theramblingman

Hi all,

This seems like a great website with loads of useful info. I'm possibly moving to KL by the end of the year. Everything's going to be on a tight budget initially (as I'll be on the foreigner minimum wage for first few months) and wondered if I could get some advice.

Can anyone recommend a guest house for long term stays (around a month or two) in the Damansara area? Before finding and renting an apartment I think it'd be easier to stay in a guest house or hotel while I find my feet. I've read some places can offer good long term rates but I'd like to find somewhere close to work.

How cheap are books,(decent) clothes and electricals (such as laptops) over there compared to the UK? Wondering whether I should save on the shipping costs and just re-buy most of my stuff over there.

Does anyone have any recommendations for medical insurance and an idea of how much this would cost? (for a single male, late 20's).

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Steve

ex reg

Why not join a library.
Not sure of availability of libraries in KL but the ones in HK and Singapore are great.
Both Non Fiction and Fiction generally have a greater range then UK.
In fact in Singapore there'll be 5 or 6 copies of books that aren't even stocked in my local UK library.

bakedbean

Not sure we have libraries here Some condos have their own libraries where you can borrow/swap books. Quite good idea

Re med ins, just check out some med ins websites. They usually have the prices on there. You get what you pay for

ajw

There are no libraries. Save yourself some trouble and get a in Kindle from Amazon.co.uk before you go. Plenty of books to be found online. Bring your laptop etc with you, they are no cheaper here. Bring your clothes. What you save on shipping you'd simply have to pay out once you got there on replacing everything.

sgill66

Hi There

My family is also relocating to KL, and would like to know if appliances like TVs from UK will work in Malaysia? Also we have a small dog and wondered if anyone has had difficulties finding accommodation that will allow pets? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Sam

Bluenose1

No reason why they shouldn't. Electricity supply is virtually the same as the UK. In some places you may need a 3 pin to 2 pin adapter, but these are readily available. We bought a Sony Playstation 3 there for about £100 cheaper than we could in the UK, brought it back to the UK with us and it has worked fine ever since. That saving was probably an exception though, because most electronics goods are the same price, or even cheaper over here. I cannot help you about pets, though. But there are plenty of people on here who are in Malaysia, so I am sure someone will be along soon to give you that advice.

sgill66

Thanks for that, we just bought a massive 3d Tv and my husband would probably cry if we had to leave it behind!!

theramblingman

Thanks for the replies and tips. I know the UK market is very competitive at the moment but I still kind of expected electricals etc to be cheaper in Malaysia. It's good to know beforehand.

Bluenose1

We have 2 flat screen tv's. A 46" which is currently in our bedroom and a 52" in the lounge. I am certainly intending to ship those over when I retire in 2 years time! Certainly when we were in Malaysia a couple of years ago, we looked at Flat Screens then and they were virtually the same price as those in the UK.

Tahiti_Bound

Hi

Just to comment on your question about obtaining accommodation suitable for your dog: if you're looking to stay in the center of KL, most accommodation is high rise or mid rise apartments. We've found that dogs (and other animals) are not allowed in many of these properties. 'Landed' property (places with garden space) is not very common unless you look further out (or have a very healthy budget!) to places like Bangsar.

Good luck with your search.

Tahiti

RedDragon2008

Bangsar is along way out?

Seems only 10 mins to mega mall

ajw

Less than that. More like 5, when its not raining...

Tahiti_Bound

Hi again

As others have mentioned, Bangsar is about ten minutes drive from KLCC - except during rush hour, when it can be 45 mins to an hour.

I'd find a friendly real estate agent to help you find dog friendly places to stay.

That's what we did. Let me know if you need any recommendations.

Tahiti

sgill66

many thanks for the information, I really dont want to have to leave the dog as he is my 6 year old daughters! We would be looking to live somewhere convenient to the BSKL, if you know of any agents that would be able to help that would be fab.
Sam

Bluenose1

What I should have added...... My (Malaysian) wife insisted I stayed out of sight while she negotiated the price (at a licensed stall in a shopping mall) then, once the deal was done, I was able to step in and ask a few questions! She has made me do this a number of times, and by and large it seems to work as she can very often obtain a much better price than either the price marked on the goods, or the price they quote to me!
In terms of the PS3, however, watch out! The guy told us that Sony hadn't regionalised it but, while that seems to be true for games, they have for Blue Ray discs as we found out when we got it home! We now have a Blue Ray Disc player (Sony, free with a flat screen TV), so don't actually use the PS3 for watching Blue Ray any more..
Another thing worth pointing out is that, when I was in Malaysia in 2006, most of the TV/video/DVD equipment did not have scart sockets, rather they used the 3 red, white and yellow jacks to connect them up. I haven't looked at them since, so I do not know if they have changed yet. Perhaps some 'locals' can advise?