Australian couple wishing to retire in Malaysia

Only sea views from landed property will be in Penang. Easier to achieve from a condominium. Property will cost RM2-12 million. Not available elsewhere.  Penang is international, convenient and safe. Transport links are pretty good. It is a small and manageable island with a distinctly chinese and colonial atmosphere. The other alternative is Langkawi.

Hi there,

Michael here and I may be able to offer a little insight for KL areas.  If you like shopping and wish to be close to public transportation, then KL is definitely the way to go.  However, the suburbs of KL do not have public transport, unless you are thinking of driving in KL.  What I would suggest is staying somewhere near the embassy row or KLCC areas.

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Thanks!

if you are lookig for that good mix of culture and still be in touch with other expat friends. I suggest Penang or Malacca.
Penang has got better beaches than Malacca.
Malacca is rich with history, but so is Penang.
However, traffic in Penang can be terrible.
Cheap good food are abudant in Penang and Malacca.

If you like the fast paced life, Kuala Lumpur is the place. If you    love to hang out in malls like Pavillion and KLCC, you will never find those kinds of malls in Penang and Malacca.
Cafes and bars are everywhere here.

Public transportationlike the train is only available in KL. Malacca and Penang will hv cabs and buses.

Malacca is about 2 hrs drive frm KL, and Penang is 4 hrs away.

are you 4 real? if so don't buy while here give it alot of time.. an area seems awesome then the traffic mess everything up.

I think this is a town or city sort of question.
Safety first - if you don't do really silly things, Malaysia is as safe as anywhere, probably more so than a lot of places.
That doesn't mean it's 100% safe - I got lost on a street in Ipoh, and that was a long way from safe.
Also, three dudes tried to mug me in that town, they gave up without a fight.
As for Malacca, lovely place, but much quieter and far less shopping. Restaurants are a lot more limited as well.
I didn't much care for Penang, but horses for courses - you may love it.
KL is a good place - easy public transport and you can get anything you can buy in any western city centre, probably more, and a wide variety of cultures to explore.
The massive range of food is a major bonus.

As for housing in KL, just make sure you're within walking distance of an MRT station, and you're in the city in no time.

Safety in KL; just avoid the back streets and ignore the pimps in Bukit Bintang - they can get nasty of you tell them to go and do what you want them to do, so better just to ignore or offer a polite refusal.

The big scam there is asking you where you're from and, as if by magic, their daughter or some other female family member is going there to study.
By the way, my grandmother is in hospital and would you like to play cards?
They're really bad scammers, but there are a lot of them. When they shake hands, they don't let go because they know you won't want to be rude by breaking the grip.
Remain polite, but be firm in your refusal.

Never follow the bloke that asks you to follow him down a quiet alley in Chinatown, there are no cheap DVDs, just his mates, a knife and your wallet.

It's just common sense really.

I do find that a lone female of any age is a bit of a target in KL. Its best to have safety in numbers after dark. Fine in the day, but just be rude and dont enter into discussions with complete strangers. Stay in your own safety bubble and although be constantly aware of what is happening in your surroundings, its usually best to avoid eye contact and therefore getting engaged in situations.  Its just common sense and its not Malaysians that present the problems. They operate the same slightly detached attitude and get on with their own business.

Penang - ghastly beaches really, sea full of rubbish, jelly fish and pollution (not to mention rather large lizards). They have deteriorated greatly over the past few years and remind me of my childhood again.  Remember that the waterway off Penang and Malacca is the Straits of Malacca and is the worst polluted waterway in the world. Probably explains the dilemma facing both places.

Contrary to Mas Fred, I like Penang because of its wonderful buildings and facilities. However, it is a little bit boring as being an island there is only a certain amount to do and see. I also like its history and more Western ambiance. The heritage is very well preserved and abounds. Traffic is only really bad at rush hours and lunchtime.  I walk a lot when I visit, as its the best way to see things and get the feel for the place.

The best thing about Penang is its proximity to Thailand and passenger ferry service to Langkawi. The cruise ships also operate from Weld Quay.

I agree with Angryrodent.

Do not rush in buying a place. I didnt immediately buy a place when I moved to KL. (Im Malaysian living in a city outside KL). I rented first. It's best to see if that part of town is the one for you. If not you can always move.

Dont worry about spending 40k on rent for a year. Think about losing 1 million ringgit, and not getting the right place to call home.

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Hi, have u thought of Langkawi ?  Where ever u go nice sea views of the island. Also nice 5 bed bungalow set in a nice 5 bungalow english estate.

Avoid KL as it will shorten your life span! So much pollution. To be honest Australia is so much cleaner, people so polite, such nice driving etiquette and Australians smile a lot more. Most Malaysians want to go to Australia for good reasons! Although food is better in Malaysia if you like spicy food and is cheaper to live in Malaysia. Why not Bali? I would rather retire there! Cleaner and friendlier.

First, are you originally from Malaysia? Or do you have any background or family there?
I do not want to sound negative but, if not, your plan of leaving Australia (a fully functioning, safe, non-corrupt, clean and developed country) to live in Malaysia may sound very strange to some expats like us...
We are an expat family and lived in Asia for a total of 11 years so far (in Malaysia for 3yrs+2yrs). You have to be aware of certain issues regarding Malaysia, among them:
1- safety issues (crime and corruption),
2- health services are NOT up to international standards and that may be something you might want to consider when you are in your sixties (for major problem, you will have no option but to go to Singapore for best treatment/quality care, which means good health insurance is mandatory).
3- Taxes are high in Malaysia and "expats" pay more than anybody else.
4- For "non local" it can be very difficult to integrate and make real local friends (malay-chinese and malay-indian are quite friendly and open, but malay-bumi are less "open-minded") ;
5- Restaurants&food quality in supermarkets is way below Australian standards. Australian meats and cheeses are very expensive here.
6- You may also find, occasionally, people in shops or taxi drivers refusing to serve you or trying to "rob" you because you do not look local. After a while, you could find this "differentiation" very frustrating.
7. If you have a dog, know that you can only live in a Bungalow as dogs are not allowed in condominiums. Parks allowing dogs are very limited (only 1 in KL!). This is clearly not a friendly place for dogs.
To conclude: if you are not locals or with a local connection/origin, I suppose you at least visited Malaysia on holidays before. Let me warn you: visiting a place on holidays and living there is a complete different experience and you might end disappointed. So, if I were you, I would come and stay for 2/3 months here and would decide after that... My personal opinion is: stay in Australia... you are much better there!
Good luck anyway!

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You both should stay here and do a 3 months research. Try to rent a guess house on each state both of you have interest. Go for tour travel all over East, North, West and KL. Try to gather more information while you are here. Now days most of people not really love to stay in busy city with traffic like hell, noisy as night market, no privacy, busybody neighbours especially for retired people.
Stay at the place / area that can call a HOME. You may research Kota Damansara, Sungai Buloh area has many places. The latest that under development ongoing right  now is Aman Putri. Reasonable price. U may google. Nice and quiet, many highways link to it.
U wanna go shopping?  Just drive to Mutiara Damansara areas.
Sea side? Go for holiday and travel. Just drive to North or South. Penang or Malacca. You don't need to sacrifice and pretending blind and death ears that the traffic is smooth or owhh dear its so quiet.. oh the air so clean but instead the other way round.. just bcoz of u desire a sea sight from your house. Come on guys, its all about life span we are talking here. It's retirement time.
Most important is get a HOME. Quiet, Privacy, Secure & Save, Neighbours in distance,    Convenient and CLEAN AIR.
Peace of mind.

P/s: MRT Project is ongoing link to all the town including Sungai Buloh.
My reply above is just an opinion not an advise.
Cheers