Thanks for your comments.

I think i should be able to quite easily last 30 years with what i have. A small component of the budget was for holidays every now and then but with Covid raging, i suspect holidays will be out of the equation for at least the next couple of years as international borders will still be closed.

Funny how in 2017, i discovered and joined LYN and i thought i will use this forum to get a better understanding what a retirement in KL would cost for me and my wife. After going back to KL twice/thrice a year over the last few years, i am finally able to get a rough estimate of a retirement cost in KL now. Before then, i totally had no clue about retirement costs in KL as i had been living in Sydney for more than 30+ years now (as an overseas students first and then getting my PR in 1989).

Covid has made a lot of old folks change their retirement plans due to the uncertainties in the future and we have to plan for any eventualities by having a bit more in our retirement nest egg

I once owned one of those units, did it up nicely and thoroughly enjoyed the few years I lived there. Nice pool, lush gardens and landscaping. Management team and security (guards were all Nepalese then don't know now) were excellent.

Some things to consider if you do decide to grab one - make sure water piping has been changed from GI, the 2nd bathroom has no window so need adequate vent fan to prevent mold, there's a long AC piping run from the compressor to the master unit, need to have good quality copper piping which is a pain in the ass to replace else you will need frequent gas topups.

Yes - i must admit that the unit i had a look at, the toilets were a bit outdated and you can smell a bit of dampness. The floor had wooden floorboards but unit was very bright (faces north). The most impressive area in the whole complex is the swimming pool area with the trees all around it. When i was inspecting, all those around the pool area were westerners and there is also a little mini-market next to the pool (very handy).

The only problem now is the rental market (upper end) is very soft so unless you are very desperate (and drop the rental), you may find your unit empty for quite a while. This is not a very nice position to be as you still have to pay the maintenance. Unless the expat market picks up (very unlikely this year), investing in upper-end condos (Bangsar and MK) may need to be put off for a while.

2 options . You can be richman in poorman area or poorman in richman area

disebalik rumah yang diubahsuai dengan cantik, ada jiran2 yang terseksa ketika proses ubahsuai dijalankan

BTW, hope you do not mind.

Am in the midst of speaking to someone from Holland who would like to retire in Malaysia. Husband and wife without any kids.

Could you please tell me how did you reach that RM10k per month figure? What components does it entail?

Just finished my breakfast.

I am allocating half of rm10k/mth to food (groceries/meat/vege/fruits) and eating out. The more you eat out the less home cooking you will need (so less meat and vege) - rm5k/mth

Utilities (unify??, electricity, mobile phones (wife and myself), Indah water/Selangor water, DBKL assesment) - rm1,800/mth (MK condo is about rm500/mth maintenance and rm270 electricity)

Car running costs (fuel, road tax/insurance, touch and go, car wash) - rm390/mth

Personal hygiene (new clothes, shoes, shaver) - rm 100

House repairs (maintenance of condo interior, new fridge/appliances, plumbers, electricians) - rm 500

All the above comes to about rm9k/mth.

I am also planning to buy a new Toyota Vios or Altis when i go back - we only need one car for us as my wife hates to drive.

I have not actually live long term in KL and cannot tell if the above may be realistic or not

Anyone care to comment?

Are you sure you and your wife can go through RM5k per month on food or have you future priced it as well?

I am a retiree and my only vice is food. I would probably eat out a fair bit and i will probably have my sister(s) join me. When i am on holidays in KL, I used to eat out with 3 of us at air-conditioned restaurants (Ming Rm BSC, Antipodean Bangsar Baru, Din Tai Fung Mid-Valley, Imperial Grand BSC) and it normally costs rm100-rm130 for lunch. Say we go out 3 or 4 times a week to eat outside, that would come out to be about rm500/week or rm2k/mth. I think to budget rm5k/mth is quite realistic as my wife sometimes like to buy sea cucumber/seafood to cook. Also, i am always the one to foot the bill when other relatives join us for meals. When i am on my own, i will usually eat at kopitiam or the cheaper end meals but when i am with my wife (she hates hot places as we have lived in Sydney for 30+ years), we will probably eat at better restaurants.

I have been analysing people's expenditure in /k and i have observe most people spend about 35-40% of their month expenditure on mortgage/rent and car loans. I won't have these 2 on my expenditure lists.

Is there anything else i might have missed out on my expenditure list? I haven't actually stayed for long in KL each time i go back so i am only guessing this may be my expenses.

In Sydney, i currently need about A$40k-A$50k/yr (no overseas travel) for my current lifestyle.

This post has been edited by Garysydney: Feb 18 2021, 07:11 AM

You might want to factor in medical bills especially for checkups. I doubt your wife would like going through our infamously inefficient government clinics or hospitals.

prefer single storey

I think we will be using the private hospitals - unlikely we will be using govt hospitals.

I haven't factored in medical expenses - this will have to come out of my contingency fund, i guess. At the moment, we are very healthy with no real health issues but we can never really tell. Health problems will definitely increase and creep up upon us when we least expect it

U still can depend on Oz for medical. Surely u r not uprooting from Oz.

Currently I hire a certain British gentleman that is a pensioner to help me with some of my car restorations as well as to help with the upkeep of my late grandma's house. He is now 72, I do not charge him any rent as he does the upkeep for me in return. He gets around RM2.5k depending on the sterling exchange rate in state pension. I pay him around RM1.5k each month for the works I ask him to do and he does have one "Sweet Young Thing" that he is married to that works for one of my petrol stations.

He seems to get by alright since no rental to pay. Seems to enjoy his life here as well but I guess he is probably different from you in the sense that his food bills are really low.

In Aust, to keep your PR we have to live here 2 years out of 5 years. It is quite hard to maintain the PR (especially when we become older) as my wife doesn't want to come back to Sydney with me so i might eventually lose my PR.

People tell me I am so stupid to give up my PR when people are trying so hard to get it

Ok i see, moreover u dont have children in Oz.
So need to spend ~5 months /year in Oz to keep PR.
Can always take up citizenship n come back using MM2H.

This post has been edited by MGM: Feb 18 2021, 09:04 AM

Malaysia is very good for retirement - it is a lot cheaper compared to other countries. You got so many choices to choose from - i see people in KL living with less than rm2k/mth supporting kids as well. Wow!! You get cheaper food as well as high-end food as well.

If it is not because of this Covid, Malaysia is a paradise for retirees!!

This post has been edited by Garysydney: Feb 18 2021, 09:04 AM

Yes there are a lot of expats and MM2H applicants before the covid pandemic and yeah you really do get more bang for your buck expenses wise. It is paradise compared to other countries.

Not for renovations (i.e extg houses)... IF you are referring to a new development then yes..wtv stories u want based on ht control and density

Wide angle lens