Many thanks! The design on the other website isn't too user friendly either, but as long as they're decent I can't really complain.

I think this is the case here too (Sydney), which I would attribute to the typical competitiveness of the asian/chinese community mindset. I say this in a blanket statement but I know some are tired of being competitive or being pushed to be so.

Edit: Typos, clarification

This post has been edited by kagenn: Jan 23 2019, 01:38 PM

Nice, and thanks, we'll plan a visit on the 9th/10th to one of these locations. Probably Chinatown as we enjoy eating at a shop a friend recommended, Ramen-Kan. We'll probably take up your recommendation and check out the Sussex St/Dixon Mall area.

Good thing about being near the mall is that you get to enjoy the air-cond. Performing the lion dance at 37'c is probably a killer as well.

But isn't it called a wet closet? Or is that taking things too literally? Just curious though, how do they expect to clean it? Just wet a cloth and wipe the 'external' parts and toilet brush for the 'bowl'?

I find the long corridor walk to the living room a little tedious, as I'm too used to the Msian design on houses. It makes sense to cater to the Aussie whites, but with the arrival of so many migrants (way before me), who'd demolish houses to build their own, I would think people would be able to see and eventually accept the various layouts. I would think - buy the house you can afford and compromise a bit with the design, and build your own once you've made it. I do like the split bath/toilet designs. Adding a small sink to the WC is probably a decent idea too if people truly find the need for one.


I find almost every ethnicity in Malaysia uses water. I would like both paper & water/bidet to cater for all audiences, haha... For smaller houses it's probably a better idea to have it split, like if 2-3 rooms are sharing one 'bathroom' with another en suite.


Yes, upper floor balconies which extend too much or too little doesn't make sense to me either. Either you just stick your upper body out or use potential bedroom space for a space to put a chair. Sometimes it might have had a good view before a new development takes place and replaces it with more roads/buildings. I'd rather just more space and stare at the backyard if needed.

Don't miss the bathtub much, more of a good to have than necessary. Would hate to clean it consistently. Some of the townhouses I saw have pretty good designs, and I'm quite skewed towards design for townhouses now. They are the most familiar compared to the Msian home designs, sometimes with 2.5 toilets (which I think is really great). If I had to pay for strata I'd do it for townhouses.

What you say has a lot of merit, but pretty subjective to people's condition and situation. I tried looking for a role of my old level when I first came over 2 years ago but no luck. Had to settle for a casual job after 6 months, and from there I found a different casual role, and finally a permanent role in my current company, almost catching up to where I left off (granted it's not an exec role). Unless you're coming over with a job I heard stories like mine are pretty normal. It's especially harder if you want to get back your exact old role - with luck it's possible. Our current rent is a third of my monthly salary - no kids. Groceries cost about 50-70 a week. Very similar cost of living to Msia for us. Bamboo/Glass ceiling is here too, no different from the bumiputra companies.

If they were earning comfortably in Malaysia, then the transition would be hard for them. When we started with our casual roles it was 25/hour, which is very serviceable for an entry level job and overtime/penalty rates make it better if you work harder. Compared to Msia when the minimum pay is (1000/month?), I prefer to earn 3k for an entry level job with minimum skill requirements. But on the other hand these are casual roles which you could get terminated anytime. But jobs like this are are readily available (Sydney). For a comparison on spending power: Gaming PC - 1700 AUD here vs RM6000. I can afford one in two months, vs saving up to 4-5 months in Msia. This shows a pretty glaring difference in item pricing. Unless you're talking nasi lemak which is RM2-5 vs AUD10-15.

Infrastructure I do agree with you. A lot of suburbs I've been too aren't too well lit. The traffic can be bad too, especially during an accident and the way they're handling it. However, the public transport is loads better (not necessarily the bus driver attitude, some are so shitty). Trains and busses are consistent for me compared to the Msian counterparts. KTM was such a nightmare during my college/work years. Some areas here require you to drive only too, but if one can take public transport it's better, to be fair, probably not as good as Japan or maybe even China now. Technology intake here is slow, and mainly consumed by younger generation and more IT savvy crowd.

Terrorism is everywhere now, and Msia has been supplying a few extremist too. Western countries are their primary target, but each cult/group has their own.. target audience? Like how we have Msian fisherman kidnapped for ransom money as well by the Pinoy terrorist. We had crowds who parade for ICERD's non-implementation. We have trouble makers who are willing to re-enact racial wars. I'd reckon a lot of migrants/tourist who encountered this would say they wouldn't wanna stay in Msia permanently either, despite it being such a haven. There are plenty of pro-whites here too, like those who support the proud boys that can also be neo-nazi-ish. They too wish to parade to showcase how good they are & their own cause. Same-same eh?

Some friends and family painted a rosy picture of Aus, but coming here some of that was shattered. Others I had a more realistic expectation and now I know to hold zero expectations for anything. Just analyse things accordingly, check out the pros and cons. For me it was simple, if I could earn a currency bigger than MYR and if I'm to deal with racism, I'd do it in a country where things are on a more even ground. Also I love not being stuck in the LDP traffic daily. Ideally if Msia gets out of its predicament and things we've come to close one eye to, I'm sure plenty of Msians would gladly move back. Don't be too biased to Malaysia because of its pros. It has plenty of cons we're willing to ignore just because we love living in Msia. I do sincerely miss good cendol/food as well as family & friends.


I usually look for 2 bathrooms in my property searches, which usually comes up with 2-4 bedrooms. It's quite alright to me, I don't enjoy mopping/sweeping too much as both missus/myself clean our current place every fortnight. Expecting this to continue if we do get a new place so I'd like it to be manageable. Garage is also an alternate storage room for me. =)

I'm talking data entry - knows how to use Microsoft excel/word - knows how to type fast enough, about 65+ wpm - sends emails out - use other basic software. No degree needed for the role, just general computer knowledge and training which even tech savvy students would know (some jos will want certification - no where as expensive as a degree). I highly doubt it's the same in Msia. Would you pay that much to hire someone without a degree? I must mention that I went through a recruiter, as such the total pay is more than 25/hour as the recruiter takes a cut. It's also quite common for degree grads to earn anywhere between 40k-50k for entry level jobs, some even higher.

Not sure how familiar you are with gaming PCs, but one usually compares it to a similar build. Like checking how much the same car in Aus would cost in Msia. So for a easier an easier comparison, my whole gaming computer (dollar to dollar) is cheaper than the graphic card it uses in Msian (GTX1070, RM1.3 -> Rm2k). Or even easier, just multiple the price in AUD to RM and add shipping/logistic cost to it. The 1.7k AUD computer is equivalent to a RM6k computer at time of purchase. The current prices has dropped as new tech is revealed, like all tech based stuff.

Can I also choose to nitpick the points that suit my arguement rather than the overall discussion? If so, I can say that Gary in this chat can answer that question better than I can about those who encounter bamboo ceilings and the difficulties they face being in that role. If I were to pick an example that suits my arguement, does Msia have a chinese prime minister/king/agong? Don't ask for the impossible right? Fair treatment only goes so far, in any country. You won't get a non-chinese holding major roles in China, and the same for India. So while I have a choice of putting up with privileges for those born in a certain race/religion combo (by which no means controllable nor do I have anything against these people) why not go somewhere where you have a bit more say and meritocracy based?

I do recall having more disposable income in Malaysia for an almost similar pay. Probably because the tax here is higher than the Msian tax counterpart for the amount of pay.

The gaming PC is as simple as that. It's the equivalent of buying and shipping it (in bulk) to Msia. My AUD 1.7k computer would cost someone RM 6k in Msia at time of purchase.
Examples aplenty, just google them.
Dell G7 Gaming laptop
Aus: https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/game/g-seri...9-laptop?~ck=bt
MY: https://www.dell.com/en-my/shop/laptops-and...-15-7588-laptop

Not sure if you're misunderstanding the things I'm saying. You pick and choose the items you feel you can address to make comparison better in Msia instead of Aus from the original argument, which is unfortunately too biased. Things that don't match your arguements are not used as examples.

Not all asian migrants are suitable to immediately or even ever take up roles equivalent to their previous. Unless one had the exact/precise work experience and exposure to the culture of others, there's no way to get along. Those who do eventually reach this position but with a lot of challenges. Maybe not all, but there will be some. Just because I may not wish to name people or give examples you want would mean it doesn't exist. The same as someone from India/China taking up the exact same role in a Msian company. Would you say they are immediately fit for the role, or if they don't adapt to the Malaysian style, would they still be suitable? Some may never ever feel comfortable leading here eve if they did in Msia. They are definitely worthy of the role, just may not be suitable or want to.

Guess we should stop our discussion here. This feels less of a discussion. It reminds me of a one-sided debate with I had with an uncle of mine who ignored my points completely, but listened to his daughter who said the exact same thing I did. The argument went is a very similar direction as ours. Have a good day/life & feel free to reply if you want, but I probably won't want to continue a pointless debate. I should've taken a hint when others chose to end communications immediately.


My wage is much closer to an experienced professional you mentioned. I've only been here 2 years, working for 1.5 years without international job exp (e.g. Sg). Can't expect to catch up to the Msian pay so quickly.

Though to be fair I was never close to 100k in Msia, which made transitioning a lot easier.

That's my bad, I copied the wrong links. Below is the proper comparison:
https://www.dell.com/en-my/shop/laptops-and...-15-7588-laptop
https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/game/dell-g...-15-7588-laptop

It's just a very random comparison. Just googled and pasted what I saw as I did not feel it was worth any more time for the effort. Juggling between 3 programs with over 10 tabs each is a terrible habit to maintain.

You guys are going still on about it? Work is over, time to go have a beer (or for people like me who can't drink alcohol, some tea maybe) and forget about all this. It's pointless to keep going, as the only trend I see devolves the discussion into a pissing match.

When one party is so set on their opinion and another just tries to change that it's a waste of time.


Well we're trying to save as much as possible in the quickest time to afford a house. No aircond right now and the heat is sapping our strength during the heatwave. In winter it's cold as heck too. Thankfully we're still somewhat young enough to endure it.

Gotta bear with it till we can find a suitable place. On the plus side our rent covers internet, electricity and water. Pay for our own gas. Not too great a suburb but definitely a step up from Bankstown.

Far out... I might have to head to Shepparton for work next month and hearing it's 46'c at 10am really fills me with dread.

Thankfully it's rough 26-28'c around where I am (Chester Hill). While I do miss the tropical weather too, the humidity is equally as energy sapping now. I hear it's much nicer closer to the coast.
I'm sorta adapting to Aus and going back to any humid countries just makes me sweat extra now. I tend to sweat a lot and the dry weather here is such a boon that I don't stink up.

I like winter a lot more, 3-4 layers all for two winters now. It's a lot more bearable than summer till you get into the shower and wait for the water to heat up.
The rental place is pretty small and we've hoarded enough stuff to fill up the place for now. Can't comfortably fit one of those portable aircond for now.

As an IT guy I usually get to sit in the office, but my job has a lot of troubleshooting task so on and off I'll have to head into the warehouse, usually no issue.
I enjoy going to office during winter/summer as the temperatures are a lot better than at home.


Plenty of IT demand too, but when I came here I couldn't find a job I used to do for 5 years as I worked as a programmer dealing with SAP.
Got a data entry job, and now more of a project oriented IT staff.

Just cuz it's on the list is no guarantee of you continuing your old expertise.


As much as I would love to live closer to places with much better temperatures than the west, I don't have enough organs to sell to purchase even a unit in Randwick. Haha...

Congrats! Hope you have those 85 weeks all planned out. I'd be bored out of my mind if I don't have something to keep my mind occupied.
If/when you return to work I don't you'd even recognise half of your colleagues. Heck, I forget names of people I used to work with after a few months if I don't see/talk to them frequent enough.

Wooo! Congrats! Well the cheaper the unit the faster you can pay off the mortgage and rebuild your savings, minus the rent (+ maintenance instead now)! Great start and good to hear you've found a suitable place. Close to the city?

Still in the process of building our 20% deposit for the first home buyer pricing, but still looking and hoping to find a suitable place in the meantime. It's gonna be Quakers Hill & Schofields this weekend.
Sometimes we just feel like going for a unit in Lidcombe, I suspect if we can't find anything suitable that's what we'll be doing.

Electronics and cars are great here, where one doesn't pay crazy unreasonable prices. Groceries are affordable too, your bread meal deal becomes even more viable now, lol. Food, rent, and clothes are so much cheaper in Msia though. Uniqlo is the easiest example, I'd buy it in Msia anytime vs buying in Sg/Aus. But we should probably avoid this topic lest things repeat itself once more.

Oh I know, is it Mt. Druid? Lol.
To be fair plenty of roads leading to a 40km radius, but I'm gonna make a guess based on your requirements to be somewhere near the Carlingford/hill area.

As long as it matches your requirements it good, even better if it's a cheap property. I'm just too used to not paying strata that I'll have to change the mindset if we do end up finding a unit we'd like.

I'll adapt. I checked out this unit in Hurtstvill near the highway: the strata & council were both 1k/quarter, with water about 300(ish?), which made it a whopping 9.2k AUD per year. So yeah, when you see something like this I'd go for a 200 - 300 dollar strata anytime. Forget the pool, lol.

Yes, long weekends here are a godsend. I think transitioning from the Msian work force was hardest due to the lack of public holidays. I used to enjoy working on public holidays as there was no traffic and I could replace them later - didn't even need to touch my AL. Here the lack of public holidays hits hard. I can understand why people look forward to their planned holidays so much.


Damn right, couldn't agree more. I think the only real reason they'd move if its either that they have a better option - maybe a job offer in a diff country with better standard of living or family. I met with a lady who said her husband worked so much (in SG) the kids didn't recognise him so they ended up moving to Aus for work life balance.

If the household income is at RM10k, one would already be in the Top 20% (the T20, M40, B40 categories) in Malaysia. Granted the gap between the top and bottom of the rank for T20 can be a huge disparity, it's pretty much enough to live comfortably as long as one handles finances properly. If I was in that category I doubt I would have left Msia unless there was an attractive offer.

I think I recall seeing some places with strata about 300/400-ish. May have to check the collected brochures again.

Sounds good. I do get a replacement leave here too if I work on weekends/holidays but not much of a need for that at the moment. Maybe when things pick up and I'm handling my own projects that's when I'll have to start working weekends again. For now we're just dedicating Saturdays home hunting.

RM20K per month? You'd be too comfortable to leave unless you had way too much money to spend for this lifetime. If I was making 10k a month I doubt I'd be willing to let go of that unless the job was killing me, literally. But I think if I was earning that much I'd be buying more expensive stuff as well to make life more bearable.

Moving here forced me to save and be as stingy as much as I can, during the initial transition. I do feel that things have improved somewhat for me, though I work weekends when required and wife still pulls off 12-18 hours work days on and off (accountant). We have more time outside of work (besides those days), not stuck in traffic or forced to work extra hours daily to be considered for increments/promotions. Once I'm at a comfortable salary I'll just take things easier and stop trying to climb up the ladder. I get sick of dealing with unbearable people - happy to keep to myself when I can.

To me, the best expectations is to hold no expectations. That way you can start benchmarking without from a pass experience with minimum prejudice. I still find myself failing that on and off especially when it comes to new games. It did sting when I started my 2nd casual role, where on the first day itself I was told I was ready to be replaced anytime I couldn't perform without being given a chance to even start work. Blunt but efficient, pretty scared of losing the role back then as I couldn't even score interviews for entry level jobs.

But I could understand better once I saw how the company went through the casuals they hired. There were just as many hires and those who were let go. Demand for the role is always there, as long as you perform to expectations. You can get bosses that work you like those back in Msia, but many are more than willing to leave the job and find another the next day/week itself.

I'd say basic necessities are a lot more accessible here in Aus than in Msia. Your 100 stretches a lot more than RM100 can in a week. I'm very reluctant to work in Msia again if I can help it. Unless someone offers me that RM10k+ role (magically, lol). Company benefits are really sparse in Aus compared to Msia though..

Well if you could build up similar wealth in Msia (5m) and Australia (2.5m), you've already done much better than you would in Malaysia.

I'm sure if I did alright I would like to give my kids education in a decent school (if I do have any). I got through a basic foundation/diploma/degree course quite alright without being in an expensive school to college. Didn't excel either, really got tired of school and college (friends were the best part, that;s about it).

In Malaysian the tradie jobs don't pay as well as the white collar jobs, hence the much higher demand to get a degree for a chance at a better paying job. The environment caters for this, thus this is the cycle of things. Want good money? Get a job which requires good education. Either that or build your own start-up/business. I suppose if I can live through college, so can they, especially if they're a lot more motivated than I was.

The Malaysian brain drain is happening and it probably won't stop anytime soon. No one appreciates being under-valued. Those who do remain to stay back however and are equally as hard working/skilled will have less competition. Easier promotions/opportunities. Different pros in a possibly deteriorating environment.

Well, an opportunity lost is an opportunity gained. No point being happy for a year to have it turn into a living nightmare for the next 5 years.. Or longer. 300 is a small price to pay to avoid any potential issues down the line. If you don't mind do let me (or us) know which place to avoid in case we do choose to buy a unit.

If I do see any nice units in any decent areas I'll let you know.


Edit: this reply below-
When I initially started working for RM2.7k and got myself a 5 year loan to pay off my Myvi (a bit too ambitious, looking back) , I literally saved nothing for the first 2 years before I received a slight raise to RM3k. Money, to me is a very strong enabler to make life at least bearable if not enjoyable. I feel happy being able to build up a nice stack of ever increasing digits in my bank account and maybe put some into investment (still learning about this, started pretty late). Maybe one day when I've build enough of a safety net - like yours, maybe more/less, I dunno - I'll let you know if I think money truly does bring happiness... for now, my goal is just to build my savings while I can, then I can be more laid-back.

This post has been edited by kagenn: Jan 25 2019, 06:28 PM

Like what Gary said, taxes here will make you miss earning in Msia. Also, just because there are jobs advertised does not mean you'll be the one to get it. Best case scenario is that you are coming over with a job confirmed.

That way transitioning is easiest, and you don't have to go jobless for months trying to survive. We survived on Hungry Jack's AUD10 for 2 burgers, 2 small fries & 2 drinks for about 4-5 months when we had to eat out. This sort of thing makes you miss the life you had back in Msia.

I would say temper your expectations if you do choose to migrate, because it may not be easy, and most of the messages here usually paint a clear picture for you to understand what you may go through starting from the bottom again.
If you're earning RM100k++ now, what is motivating you to move?

Great info. Plenty written there I wish I knew earlier before making my own transition. Comparing myself to friends who came with a job, it makes such a big difference in immediate spending power, rental and ease of transitioning. Applying online always ended in silence. I'd reckon internal transfers in MNCs have the best chance. No sure how this would apply to those in a freelance job. Thankfully the first interview I scored was my first proper casual role - my wife was contacted by a recruiter and she recommended me.

Good to know software devs are still in demand. I was just a programmer too specialised in one language (ABAP) with barely any demand in Sydney. Switched over to a functional consultant role in my current job - thinking of branching out into Cybersecurity but not sure due to the lack in prerequisite knowledge. It;s either that or observe the upcoming tech/job demand and dive into it while it's still growing in Aus. Heard that app developers are always in demand, especially mobile.

The local experience thing can be quite ridiculous. At the very least one can shortlist a number of candidates with the proper experience for 1st round culling before throwing the resume away. Most do not even consider the resume regardless of experience/skills unless it has 'local experience' or its the only applicant (even then might not get a chance).

I only got my first interview because they sent a 'speed typing test' which I did well enough to convince the interviewer to give me a chance. Things like this can make or break a first time job application. Also like anywhere else in the world, as long as you have contacts who can recommends you (in high enough position), you're as good as sold. Networking does much more than your actual skill can, which can suck for more technical people with only better communication skills on computers than person like myself.

I guess with elections coming up the gov needs to appeal to the non-migration crowd too.

On a side note, does anyone know is he Marayong/Woodcroft area is an alright area? Reading up mixed response where one opinion seems to think it's a decent area and another think it's a place to avoid. Any other suburbs one can compare these to? Bankstown or Lidcombe or Chester Hill? Planning to check out properties in the area this Sat. Thanks for the input!