For those living in Penang

Old Jan 27th 2017, 3:45 am
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Default For those living in Penang

I'm considering taking early retirement in a couple of years, but would be under 50, and have 2 school aged children.

I've heard good things about the schools in Penang, but please correct me if you have heard otherwise. There are no suitable secondary schools in Sarawak (yes there are schools, no they are not suitable). KL school fees are more expensive than the UK private schools which defeats the point.

I've read up about the MM2H requirements pre and post 50, so no stress there. And we would run down some of the FD on school fees.

However, what I'm not certain on is budget. Sarawak is shockingly cheap, but hardly any expats etc so very much local prices and I appreciate that Penang may be more expensive but I can't guess.

We would be 4, incl 2 school aged kids still. Would prefer to live in 3 bed house with garden near-ish the school (Tenby? Something else?). Probably rent rather than buy so as not to tie up capital, with an uncertain return. We would also already have cars, so would just be running costs.

Again, I appreciate that our situation is not usual, but any examples that I could then extrapolate from, for example, would be helpful.

So, that all said, what kind of monthly budget/spend for day to day living, should I be considering?
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Old Jan 27th 2017, 7:47 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Apparently do you already have an indication of prices in Sarawak. If you could list some of those, then those who are in Penang could give a comparison.
For housing (rent) could you of course check the many property websites.
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Old Jan 27th 2017, 11:50 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by SushiFan
Apparently do you already have an indication of prices in Sarawak. If you could list some of those, then those who are in Penang could give a comparison.
For housing (rent) could you of course check the many property websites.
Really I'm after an approx monthly spend rather than individual items.... is that possible?
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Old Jan 28th 2017, 5:48 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by OriginalSunshine
Really I'm after an approx monthly spend rather than individual items.... is that possible?
It's rather like asking how long is a piece of string. The answer depends very much on your habits and requirements. With two children you probably want at least 3 bedrooms and some space. A rental around 2000sf can cost you anywhere 1500rm upwards. A luxury condo of 7000sf will probably set you back 9-10000rm. A landed property will be 4000rm upwards. Buying into a property right now is a bit of a gamble, prices rose steeply over the last decade or so but recently have peaked and may even have fallen slightly.

Food is very cheap if you habitually eat street food or at one of the many food courts where a single dish will be 5-8rm. Or you can spend a few hundred rm eating at one of the five star hotels. Cooking at home is relatively inexpensive if you shop at the wet markets. What dominates the cost is if you add alcohol to the meal.

Water at 5rm every 2 months is dirt cheap. Inda water 6 monthly a little more expensive but not much. Electricity will depend on how much you run the aircon but probably similar to what you pay now.

I would say my wife and I live very comfortably in nicely appointed rental property and if I strip out car purchase and holidays we get by on around 15,000rm a month averaged over the last 14 months.
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Old Jan 28th 2017, 6:22 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by OriginalSunshine
Really I'm after an approx monthly spend rather than individual items.... is that possible?
Just in case you don't know of this excellent website:-

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Penang
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Old Jan 28th 2017, 7:23 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by NeonHippy
It's rather like asking how long is a piece of string. The answer depends very much on your habits and requirements.
Exactly, which is why I wanted to see some guidelines per main category. To get a feel for what the most important categories are for the topic starter.

It is not my intention to start a contest with you Neon, but my wife and I spent in 2016 approximately 11 k RM per month when excluding costs for holiday and leisure trips.
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Old Jan 29th 2017, 2:01 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

The only appropriate schools in Kuching would be the Lodge International School and St. Josephs. If you are over 50 you would qualify (age wise) for the Sarawak M2H program.

The Official Portal of the Sarawak Government

True the expat community is not as developed in Kuching, but many are associated with the Museum or other interest groups (Malaysian Nature Society, etc.). There's also a very large transient community of Western tourists.

The more expensive luxury condos (3BR in the Riverine Sapphire or Emerald overlooking the River) run about RM2500/month. So many condominiums are being built in Kuching that prices are going to be quite competitive IMHO. Talk a look at real estate sites like homes.mitula.my
property guru.com.my homes.trovit.my and mudah.my for some idea of price ranges. You might want to rent for a year or two before investing/buying if that's your goal.


Vehicles are the most expensive difference as you have to pay for shipping to Sarawak.

Here's a Cost of Living comparison b/w KL and Kuching...seems pretty accurate....although oranges, tomatoes, and other vegetables can be obtained at local farmers green markets for MUCH cheaper. Uber has now hit Kuching so taxi fares have plummeted to about half those posted.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-livin...&city2=Kuching

Hope that helps.

You could do the MM2H in Penang and then visit Sarawak/Sabah to see if it's more suitable after a couple of years...but it would require reapplication. You'd already have fixed deposit/proof of income....but might have to pay for some sort of visa exemption until you need a new one.
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Old Jan 31st 2017, 11:25 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by SushiFan
Exactly, which is why I wanted to see some guidelines per main category. To get a feel for what the most important categories are for the topic starter.

It is not my intention to start a contest with you Neon, but my wife and I spent in 2016 approximately 11 k RM per month when excluding costs for holiday and leisure trips.
Thanks NH, IVV, SF much appreciated- seem like plus minus similar living costs as we have in Sarawak then
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Old Jan 31st 2017, 11:29 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by RedApe
The only appropriate schools in Kuching would be the Lodge International School and St. Josephs. If you are over 50 you would qualify (age wise) for the Sarawak M2H program.

The Official Portal of the Sarawak Government

True the expat community is not as developed in Kuching, but many are associated with the Museum or other interest groups (Malaysian Nature Society, etc.). There's also a very large transient community of Western tourists.

The more expensive luxury condos (3BR in the Riverine Sapphire or Emerald overlooking the River) run about RM2500/month. So many condominiums are being built in Kuching that prices are going to be quite competitive IMHO. Talk a look at real estate sites like homes.mitula.my
property guru.com.my homes.trovit.my and mudah.my for some idea of price ranges. You might want to rent for a year or two before investing/buying if that's your goal.


Vehicles are the most expensive difference as you have to pay for shipping to Sarawak.

Here's a Cost of Living comparison b/w KL and Kuching...seems pretty accurate....although oranges, tomatoes, and other vegetables can be obtained at local farmers green markets for MUCH cheaper. Uber has now hit Kuching so taxi fares have plummeted to about half those posted.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-livin...&city2=Kuching

Hope that helps.

You could do the MM2H in Penang and then visit Sarawak/Sabah to see if it's more suitable after a couple of years...but it would require reapplication. You'd already have fixed deposit/proof of income....but might have to pay for some sort of visa exemption until you need a new one.
Hi there. Sorry I wasn't very clear. I live in Sarawak already which is why I know those two schools whilst they say they are international, they really aren't, for the schooling I need for my kids (and further details are private in case it identifies me). Actually, with kids going to school we would qualify for swk MM2H early, but we would want a community where we could live in, and Kuching just isn't there for us yet. And it's another flight. And internet shoppping is still highly limited in swk. Even Lazada charges extra.
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Old Jan 31st 2017, 7:55 pm
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Sorry, I misunderstood your statement about Sarawak. Hopefully the schools in Penang are better for your needs. It seems that there is certainly a great diversity of International Schools in Penang to choose from.

I'm wondering if the absence of younger expats with school-age children may play a part in the lower standards (for your needs). Capitols often have a sizable diplomatic community to serve, and places with some factory/resource base with international corporations have many expat workers and their children who have need for international schooling. Kuching really lacks both those things.

Penang also got a head start - they've had fairly large "secular" schools there from the 1840's, both boys and girls, along with a few Catholic training schools. It was even a bit earlier than the Singapore Institution, I believe.

Best of luck in Penang.
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Old Feb 1st 2017, 7:40 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by OriginalSunshine
Hi there. Sorry I wasn't very clear. I live in Sarawak already which is why I know those two schools whilst they say they are international, they really aren't, for the schooling I need for my kids (and further details are private in case it identifies me). Actually, with kids going to school we would qualify for swk MM2H early, but we would want a community where we could live in, and Kuching just isn't there for us yet. And it's another flight. And internet shoppping is still highly limited in swk. Even Lazada charges extra.
I am not sure whether you are familiar with the EXPAT magazine. I noticed that they often have advertisements from the various international schools. This might give you an idea where to look and what to look for (in case you didn't find any information sources yet).

Read Online: The Expat Magazine | The Expat Group

Lazada deliveries usually work well in Penang. But most goods are being shipped from Klang or KL, so there is some delivery time involved.
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Old Feb 1st 2017, 9:20 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Thanks, both of you!

One thing that interests me is that in the U.K., it's been suggested that a family of four need take home net of around 2500 gbp per month which equates to an almost 40k gbp per year salary. Now given 2500 gbp is around 15,000 MYR, and I would have to pay school fees and medical compared to the U.K., and I start to question if this would be the cheaper option after all.... hmmmm.....
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Old Feb 2nd 2017, 7:25 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

You mention an amount of 40 k GBP in yearly salary. Is that the take home pay, after taxes have been withheld? If it is before taxes, how much would be left over after taxes have been withheld?
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Old Feb 2nd 2017, 10:41 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by SushiFan
You mention an amount of 40 k GBP in yearly salary. Is that the take home pay, after taxes have been withheld? If it is before taxes, how much would be left over after taxes have been withheld?
40k gbp gross salary leaves a take home (after tax and ni) of about 2500 gbp
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Old Feb 3rd 2017, 7:40 am
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Default Re: For those living in Penang

Originally Posted by OriginalSunshine
40k gbp gross salary leaves a take home (after tax and ni) of about 2500 gbp
In that case I indeed understand your comment that there is not much difference in cost of living between UK and places such as Penang.
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