Will We Retire In Malaysia? Our List Of Pros And Cons For Living In Malaysia 

UPDATE AUGUST 11, 2021: The new MM2H requirements have been announced. More information in this link: www.theedgemarkets.com/article/malaysia-my-second-home-mm2h-programme-reactivated-new-applications-be-processed-october-%E2%80%94

lived here 30 years, from UK , never been happier

Although I am not about to settle any time soon I could definitely imagine retiring in Malaysia. It was my favorite country even before having stayed there for a year.

I travelled to Malaysia many times and never got disappointed...as you said the people are very friendly and helpful, and the food is just amazing. I could spend my retired time in KL...

I feel Malaysia is a hidden gem, situated in between & often overshadowed by Singapore as a financial hub & Thailand. The food is just fantastic & cheap, with good people all around

I have been for 18 months here in Malaysia , it’s an amazing to live here, unfortunately I’ll be leaving in 2 weeks to serbia , will be back soon.

Malaysia has so much going for it! Couldn’t agree more about the friendly people, great food, English proficiency, safety and development

Watching your videos makes me appreciate my country more. Thanks.

Great video. I am planning to retire in Malaysia so this video was very helpful. All your positive ones are what I expected in Malaysia but I'll say the hot weather is a positive one for me because I hate the cold especially living in gloomy UK where in winter we only see 6 hours of daylight hours and that is depressing. Another advantage for me personally is because I'm a Muslim from England and have many Malaysian friends. I have been to Malaysia 5 times and just simply love the country and its amazing people and culture

Glad I found this video. I am a Filipino professional working here in Malaysia for almost two years now and we have the same opinions and liking about how it feels like living in Malaysia. I love the people, friendly and can speak enough language to communicate. Although I have encountered people who can't speak english as I can't speak Bahasa, its not a problem at all. I may not eat some of their local foods but it's not a problem cause I can cook my own Filipino food. The life here is affordable if we are just to talk about our daily needs. Groceries and apparel are reasonably affordable. I don't see any reasons not to live here forever but I know for a fact that I am only carrying my work visa which would expire in a certain period of time. Thank you Malaysia for being so diverse.

i have a 75 years old friend from Yorkshire UK and he has been living in KL, Malaysia for the past 20 years. His only wish is to die in Kota Kinabalu Sabah which he described as a heaven on earth.

We’ve been here for 8 years, 6 in KL and the last 2 in Penang. This after 4 years in China and many years in Singapore. Maybe we’ll never leave. My daughters (10 and 11) consider Malaysia home as it’s all they remember.

I am from Canada. We have been staying in Penang for almost 2 years now. Despite the pandemic, we like Malaysia. Bit hot but it is still better than cold weather. Good video contents. Real and candid. Keep it up.

I’m a Malaysian from Penang living in the UK for more than 20 years. Very proud of Malaysia. One day will retire in Penang. You mentioned about location is negative to fly back to USA but bear in mind for the same factor it’s very close to other holiday destinations like Bali, Siem Reap, Krabi, Singapore and many more beautiful places. And it’s very affordable with Air Asia flights. My dream location to retire is in Batu Feringghi, Penang where it is quieter, calmer and a bit cooler close to the beach and jungles. Good luck with your searches.

Thank you for the information, I do love Malaysia and would like to visit there again.

Something else we noticed after being in Thailand for 2 months now is that imported groceries in Malaysia seemed to be much more affordable and bigger selection at stores like Jaya Grocer and Village Grocer

Im Malaysian and I cannot imagine leaving my country for good. I have loved my childhood, and my food here. And there's still so much to explore in Malaysia, the islands, rainforest, mountains

It's one of the best countries in the world. And it's one of the best countries to retire in.

I have been traveling to Malaysia for business multiple times a year for almost the past 10 years, often for around 1-2 months at a time. I can confirm that most of what this video covers is true and I often think to myself that I want to live in Malaysia someday.

Its good to know that most of the positives are due to the collective efforts of the peoole and the negative points are due to factors they have less (direct) control of. This video strengthen my belief that we, Malaysian, are really trying our best to make our 'home' a better place for everyone. 👍🏻

Just saw your video on your pro's and con's on living in Malaysia. I'm from Seattle Washington and moved to Malaysia in 1995 and been here since. I am currently on a MM2H program. Its fantastic and I will never be returning to Seattle. As to language yes most Malaysians speak English but its your responsibility to also speak their language . I now speak Malay , cantonese etc. The MM2H program will not start up any time soon as there were to many applications so therefore if and when they bring it back the requirements will be a lot higher as far as financial requirements. If you have any questions let me know I'm going on almost 3 decades here.

You did a great job with this video!

As someone from Malaysia living in US since 80s, I agree with your assessment. Especially on healthcare and school shootings. The heat and humidity unbearable in Malaysia even though lived in NC and Florida.

Been in Malaysia for almost 10 years now. First 6 years in KL and then Penang. I wholehearted agree that the Malaysian people are the main reason for staying here. They are so friendly and helpful. Then when you take into account the wonderful food, cost of living and excellent medical care available then it's a no-brainer retiring here.

Thank you for your review. I think its ironic that a foreigner have to make a video to remind Malaysian that we live in such a beautiful country. Most average Malaysian would probably agree that this country is such a mess, only because politics are thrown into the equation. Remove the politics part, we would all enjoy malaysia in a whole new perspective. I wish you guys to have a great retirement journey ahead, and make more awesome videos to remind us, this is an awesome country 👍🏻

Lived in 70 countries and you recommend Malaysia as your No 1 makes me a Malaysian very proud and pleased. Thank you.

No doubt, I'll choose Malaysia for my retirement too

Lived here in Penang 3 years now. The weather is warm but I certainly wouldn't call it hot. It's all relative to where you come from. As someone from Dallas and Houston and spent two years in Shenzhen I find it very pleasant. Lows around 78F and highs around 89F. You forgot to mention unlimited data and calls for less than $10USD per month per phone. In 2017 I was paying AT&T $120 per month for two phones. Health insurance, cheap cheap cheap and yes, agree the medical is great. I think much better than in the USA. I can walk in and see my cardiologist, dermatologist, just about any specialty. Medications are top notch and my cardiologist was horrified by the outdated hypertension meds I was getting from the VA. He said they quit using this in Malaysia almost 10 years ago. Also the new med, Micardis, is available OTC here as are many medicines. As for being a long way from family, that is just a choice makes when deciding to retire overseas. Conversely, I can fly to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore for about $50USD each way per person and these destinations are about 1 hour fight time.

I second the medical comments. I had surgery at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital in Penang. Also, in Penang, I stayed at Glen Eagles Hospital during a bad bout of Dengue Fever. I have ZERO conplaints about the medical care there. It was excellent! Way better than the U.S. (in my opinion).

Not surprise to hear you choose Malaysia of all the 70 countries you visited to retire.

Can't believe you said our country public transport is much higher than US. Thank you for your honor

Malaysia is a paradise on earth! Period!

Now that you are back in the USA, hopefully vaccinated, where do you want to go next? We are also praying for MM2H to re-open but don't expect much before covid vaccines are widely deployed in Malaysia. Ten years ago we would have never believed that Malaysia would be our dream destination today. The people of Malaysia are some of the best we have met.

Malaysia welcome nice couple like you. ...same goes to Greg & Jumi..

I am an American and visited about 30 countries. My chosen country to retire - Malaysia! But I live a month in each malaysian state…. then back to USA (personal reasons). Malaysia is a fascinating country. And yes, very hot.

Lived all over the world. I have spent 18 years in Malaysia, and I love it here. Only downside for me is the travel time back to the states.

We live in the US and will retire in Malaysia as well. As for the flights, you may go to Singapore or KLIA and there's United Airlines direct flight to LA or SF or Malaysian Airlines to LA or SF as well.

Glad you like our country. Hope things work out well for your future, wherever you may be living.

I’m so grateful to be born in Malaysia. Ironically many people here wants to get out.

A while ago, I spoke to one uk couple. Both choose to retire in Malaysia because both has this rheumatism. He told me the hands are painful during the winter time in uk. But since retire in Malaysia, nothing serious happen due to the hot weather. So right now their plan is avoid winter in uk. Most of the time is still in Malaysia

Thanks for choosing malaysia as one of the nation u choose to retire at.

Thank you so much for considering Malaysia as your second home.

welcome to Malaysia, Sir. i as Malaysians proud you choose my country from your list for living after retire please welcome be a part of Malaysians

Signore Tony, the affable owner of the popular Italian restaurant, Fellini (located in Jln.Gasing, Petaling Jaya) once told me this: “if you disregard the politics, Malaysia is the best country in the world to live in!” Incidentally, Tony hails from Rome and has lived in Malaysia for quite a number of years.

Great video!! Summary of your Pros ❤1) Friendly people 2) English speaking public. 3) Large expat community 4) Lower cost of living 5) More developed compared to others with good road system and public transport. Good internet service 6) Good medical service (fast appointments and cheaper costs). 7) Feel safer due to lower crime rates. 8) Good food - local and western. 9) Better air quality compared to other countries. 10) Low threat of natural disasters. Your Nays -🤢 1) Weather is hot comparatively. 2) A lot travelling if you are going back to USA. Expensive and long journey. 3) Immigration laws stricter due to Covid 19 and changes in laws for Malaysia my 2nd Home. Good review. I think you missed out a few - Pros - 1) Strict gun laws - no guns allowed for unauthorised people 2) Lots of nice warm beaches (where you can swim) in East Coast of West Malaysia and in East Malaysia 2) The conversion rate is very good for foreigners. Things are cheap if you convert USD1 = RM4.39 as at 26.5.22. 3) Very good banking system. You can do online banking and transfer funds to get immediate /fast credit transfers. Credit card, Debit cards, E-Wallets, QR code payments widely used here. Heck we are ahead of US in some of these banking stuff . And yes we have ATMs and Cash Deposit machines in lots of places. 4) Lots of back to nature places to explore in East Malaysia. We have some of the best diving sites in the world like Pulau Sipadan, Pulau Tioman and Pulau Perhentian. 5) Relatively cheap petrol. 6) Relatively cheap food if you are cooking. 7) Super easy to make friends here if you are the friendly type. If you have some good local friends, they can show you some of the best hidden food places around. So have Malay, Chinese and Indian friends who can take you to these secret places for Kosher and non Kosher cuisines. 8) Malaysians hardly use their car horns!! Unless you pissed someone off with your bad driving. But we won't shoot you as we don't have guns. You can get a headache hearing the incessant horning in some countries but not here. Just visit New Delhi and Jakarta and you will know what I mean. 9) We have many top Universities here and it is cheaper to do your tertiary education in Malaysia at universities like Monash, Heriot Watt, Curtin, Nottingham, Swinburne etc. They offer twinning programmes to their countries of origin. We have lots of International schools and home schooling programmes for young children too 10) If you are Caucasian, you are like royalty and can get more privileges and better treatment. 11) We are tech savvy. You can get Grab car services easily (like Uber in some places) or order your food delivery via your mobile apps. We will be moving to 5G soon. You can get 200-500 mbps Internet speeds in major towns. You can subscribed Netflix, Walt Disney and others although we have 1st class cinemas. 12) We have one of the best airports in the world at KLIA and KLIA 2. Super easy to travel to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Hanoi, etc Before C19, we used to have cheap and easy (sometimes free) flights to many parts of Asia. Just like hopping on a bus for a trip. There is a high speed train service to these airports too. 12) You won't get diarrhoea when you drink our tap water or eat at the hawker stalls. Our nays - 1) We are fallen angels when it comes to driving Watch out for the smaller motorbikes when you are driving and wait a few seconds before you drive when the light turns green. But you'll get used to it once you can shift your eyes left, right, rear mirror and drive within split seconds. But we drive on the left side of the road. So look left, look right and left again before you cross our roads. 😀.

Hi Ryan & Emily, glad you hear you're considering coming to stay in Malaysia. As a Singaporean, I would recommend it for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Essentially you can't beat the value for money and the mostly modern infrastructure. Yes the afternoon humidity can be bothersome and takes some getting used to. Of course the distance from the States would be, in my opinion the only negative point. The other thing you want to look at if you decide to make Malaysia your second home would be how to spend your time. One way would be to teach say English, for example. That would not pay very much but it would keep the mind alert and provide perhaps an extra motivation and some spare spending money.

Best years of my life in Malaysia. Would highly recommend it to everybody.

I am from Malaysia. Nice to hear positive comments from you. Will subscribe to your channel. Nice to get an outsider's views of my country.

Glad that I found your video. My husband is a foreigner and we are always thinking which countries is the best for us to settle down. Watching your video is an eye opening for me, and without any doubt, Malaysia is the best country for us to settle down. Thank you 😊

Thank you for choosing Malaysia 🇲🇾, you’re welcome & wishing you & family happy & all the best.👏

I'm here 8 years now. Simple life on small Island. (Tioman). Yes, it can get very hot . Probably took 3 years for body to acclimatise.

You missed mentioning one super sweet deal: no daylight saving time adjustments and that sunrise and sunset is generally the same throughout the year! Good for the increasingly older bio-clocks :D

Thank you for giving us your pros and cons. We love Malaysia too! We are looking forward to long term travel there again. It's the end of May and we are still heating our homes here in France. Electricity and wood for heating is sooo expensive. Keep us updated.

Penang is certainly one of d best cities for expatriates in Malaysia. It's also popular for d Malaysia, my second home program for foreigners n retirement.

For Selangor/KL residents..They like drive to Genting Highlands resorts during weekend or holidays.. just 45min-1.15hours away from KL..The weather just 16℃-24℃ whole year.. Before the pandemic,we can take the bus from different locations in KL/Selangor to Genting Highlands too..One way tickets including cable car ride is around $3-$4 only

As far as location, we do like how it is central to get around Asia and is a pretty big hub. But to get home to the US would be far regardless if you were to retire in Asia

I love this video. Thank you! Many channels list only the upsides of a location, giving an inaccurate view. Some haven't even been to the countries they're recommending. I've been to about 35 countries, but am now forced into early retirement because some despots wanted to flatten the economy. I love Bali, but should also visit Malaysia if it ever reopens to visitors.

I am glad to hear that you love Malaysia so much. By the way, I am from Ipoh, Perak. A great city for retirement 😁😁😉

Glad both of u enjoy staying in Malaysia...We welcome both of u anytime...after international border open to tourists...after covid19 pandemic ease.... WELCOME TO MALAYSIA..MY UTube friends...♡ from Malaysia..May 2021

I am Malaysian. Once I went to Cuba for my friend's wedding. Took me 36 hours to arrive there. Hahaha. I said to myself ''Never again'' :D So completely understand the reason of too far away from home country while living in Malaysia. And that was my one time experience.

Haven’t been to that part of world but it looks like one could put on some serious weight living in Malaysia with all the exotic foods

Malaysia is such an underrated destination. I left a part of my heart there :-D

I am a Singaporean who choose to retire in Malaysia, in a dream house overlooking the golf course, fitted with rain and solar harvesting. Life and food here are quite like Singapore except Malaysia has more nature, slower life pace, enjoyable drive holidays and less crowded, all at a fraction of Singapore price. Cheers.

Really happy news, after your last video. I hpoe it materialises...

Congratulations.You are our guest and we Malaysians usually treat our guests well.

I was once a taxi driver. Have a lot of foreign regular customers. The UKs love the hot weather. The US also love it, FYI their from Minneapolis. What they've said was, you can walk around with just shorts and T-shirt the whole year. They've lived in Kuala Lumpur for 7 years. They're more a friend than a customer. They've even said to me, I'm more than a friend to them. I'm guessing, I'm their family here in Malaysia. Really missed them, they've moved to Bangkok. Still in contact thru FB.

The thing i really appreciate about malays as a foreigner 20 years in thailand is malays are much less xenophobic and racist than thais and being a foreigner feels much more chill in malaysia

4:08 Making us miss nasi kandar!

You can stay in Penang and escape the heat by staying at Cameron Highlands or even Penang Hill.

Thank you for choosing our country as your top list we are so proud really....

I am from Penang state of Malaysia. Welcome to Penang, Pearl of orient Where the cost of living is low, people are friendly and there are variety of foods available. As for the weather, staying at the hilly side of Penang Where the weather is not so hot. Penang is ranked as one of the top city for retirement.

I'm agreed with you. Thanks for the compliment for my country, Malaysia.. hopefully you are enjoy staying in Malaysia..you are always welcomed here..

Thank you for staying with us..lot of love from Sabah Borneo

As a Malaysian leaving abroad, this make me miss Malaysia even more. Enjoy your retirement there, cheers

As always, a high quality and informative video from Snail Travellers👍

Thanks for the information! I look forward to more vids.Malaysia is a place I would want to live in for a while.

I have met many expats here in KL and I have to say you guys are amplifying joy to us too. I have never meet anyone that is nasty. You guys are friendly as us to you. Selamat Datang (Welcome in Bahasa language)

I lived in Malaysia for work in so many beautiful places . I have myself a dream of retiring there, but emigration is full of holes ( I mean Is quite confuse ways how to get citizenship ) and quite complicated .. maybe second home but is expensive ... anyway I lived in KL Taman Maluri ; Pulao Pinang in Georgetown, Sarawak Kuching. and Johor Bahru ... love the food , the people , the culture and I did make so many friends there with the years ... If any “ Sultan or ministry “ read this ( hope is never lost) hope you can give me a reference letter for a citizenship there ; because I falled in love with the country ... Best regards and wish you guys the best ... great video ..

bcoz you choose malaysia as your no 1 top list...i choose your channel to be my top list youtube channel...👍

Glad to know you like Malaysia, We are welcome you and your family.

Thank you for your thoughts on Malaysia.

You are most welcome to live with us. I have enjoyed your videos

There's always the Pros & Cons in All Countries ... So Stay Safe & Stay Humble! Thank You So Much for Sharing! 🙏🕯🌷🌿🇬🇧🇲🇾

Wonderful video and presentation. Thank you for such valuable information.

Totally agreed. I travelled at least 15 times to Malaysia on vacation.

Hope yr MM2H application will be successful 🙏🏻Penang’s 👍🏻to retire,all the best💪🏻cheers😊

Malaysian here currently residing in Perth, Australia. I like Perth but I can't wait to go back and retire in Malaysia.

I am very impressed with your very polite and careful words. You’re welcome sir.

Been living in Malaysia on and off for over 10years. I agree most of them can speak a fair amount of English but all their official documents that they send to you are in Malay so learn it or have someone you trust that understands it to translate it to you. Their government hospital fees are real cheap compare to most other countries ( Not private hospitals ). 1 time while staying there I had this nasty rash all over my body and had a high fever. Went to the local hospital where after consulting the doctor and had a blood test they confirmed I was having Chickenpox. When I went to pay the bill was told since I am not a local they have to charged me double. Total amount of the the consultation and blood test cost me RM5.00 that is like USD1.50.

Malaysia is a great place to live, especially Penang. We loved the climate, beach, the culture and heritage! The healthcare is really good, on par or better than some of the developed nations. We can testify because my wife gave birth to our kids there, the experience has been fantastic! The food! Yup Penang food is one of the best in Asia in my opinion. Generally it’s good except they need to take better note on conserving the natural landscape and environment. Overall great experience there

great help, good video to see, how it looks in Malaysia, thank you very much from germany

Very informative video. Excellent presentation! Thanks! All the best in Malaysia.

For someone who already visited 70 countries, yet he choose malaysia as possible retirement place. I feel honored. But now i wonder why some of my friend will always critisize malaysia & government almost on daily basis. lol

Nice. I have watched a few of your vlogs, and had wanted to contact you if you were passing by to the state of Kelantan. I had wanted to invite you to my kampong, but due to covid situation it's unpredictable and not convenient for you both to be traveling easily. But it's great to see your slow travels in Malaysia. I had the privilege to have Jetlag Warriors to come to my kampong and home. They made a few videos here. I had also wanted to meet Food n Footprints - Greg Jumi, but missed the chance. I enjoy watching travellers' vlogs.

This list was very useful - thank you!

Very helpful video! Well done. Thanks!

Great video. My wife, her mother and I are looking to move to Malaysia in 2024. We're eagerly awaiting the new MM2H requirements so we can start getting everything together and our paperwork started. We've already contacted the same agency in Penang it looks like you're using and they'll keep us updated. The two main hooks for us wanting to move there are the low cost of living and the inexpensive healthcare. Just subscribed, looking forward to more great information.

Fyi, there's a Malay saying, "Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri; lebih baik lagilah negeri sendiri". Literally translated to roughly mean "Gold rains in foreign lands/countries, stoney pebble rains in own land; much more peferrably better own land/country".

Great video, thanks for the positive reasons for staying here, made me reflect a bit.

Welcome back to Malaysia brother and family we are happy for you and your family stay safe.I’m from Sarawak Borneo