Cost of Living in Malaysia for Expats

Hi Friends... Hope you are doing fine.

I have come across many blogs and forums which discuss about cost of living. So here I want to share cost of living in Malaysia for Indians. Don’t feel bad if I mention for Indians.  Most of my friends are from India, so I take inputs from them so that I can give the accurate information for you.

If you are really looking for the cost of different items/housing etc., then below is a brief idea. This post contains the information taken from other sites. Most of the forums and sites say that you need to have minimum of RM 15,000/- per month to lead a good life. Mmm true. Just have a look on the below table. For more information you can visit the below sites too.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.jsp?country=Malaysia&city=Kuala+Lumpur

http://www.joy-stay.com/CostofLiving.html#anchor_1996

I want to tell budget planning stay in Malaysia. Don’t forget to read Budget Planning post to know exact situation on Cost of Living in Malaysia.

Rent Per Month
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	2,100.00 RM
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,300.00 RM
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	4,000.00 RM
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,000.00 RM
Restaurants
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	8.00 RM
Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	50.00 RM
Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar	11.12 RM
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)	10.00 RM
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	12.00 RM
Cappuccino (regular)	8.50 RM
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)	2.00 RM
Water (0.33 liter bottle)	1.50 RM
Markets
Milk (regular), 1 liter	5.50 RM
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)	3.00 RM
Rice (1kg)	4.00 RM
Eggs (12)	4.75 RM
Local Cheese (1kg)	35.00 RM
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg)	12.00 RM
Apples (1kg)	8.00 RM
Oranges (1kg)	9.00 RM
Tomato (1kg)	3.82 RM
Potato (1kg)	3.00 RM
Lettuce (1 head)	3.00 RM
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.50 RM
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	50.00 RM
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	8.00 RM
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	12.00 RM
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro)	10.00 RM
Transportation
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.00 RM
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	100.00 RM
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.00 RM
Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)	1.00 RM
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	25.00 RM
Gasoline (1 liter)	1.90 RM
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	148,888.00 RM
Utilities (Monthly)
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment	150.00 RM
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	0.30 RM
Internet (6 Mbps, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	150.00 RM
Sports And Leisure
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	170.00 RM
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	25.00 RM
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	12.00 RM
Clothing And Shoes
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	250.00 RM
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	200.00 RM
1 Pair of Nike Shoes	300.00 RM
1 Pair of Men Leather Shoes	250.00 RM
Buy Apartment Price
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre	8,611.13 RM
Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	4,305.56 RM
Salaries And Financing
Median Monthly Disposable Salary (After Tax)	4,000.00 RM
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly	5.00

By the above detailed list, you can find how much salary you should get to survive happily in Malaysia. This is not my main post actually.