Urgent! Moving to Kuala Lumpur in March 2015

loka1282 wrote:

Hi all,

I got an admission for PhD program in Kuala Lumpur. I will be receiving an income of RM 1800 (1800 Ringgits). Is it possible for a couple (myself and my wife) to live a life in Kuala Lumpur with that income? My wife cannot earn as she will be on a dependent visa. I have to bear all the expenses including stay, food etc.

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Its too less , I think you can only get one apartment that too you have to search a lot...
At least 6000 rm is required to stay in Kualalumpur.

Hi Ashish

Thanks for your reply.

Could you please give a break up of costs? rent, food (if home cooked) etc. I am going to Univ of malaya - postcode 50603, Jalan Universiti and would stay near the univ

Furnished flat : 1000-2000 rm
Food : 1000 rm maximum
I would prefer you that you can go for a second bike :  2000 rm as petrol expenses are quite cheap hear, but it depends how long you will stay in KAL and how far your flat or apartment is from university.Taxi is very expensive.

Ashish! Do you mean a couple can survive (not really expecting a great life) for 1000 (rent) + 1000 (food) provided I live close to the univ and cut cost on transport?

Single students can share apartments and that can cost RM500 or under per month. But there are rarely rooms available for couples.  However, check out www.ibilik.my to see if you can find something.  Your accommodation is going to be the biggest problem as a couple. Food for 2 would cost about RM400 per month without meat or dairy. It is far too little for two people to live in Malaysia at any standard of living. You are also forgetting about medical insurance, mobile phone charges, utility bills?

Thank you for your answer.

Sounds like its going to be tough with RM 1800.

As a student what are all the kind of part-time jobs can one do?Can one be self-employed in Malaysia while on a student visa (ofcourse pay the local tax)?

Students are not allowed to work except in semester breaks of more than 7 days. They need to inform their university. The casual jobs are taken up usually by foreign workers which tends to exclude students. Some private tuition may be possible, but dont count on earning extra money while in Malaysia.

The rule of thumb for any student admissions in Malaysia is that they have USD 5k per annum available to them. If you multiply your earnings by 3 for the approx exchange rate i.e. USD 7,200 per annum. I guess that is what the "salary" is based on. But you may have been offered a bit more because you are married and a mature student.

I think you will find this amount quite difficult to live on here in KL. Especially if you can't work or neither can your wife. Good luck though I hope you get help finding something. A cheap rent for a one bedroom would be about RM1,000 so you might have to consider renting a room?

Hi min is 3500k per month (subsistence living). 12 years ago my gf at the time (Asian mature student) sharing with her two sisters got 2500 rm per month and accom paid for. Each sister got 2500 rm each from father. Together they could live although bfs as usual helped with the extras (!) like going out.

I know some PhD students they live off about 3500 rm per month. They are single and share. You will not be able to do it on 1800 rm. No way.

Rm 1800 is very little. Unlikely you will be able to survive with a family with that amount. You need to make alternative arrangements.