Give advice regading cost of living in Kuala Lumpur

$1200 is RM3600 and IS enough to live in Malaysia. At least I could make it on that very easily.

True? Well lets see.....my current budget in Penang is this....
Rent RM700 (2-story house in middle class neighborhood on the mainland, not luxury condo on the island)
Food RM700 (Tesco, small markets, often eating in mamaks, no luxury restaurants)
Utilities RM150 (electric 40, gas 1, net/phone 111, no Astro never had it)
Transport RM20 (Yamaha bike, sold car 6 years ago)
Medical RM50 (dental and Dr, annualized to say, RM600, thats even generous for routine stuff, not major surgeries, etc. Teeth cleaning is RM60 including a filling if needed, twice a year)
Various small shopping RM500 (and thats generous)

Ok whats that, RM2120 per month. There you go. So with RM3600 to spend, I could routinely splurge, or save the difference for more major events like a big medical problem or outside travel, or a car payment even, or even a house payment!).

Now, now, now.....im a single person with a girlfriend and no kids. Kids or other dependents raises the costs substantially, at least to triple. Kids, especially those in school, and especially sick kids in an international school, wow, high costs for the money they are going to run through like wildfire.

My income is fine and budgets are not the problem. I just never had a high life in Asia, im pretty simple in how I live. I dont go to bars, theatres, etc. I dont TRY to spend nothing, it just works out that way based on my inclinations and interests and habits and whatever.

So YES, an american with SS of 1200, yes can make it just fine here. As for expectations of a new wife, VISAS, style of living, thats another matter but basically YES, you can see it can be done and Malaysia is an excellent place to retire **IF** its possible in the VISA sense.

Also, all of SE Asia is undergoing  high inflation so I cant say what happens 10 years from now for a persons budget. Luckily for the poster, if SS doesnt collapse it will continue to pay higher because it builds in cost of living increases. Will that be enough 10 years from now? DONT KNOW.

But i do know one thing, SS1200 will not be enough to live in USA, even miserably. Oh, maybe on a chilled mountaintop in the middle of nowhere but not in a large city. So the only places an SS can live would be outside and thats Asia, not Europe. If not Malaysia, then Philippines. Fine, good.