Why Malaysia?
The chart below gives a breakdown of the 353 expats who responded to our latest survey. The biggiest difference is that we havemore expat retirees living here with just over a quarter of the respondents being over the age of 60 and most are not working. However, this did not make much difference in terms of their likes, except a number of them made references to the Malaysia My Second Home programme and less references to issues relating to business.
As can be seen from the chart,the topten was very similar to the ranking for the last survey which shows that Malaysia continues to maintain it sattractive qualities. There were a few changes which I will go on to clarify. For "likes' about Malaysia, "people" continued to rank the highest. A number of expats referred positively to the rich cultural diversity, which is almost unique to Malaysia. The friendliness of most Malaysians and the widespread spoken English were other positive factors. Both longer term working expats and Malaysia My Second Homers often tell us they have many local friends. This is one thing which differentiates Malaysia from many other countries, particularly in Asia.
Weather continues to rank highly and although a few people find the humidity a bit unpleasant, there was widespread agreement that year round warmth and sunshine is a major plus. This is ironic because many global surveys penalise Malaysia because of the climate. The Economist Intelligence Unit gave it a very low score in a survey of the best places for working expats to live. When I told them expats liked the weather they insisted the high humidity made it very unpleasant! Even the popular website "International Living", which ranked Malaysia the best place to retire in Asia, gave a miserable 40 points out of 100 for the climate. By comparison the UK received 60 and Australia - which at times can top Malaysian temperatures - got 87! Food was also an important plus factor with people mentioning the wonderful variety and great restaurant prices. Others commented on the increased selection of international cuisines. Malaysia is certainly fortunate to have three such wonderful local cuisines as Chinese, Malay and Indian. I have not met many expats who don't like any of them and most seem to enjoy all three.
Not surprisingly the cost of living was on most people's list. Some people commented on recent price increases but still felt the country offered excellent value. The availability of so many holiday options was mentioned by a lot of respondents and came fifth on the list of likes. Malaysia's excellent central location makes it easy to visit many surrounding countries and a few respondents mentioned Air Asia's contribution to low cost connectivity.
Quite a few people found the quality of life in Malaysia to be a very attractive factor. Expats generally enjoy the lifestyle here, particularly in KL and many referred to the "ease of living" in Malaysia. The country's natural beauty and abundant wildlife were a factor for many expats who enjoyed living in a country with such a rich landscape. People specifically commented on the wonderful beaches on the east coast, the many beautiful islands, the jungles and rainforests, the underwater beauty, the rich variety of flora and fauna as well as the historic sites. A few people made specific reference to the natural beauty and eco systems of Sabah and Sarawak.
The infrastructure ranked eighth but was mentioned by quite a few people. In 2003, most of the comments which we classified as "infrastructure" were comments about the road system. This time many people just wrote "infrastructure" and there were more general comments, although there were still frequent references to the good road systems. Certainly Malaysia has done an impressive job of building highways across the country, which are superior to those available in many other
Asian countries.
Shopping was mentioned by a number of expats and if more women had responded I think it's safe to assume this would have received a higher score. Anyone who has been living here for the last twenty years could not have missed the explosion of shopping malls not to mention up-market boutiques. Kevin Livesey said: "General living conditions have improved tremendously these last 15 years with international food and beverage outlets and stores being first class". Property ranked 10th on the list replacing the "economy". In 2003, many people mentioned the stable economy but this was hardly likely to get much mention this time, given the recent global upheaval. Comments regarding property covered a range of topics from the value for money to the spaciousness of apartments.
The real estate agent said she wasn't sure if there were any that size in KL! Now there are even apartment buildings where the units start at that size.I recall when I first came to Malaysia in the late 80s with a generous rental allowance and asked to see apartment of around 3000 square feet.
The Malaysia My Second Home programme was liked by many people who carried that visa. Others commented the private health care system and quality of international schools in Malaysia. A few liked the low taxes - zero for MM2Hers on foreign income!
Anita Murray from South America enjoys "local kopi susu from a Chinese kopi shop" and "meandering around the kampongs".
Perhaps Zoltan Kitka summed up the positive comments best by writing "overall, this is one of the best places in the world to live in. A good standard of living with beautiful scenery, great food and nice people."
