I will agree though, cooking at home in Malaysia seems to be a lost art.

Now I'm in Germany, preparing food at home for dinner is the norm. You don't usually see crazy lines of people at eateries.

Depends on what you call expensive. You can go to McD and get a set from 5 euros (try comparing that with McD in Malaysia where a set ie RM10 plus), and I don't think most grads in Malaysia don't around 2x more compared to the Germans).

You think it's cheaper because you've been adjusting to it your whole life, as the prices increase gradually and it's normal for you to do so. But if you look back to the older generation, most parents/mom used to cook at home for dinner.

If you try asking around people who cook often, you will see that cooking at home for is typically cheaper.