Couples With 2 Kids Need at Least RM6,890/Month To Live in Klang Valley, Study Says

Plus budgets for other cities in Malaysia, depending on how big your family is.

June 15, 2023

Couples With 2 Kids Need at Least RM6,890/Month To Live in Klang Valley, Study Says

If you've been wondering what it costs to live in Malaysia, the Belanjawanku 2022/2023 spending guide commissioned by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has outlined the minimum budgets for various groups in the country.

Created by Universiti Malaysia's Social Wellbeing Research Center (SWRC), the report covers demographics ranging from singles without cars and single senior citizens, all the way to families with kids as well as single parents in 12 different locales across the country, including the Klang Valley, Georgetown, Alor Setar, Kota Kinabalu, and Johor Bahru among others.

The report and accompanying guide highlights the average costs of living in each of these cities alongside details of the estimated monthly expenditures for things like food, housing, healthcare, transportation, and even social activities and luxury expenses.

As expected, looking at the guide will reveal that the Klang Valley is the most costly city, beating the likes of Georgetown and Seremban in most demographic categories.

For example, singles with cars can expect to require a budget of at least RM2,600 per month to cover things like food (RM610), car upkeep (RM760), room rentals (RM370) and others which all add up to the total.

This is in contrast to the monthly total for the same individual if they chose to live in Kuching instead, with the minimum monthly budget reduced to RM2,210.

For married families with two children, the difference in expenditures is even more stark, with the cost for a family of four rising to RM6,890 minimum per month in the Klang Valley, and then down to RM5,720 in Kuching.

If you've lived in any of the cities mentioned, it'll probably be clear that these estimates lean towards the conservative side, with realistic budgets possibly exceeding the figures printed in the report.

But still, this can be used as a sort of starting point to determine whether or not any of the places mentioned will be suitable for you from a cost-of-living standpoint.

Simply break down your current monthly expenses and weigh them against the numbers detailed according to expense category, and then come up with the percentage estimate that goes over (or under) the total minimum figures for each city.

Based on the estimated budgets, it can be determined that after the Klang Valley, the list of most expensive cities descends in order as such:

1. Klang Valley

Married with two kids: RM6,890

Single car owner: 2,600

2. Georgetown

Married with two kids: RM6,370

Single car owner: RM2,430

3. Seremban

Married with two kids: RM6,130

Single car owner: RM2,300

4. Johor Bahru

Married with two kids: RM6,100