Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Retire Early Cheap

In this 2024 updated report, I will share Kuala Lumpur rents, utilities, groceries, restaurants, transportation, and other expenses for low to middle-range living costs for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  

Then I will share my desirability factors for retiring in Kuala Lumpur such as  Walkability, Internet, Food, Weather, Things to Do, Social Considerations, Real Estate, Expat Community, and Health Care. 

But why should you listen to me?  I first came to Malaysia in 2016 on a visa run from Thailand.  While in Malaysia, I met a high-fashion runway model named Qiang Hui, of Hobo Ventures.  She has been traveling the world with me since 2017.   

Today, I now have 991 videos showing you the best places to retire cheap in paradise overseas.  You can browse through my videos with our feet on the ground all over the world.  

My videos are organized by country on Vagabond Awake YouTube Channel under Playlists.  Qiang’s videos are on the Hobo Ventures YouTube Channel.

Because Qiang is from Malaysia, and we visit her family periodically, I have spent more time here over the last 7 years than in any other country.   We have been all over Malaysia.  

Malaysia is sandwiched between Thailand and Singapore.    

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, is in West Malaysia.  Western Malaysia is also known as Peninsular Malaysia.  Eastern Malaysia runs along the north of one of the largest islands in the world called Borneo.  

We have put our feet on the ground all over Malaysia doing videos and writing retire cheap reports for Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Malacca, Ipoh, Langkawi, Perhentian Islands, Sabah Malaysia, Sibu, and Sarawak Malaysia.  

But today we are reporting on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.   

First I will share a range of living cost estimates from low to middle for Kuala Lumpur and then I will share my retirement desirability factors.   

Estimated Cost of Living in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

Here are my estimated costs of living converted into US dollars if the two of us moved to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia year-round on a tight budget.  We will also include more typical expenses we have heard from other expats to give you another data point. 

Rents: I found the above unfurnished 2-story 1-bedroom condo for rent for 2000 RM per month, which is $418 USD per month in Jalan Ampang in one of our favorite buildings called M-City.  It is 910 Square Feet and has an incredible swimming pool and gym.  That is the 12-month rental rate. 

Here is another 1-bedroom condo for rent I like it even more because it has a balcony with a sliding glass door and is completely furnished for RM 2000 per month, which is $418 USD per month on a 12-month lease.

Here is the process we use to find great apartments.  So, we will show you a table of all expenses in a moment.  We will use $420 per month for our lower rent estimate and $600 per month for the middle cost of living estimate for expats who want more space. 

Utilities:  We estimate that the year-round average for our utilities would be about $80 USD per month.  The utilities would be more for expats that rent the larger space, about $130 USD per month.  

Groceries:  When we slowly travel around the world, we normally shop in wet markets to save money.  In fact, there is a great wet market only about 10 minutes (drive) from the Ampang area of KL where we normally stay.  But we have fallen in love with this family-owned grocery store that is only about 6 6-minute walk from where we stay in Ampang.   We estimate about $300 per month for groceries.  

Other expats are likely to buy more expensive imported foods in this larger expat-style grocery store in the area, or around $400 per month on groceries.  

Restaurants:  We would go out to eat two or three times per week in Kuala Lumpur about half the time in local restaurants averaging about $3.50 per meal per person and an additional meal per week in the expat-style restaurants for about $8 USD per meal per person.  If you add that up, we would spend around $40 per week or $160 per month in restaurants for the two of us.  

Other expats are likely to eat more Western-style foods in expensive expat-style restaurants and less in local-style restaurants, so they would likely spend $240 per month for 2 people.  

Cell Phone Data: The cost to recharge our prepaid smartphone service was about $12 per month.  My Android phone will act as a hotspot so we can both be on the internet at the same time when we are out of the house together.  

Other expats couples are likely to buy two prepaid SIM cards so they would send $24 per month.  

Laundry:  Our apartments in KL almost always have clothes washing machines and people hang their clothes in SE Asia.  Since the laundry detergent is included in our grocery bill, there is no additional expense for laundry.  

Drinking Water: Most furnished apartments in KL now have water dispensers.  So we pay nothing for water here.  

Internet: 100 MBPS up and down is about 130 RM per month or $27 USD for in-home wifi.  

Transportation:  We end up taking Grab Taxi about twice per week for about $4 USD each way, or $8 USD round trip each time.  We also walk everywhere in this neighborhood and we can take the bus for almost free to KLCC Suria Mall, where we can take the subway all over the city.  So, we estimate about $80 USD per month for the two of us for transportation.  Other expats might walk less and spend more on transportation, so $120 per month. 

Alcohol (Optional): Local beer in local bars and restaurants $4 USD, about $2.00 USD in convenience stores, and $1.67 USD in grocery stores.  So, we would spend about $160 per month on alcohol for the two of us.

Many other expats would spend a higher amount for imported foreign or craft beers in expat bars, so about $240 USD per month for 2 people assuming they are not into imported whiskey or wine.  

Entertainment (Optional):  We would budget about $200 per month for entertainment for the two of us.  We generally enjoy doing more do-it-yourself kinds of entertainment so expats would spend a little more, maybe $300 per month, for 2 of them?

Estimated Costs of Living in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur Estimates	Lower (USD)	Middle (USD)
Rent	420	600
Utilities	80	130
Groceries	300	400
Restaurants	160	240
Cell Data	12	24
Laundry	0	0
Drinking Water	0	0
Internet	27	27
Transportation	80	120
Total	$1079	$1541
Alcohol	150	300
Optional Total	$1229	$1841
Entertainment	200	300
Optional Total	$1429	$2141

The above lower estimated cost of living would be if the two of us lived in Kuala Lumpur on a tight budget.  The middle estimate is just an example of what other expats might spend if they moved here and had more discretionary income.  

To understand what it would cost you to live here, you must put your feet on the ground, see how you would choose to live, eat, and entertain yourself, and add it all up.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else spends because we are all different.  

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Livability Factors

Before you move anywhere outside your home country, make sure to create a list of things that you must have for your happy retirement.  Here are my livability factors and I will rank each as high, medium, or low before assigning an overall retirement desirability score to Kuala Lumpur.  

Walkability:  High.  This one will need an explanation.  At first, you may think this is a place you need to have a car.  But there are several neighborhoods in KL where you could live without ever having to get in a car.  Three examples would be the Petronas Towers area, the Bukit Bintang area, and Bangsar.  In fact, there is even a covered air-conditioned walkway between the Petronas Tower area and Bukit Bintang.  You can also take the subway from the Petronas Towers to Bukit Bintang and Bangsar.  Once in any of these three areas, you are within walking distance of all necessities like movies, malls, and restaurants from super expensive to more affordable.  Plus KL has an amazing transportation system that you can access using Google Maps.  You could easily live here without buying a car.   

Internet:  High. Kuala Lumpur has great Internet speeds for very little money.   I used the AT&T Speed Test on the wireless router in our Airbnb and it registered 109 Mbps up and down.  

Food:  High.  We stayed in the Jalan Ampang area of KL.  There is a high-end Village Grocery in the neighborhood and we shop there if we need something quick.  But if we are shopping for a few days worth of groceries we shop at either of these two grocery stores that have lower prices and almost as good a selection.  Store 1, Store 2.  Alcohol, beer, and wine is heavily taxed here.  

Weather:  Medium.  The weather is fairly consistent and hot in Kuala Lumpur year-round.  Daily highs range very little from 89 F (32 C) in December to 92 F (33 C) in May.  The nightly lows range from 73 F (23 C) in December to 76 F (24 C) in May.  The rainy season is October through December when it rains 13 to 16 days of the month.  The rest of the year it rains about 10 days per month.  

Things to Do:  High.  If you are interested in city life, Kuala Lumpur has everything you will need except the sexually charged atmosphere you will find in Bangkok.  It is a more conservative country.  They have Symphony, Live Music, and Performing Arts Center. There are literally hundreds of great restaurants with foods from all over the world.  Kuala Lumpur has an amazing international airport so all of SE Asia and the world is a reasonably priced flight away.  Kuala Lumpur has beautiful parks and amazing shopping malls.  People come from all over the world to shop here.  All of the most exclusive designer brands are in the Pavillion and KLCC Suria Malls here.  

Social Considerations:  It seems that everywhere you go here people speak English.  It was a former English colony and they continue to teach English in school.  The main local language is called Malay.  There are three major ethnic groups here, Malay, Chinese, and Indian.  All three groups speak their ethnic languages and most also speak at least some English.  The people are very friendly and nice.  I don’t believe you will face any additional challenges because you are a foreigner.  

Expat Community: You will see expats from all over the world here.  However, it is still relatively undiscovered by Westerners as compared to Thailand or the Philippines.  Here are three Facebook pages that cater to expats from overseas.  1, 2, 3.   These online expat communities are great for learning all about things that expats want to learn when they first move overseas.  They are also great sources for finding people to associate with from other countries.  

Medical: Malaysia is one of the better medical tourism countries in the world in my opinion.  They have both great healthcare here and at reasonable prices.  When you are first new overseas, you may want to go to hospitals like Glen Eagles or Prince Court Medical Centre.  But after you realize that the average medical care here is probably as good as in your home country, then you may want to consider going to more blue color type hospitals which may save you a little money. 

Tourist Visa: Foreigners from many Western countries are given 3 months visa exemption when they enter Malaysia.  In many parts of SE Asia, you can just do a visa run to get additional time.  But Malaysia has started to crack down on visa runs.  The best I can tell, after talking to several people who have done it, if you decide to do a visa run after your first 90-day exemption, you should stay out of Malaysia at least 90 days before attempting a reentry.      

Retirement Visa:  Malaysia has 13 states and 3 Federal territories.  Two of those states, Sabah and Sarawak, have reserved the right to set their own terms for retirement visas.  That means that there are three different retirement visas you can apply for in the country of Malaysia which you can read in detail here. 

Sabah State Retirement Visa:  You have to complete and submit the required application and documents.  You have to deposit 200k RM ($42k USD) in a Malaysian Bank.  You have to spend at least 30 days per year in Sabah.  It is initially issued with a 5-year term renewable for 5 years.  This is a new proposed visa that is waiting for final approval by the legislator. 

Sarawak State Retirement Visa:  You have to complete and submit the required application and documents.  You have to deposit 150k RM ($32k USD) in a Malaysian Bank and proof of 7000 RM ($1500 USD) income per month.  You have to spend at least 30 days per year in Sarawak.   You would also need a certificate of good standing from your home country and a clean bill of health.  This visa is said to be running behind on issuance about 15 months. 

Peninsular Malaysia Retirement Visa:  You have to complete and submit the required application and documents.  You have to deposit 1 million RM ($210k USD) in a Malaysian Bank and the amount of the monthly income required is still pending.  You have to spend at least 90 days per year in Peninsular Malaysia.  You would also need a certificate of good standing from your home country and a clean bill of health.  There are also some VIP retirement visas for Peninsular Malaysia which we will not cover here.  This visa is presently under review right now.  We will provide an update when we know more. 

Since you are not required to live in any of these states for the entire year, you may wonder if you are allowed to live in other parts of Malaysia during the other parts of the year.  I have not found a direct answer to that question, but I can tell you that when we flew from Sabah or Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia, since that is not an international flight, immigration in Peninsular Malaysia did not ask to see our passport at all.  It seemed to be just like when you fly between states in the USA or fly between countries in the Schengen zone.  Hopefully one day they will clear this question up.   

Real Estate:  Foreigners can own 100% of a residence in Malaysia so long as the purchase price is over 1 million RM ($210K USD).  The weird thing is that the rents are so low here that it might be smarter to rent than buy.  The place we are renting for about $700 per month, sells for about $250,000 USD.  If you keep the $250k in the market instead and average a 6% return, you will make twice as much in the market as the rent you would save by buying.  Plus, I do not recommend buying until you have been here for at least 2 years.    

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Kuala Lumpur Overall Desirability Score:  High.  I could see myself living in Kuala Lumpur.  The costs are higher than in other parts of Malaysia, but everywhere else in Malaysia feels a little rural for me.  Also, most of Malaysia feels a little conservative for my taste.  KL and Georgetown Penang Malaysia are more open-minded and accepting of diverse ideas.            

Three Favorite Neighborhoods to Live in Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Ampang is where we normally stay when we are in Kuala Lumpur.  

Bukit Bintang is a great place to stay if you like more energy, nightlife, and a younger, crazier feel.  

Bangsar is a great area where you will find very successful families and singles, but it costs more for the same reason.  

What would it cost you to live in Kuala Lumpur?

To get a better understanding of things you should add to our estimated cost of living watch this video:  9 Reasons You Can’t Retire on $1000 Month Overseas. 

Most people will likely be unable to retire the lower range estimate above.  I give example reasons why in this report.  Plus, this other report explains how to avoid coming home early with your tail between your legs.   

Also, if you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpectedly large expenses.  

You should also add anything to the above table that you spend money on in your home country that is not listed in the above table.  Presumably, you find those things necessary in life.  To do that, visit the Numbeo Kuala Lumpur and add anything not mentioned in the table. 

Never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.  

Many of the expats we meet living overseas are self-insured for medical care.  That means that not everyone buys health insurance when they move overseas.  That probably sounds crazy to many of you.  

I didn’t carry medical insurance for most of my first 17 years living overseas.  But last year I bought medical insurance.  If you are wondering what it costs and what it covers, watch my medical insurance video at this link.  This is not an affiliate link.    

More typical expat living costs in Malaysia range from about $1500 to $4000 per month.  But people spending that much often have higher savings, incomes, or pensions.  They often report spending more on entertainment, eating out more, traveling, and alcohol.  Many also have more expensive cars, houses, or apartments.  

Kuala Lumpur 2019 REPORT 

Everything below this paragraph is from our 2019 visit.  Everything above this paragraph is from our 2024 visit.

Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living

Our 2019 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Retire Early Cheap guide next discusses the cost of living here. The below cost of living numbers is an integration of my own experience and Numbeo. However, if significant inflation occurs or time passes after this post, then update my below numbers using Numbeo.

2019 Monthly Cost of Living, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia ($USD)

Expense	Cost	Low	Medium	High
Airbnb/per month rate	$25.00	0	14	30
1 Br Apt w/lease	$25.00	0	12	0
Hostel/per day	$7.00	30	3	0
High-End Restaurant	$12.00	1	4	8
Neighborhood Restaurant	$4.00	30	44	48
Food Cart	$3.00	30	12	4
Subway/Train/Metro	$0.25	20	26	8
Bus	$0.25	20	10	0
Taxi/Grab	$3.00	6	10	20
Total	Per Month	$460.00	$970.00	$1,112.00
Total	Per Day	$15.33	$32.33	$37.07

The above numbers are for one person and do not include alcohol, tours, or extras. I do not guarantee these prices for anyone. Here is a link explaining how the table works.

Cheapest Flights to Kuala Lumpur

To really enjoy our 2019 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Retire Early Cheap guide, you need to save money on your flight. We almost always get our cheapest flights on this Skyscanner. They have a web crawler that is constantly looking for the cheapest prices all over the world. As usual, we found the cheapest flight to Kuala Lumpur on Skyscanner.

Kuala Lumpur Must-See Tour (self-guided)

Like all of our live cheap in paradise guides, our 2019 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Retire Early Cheap guide starts with a free tour provided by us.

Here is the order you should see the Kuala Lumpur Free Must See Tour. But you don’t need a car to do this tour. Just follow the directions below the map to get to each destination. We used public transportation and Grab.com taxi (Malaysia’s version of Uber).

Above is the video of our Kuala Lumpur Free Must-See Tour. The video discusses each stop on the tour and the below links will take you to each. The video and the below instructions are free. Make sure to buy a Malaysia Hotlink SIM card for your smartphone at the airport when you land. Then you can use all of these links in Kuala Lumpur to save time and money. Don’t be an idiot and pay roaming fees, that cost 20 times as much.

Batu Caves: Take a Grab Car to the Batu Caves for about $6 USD, 24 RM depending on where you are in the city. You can also ride the commuter rail if you are near any of the stops on the way to Batu Caves. The Batu Caves temple complex consists of three main caves and a few smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral Cave or Temple Cave, has a very high ceiling and features ornate Hindu shrines. Visitors must climb 272 steps to reach the top.

Petronas Towers: From the Batu Cave, take a Grab Car to Petronas Towers. Walk around the gorgeous park behind the towers (KLCC Park). In the evening there is a light show in the water fountains. You can also buy tickets there to get to the top of the towers (tickets are about $20). If you just want a great spot to take a picture of the towers, stop at this rooftop bar for happy hour. Catch a movie in English on the top flower of the fashion mall between the towers (Suria KLCC). If you decide to stay in this neighborhood, there are two full-size grocery stores in the basement of this fashion mall. I am not recommending the TV Tower. The view is better from Petronas.

Pavillion: You should walk the air-conditioned covered path from KLCC Park to the Pavillion. As you walk out of Suria KLCC onto KLCC Park, turn right at the water fountain and walk straight about 100 meters. Go through the glass doors and start walking and watching for signs that say “Pavillion.” Your first time you will feel lost. So just ask anyone as you go … “Which way to Pavilion?” The Pavilion is a gorgeous shopping mall and surrounding neighborhood with amazing food, nightlife, and entertainment.

Changkat Bukit Bintang: You can also take the same air-conditioned covered path a little further and it will get you to Bukit Bintang. You will already have noticed the signs for Bukit Bintang during your walk to the Pavillion. You can also take the purple bus from Pavilion to Bukit Bintang if you prefer to ride in an air-conditioned free bus. Just look for the buses purple bus near the front entrance to the Pavillion. Ask anyone if you get lost. Once on the purple bus, it is two stops from the Pavilion to the Bukit Bintang top. While in Bukit Bintang, you must see the street-food market at night and try some food and desserts. You must also walk in the Party Area after 10 PM to see the nightlife. There is also a great electronics market in Bukit Bintang if you need a great deal on something electronic. Also, can walk from Pavillion to the electronics market to Bukit Bintang. To get to the next stop, Chinatown, … just jump back on the purple bus and go 6 stops to the Pasar Seni stop.

Note: These are just the free buses in Kuala Lumpur. There is also an entirely separate public transportation system that you will find on Google Maps by clicking the rail icon above the destination search box.

Chinatown: The main attractions in Chinatown are the Sri Mahamariamman Hindu Temple, the Guan Di Temple, and the Chan She Shu Yuen Clan Ancestral Hall. You also must eat and shop in the Chinatown walking street in the evening.

Bangsar Baru: You should also visit the upscale Bangsar Baru area of Kuala Lumpur. You will find mostly the 20-somethings partying above in Bukit Bintang, and there is a slightly older and classier group that visits Bangsar Baru at night. There are also a bunch of great restaurants in Bangsar Baru. You can take the rail to from Chinatown to Bangsar or get a Grab Car.

Nearby Destinations: There are a number of day trips, long weekend trips, and extended trips with short flights, buses or trains from Kuala Lumpur. I have included those in my previous 2016 Kuala Lumpur post.

Digital Nomads in Kuala Lumpur 2019

Here are our best food experiences in Kuala Lumpur this visit.

Thai Chala: We loved this place. Great and fairly priced. The owner is Thai, no wonder. 🙂

Korea Gomonae (Korean Food Ampang Point): Love this place. We try to eat here once a week or so.

Simple Life:  This is a nice vegetarian chain of restaurants.

Vagabond Buddha’s Kitchen: We cooked the rest of our meals at home, in our Airbnb kitchen. I already discussed our favorite grocery stores above under livability factors. We keep buying food there and cooking at home.

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Kuala Lumpur Facts and History

Here are some interesting facts about Kuala Lumpur Malaysia according to Wikipedia. I am here in KL as I share these facts.

Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the largest city in Malaysia with over 7 million people within the metro area.

Kuala Lumpur is the cultural, financial, and economic center of Malaysia. It is also home to the Parliament of Malaysia, and the official residence of the Malaysian King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong), the Istana Negara.

Kuala Lumpur was the tenth most-visited city in the world in 2017 and has three of the world’s ten largest shopping malls.

Kuala Lumpur has been ranked the 70th most livable city in the world and the 2nd most livable in Southeast Asia after Singapore.

During World War II, Kuala Lumpur was captured by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945. The wartime occupation of the city resulted in significant loss of lives. 5,000 Chinese were killed in Kuala Lumpur in just a few weeks of the occupation. Thousands of Indians were sent as forced labor to work on the Burma Railway where a large number died.

The British occupation ended when the Malayan flag was raised for the first time at the Padang in 1957.

Race riots broke out in Kuala Lumpur in 1969. Violent conflicts that took place between members of the Malay and the Chinese communities. Malays were dissatisfied with their socio-political status. 196 people died during the violence which led to major changes in the country’s economic policy. The Malay majority has since promoted and prioritized Malay economic development over that of the other ethnicities.

The city remains the economic and business hub of the country. Kuala Lumpur is a center for finance, insurance, real estate, media, and the arts of Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is rated as an alpha world city and is the only global city in Malaysia, according to the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC).

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I am not offering you any of the above prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different if significant inflation or deflation occurs or the market changes after this post. and livability for your lifestyle and needs. Never move anywhere until you have visited first to verify prices I will not update these numbers until I am on the ground again here, if ever.