's debatable.
When they find out you have a warrant for your arrest will they extradite you back to NYC?
Hypothetically 😂
Drinking, plp visit tax free islands eg pangkor, tioman, forest city, langkawi, labuan.
True, I suppose people go there and stock up on their booze!
@@benfishermin Many wealthy people also register their supercars on those islands since it's tax-free, but they can only drive them outside of the island for 90 days. So you might stumble across many house or seems to be abandoned building with dozens super cars parked at their porch in Langkawi.
@benfishermin too bad langkawi is not for you. If you live outside kuah or cenang, you may get cheaper airbnb, and buy food at night markets. Also chocolates, liquor, cars are cheap there.
Not sure how americans survive with a near to 40% personal tax in the USA.
Crazy. 1 room is usd 1600 in america
The truth is we can barely survive 😩
In NYC my apartment was $3000 and it was a studio, although it was a loft in a factory building, in Brooklyn (bushwick). And then $2000 for rent at the tattoo studio I worked. That’s $5000 already each month before food or anything else 😱
Try speedhome rental apps. Dont need a deposit. Room rental. Probably just rm350-800 a month. Doesnt need a 2+1 month deposit.
Very doable
Yea it’s enough for a good life here
Cheap = wet markets. Never go to grocers.
Nowadays some stores getting more business than wet market as they are cheaper. At my place a supermarket next to big wet market winning the business and Giant too are in price competition. You can see the huge crowd early morning in front of the supermarket. This in Penang.
For fresh fishes, I'll go to the wet markets.
The meat prices were less money in the supermarket compared to the wet markets I checked. Not the more fancy supermarkets I’m sure those are expensive
How's the weed out there?
Low quality and harsh punishments. Not worth it!
I kept hearing foreigners say Malaysia is super cheap yadayadayada.. the truth is.. the exchange rate is so very very cheap..but this won't last for too long.. Malaysians can buy using one ringgit.. what an American can buy with only one USD.. 2000 ringgit is there for what 2000 USD is.. this might sound simplistic.. but it is called purchasing power parity.. once the USD collapses for which it will very soon according to most top economists.. than you are in trouble Ben.. that day is very near.. but the rest of the world won't know any difference.. I thought in New York the average rent is now 3000$ and I've seen what it's like.. the homeless in the US are exploding.. in most US cities their main city centre is boarded up.. in some places it's apocalyptic.. i was watching metal Leo and nick Johnson video.. America is going down fast.. if I were you try to find ways to stay where you are permanently.. things will be horrible.. the US regime doesn't care about its people they care about their corporation.. your infrastructure is collapsing.. they spent trillions they don't have by just printing fiat money.. just to create war with much blood shed around the world..
I'm not interested in Malaysia. I am a gay Lithuanian man and I have traveled to Thailand and Philippines many times and always have fun with the gay men and the transgender women. I have so much fun in the bedroom. Stress leaves my body and I feel free when I am in Thailand and the Philippines.
average to poor non malaysians can only stay 90 days on a visa.
You better live in Dhaka. Better living .
Yo bro, stop saying cheap/cheaply...say less expensive...cheap gives the wrong connotation
decent
You dont smoke you dont drink and no Girlfriends
There's definitely ganja here, Ben. Lol
Yea definitely but there’s no shops around selling it in public, so there’s not the same temptation
And that 4 to 5,000 in the US is living shity
Min wage in malaysia is roughly rm1500 or usd300
Average Malaysian just need USD 500 for big city 🏙️🌆 like KL, outside just USD 250 is enough, me income USD 1200 per month, only spending USD 300 is enough. I'm living at ampang .
Hint if you wanna find good price for house 🏡, just go 7 eleven there got billboard add for house, adding more, if you go resident got add, go to billboard at resident too ,you can compare which one is better suited.
Hello from Ca & many thanks 4 video. What are ur feelings about the visa runs? KL has many really nice apts with pools & gyms listed at $500-600. Can u book them for short-term? Kuala Lumpur is an amazing city & US could learn a lot from urban planners there.
For the visa runs I’m not really sure yet. Someone commented that if you stay 3 months that you’ll need to leave for 3 months but I don’t really know about this. I know people who have stayed for several years by leaving and returning on a tourist visa, unless things are changing. So far the most I’ve stayed is one month, then left to Thailand and returned without any problems. Maybe they don’t mind as much if you’re not staying the full 3 months and so they can clearly see I’m traveling around, not really trying to game the system. Only some places will rent short term but typically offering higher rent is a good way to get 6 months instead of 12 month contract, this is what I’ve been told!
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