Foreign Retirement in Malaysia – popular with British/English-speaking retirees

Malaysia, a very popular holiday destination, is also an attractive alternative to retirement in many 'home' countries including the UK – certainly from a residential and taxpaying perspective. In general terms, a retiree can enjoy a lifestyle far better than available in the home country, with the same funds. Retirees usually choose either the capital Kuala Lumpur for its shopping and medical facilities, or Penang Island with its more relaxed seaside environment. Penang is only one hour by air from KL and also within easy reach of Thailand. There is also a causeway to the mainland.

Retirement often brings with it an uncertain financial future. Income is reduced; future expenditure is unknown, as is life expectancy. It greatly relieves the stress of retirement if it can be quickly ascertained that the retiree can live by Mr Micawber’s principle of fiscal management, that happiness is the result of income exceeding expenditure and misery the reverse. Fortunately Malaysia has a considerably lower cost of living than the UK and other developed countries and is aided by a tax regime that is most welcoming to foreigners.

The general overriding principle is that neither a long-term visitor to Malaysia nor a retiree going to Malaysia under the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Scheme would normally pay Malaysian Income Tax. However, after living in Malaysia for 182 days in the first tax year and for 90 days in each subsequent tax year, a retiree becomes and remains resident for tax purposes, which is actually beneficial in several ways. Everyone should be tax resident somewhere and where better than a tax friendly country, outside of the EU and its onerous regulations. Put simply, for a foreigner, no tax is charged on any income derived outside of Malaysia.

Before considering Malaysia or any country as a retirement destination, it is important to get a good feel for the place by spending one or more vacations there, in different locations, seeing as much of the country as possible. Malaysia vacation information.

You may also find a Malaysia Vacation Rental cheaper than hotel accommodation for your stay, although there are excellent deals to be had for stays in Malaysian hotels, particularly in the capital Kuala Lumpur where you can stay in a 4 or 5 star room for less than USD100 per night.

Note that some costs quoted below were calculated at RM7 to £1 (2005-7). In 2017 the Malaysian Ringgit value is about 5.5 MYR to the GBP, and 4.5 to the USD, making things more expensive if being bought with external funds.

Interest on any number of Fixed Deposits of RM 100,000 (£14,000) or less, held in a Malaysian registered bank, is also tax-free. The term Malaysian registered bank includes HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank and Citicorp. The current rate for a Fixed Deposit of twelve months is 3.7%, and in certain banks the interest can be paid monthly.

There is no Inheritance Tax and no Capital Gains Tax on assets other than property. Capital gains tax on the sale of property in Malaysia, owned for less than five years, is charged at 30%, but drops to less than 5% if the property is held for more than five years. There is no VAT, but there is a Government Sales Tax (GST) of 5% on hotel and restaurant bills and professional services such as lawyers. One could, for example, become a Malaysian taxpayer if income is obtained from rental earnings in Malaysia or from royalties on published works in Malaysia. However, there are many allowances that greatly reduce such tax liability.

Personal possessions imported for personal use, when retiring to Malaysia, are exempt from tax, but should not contain daggers, drugs, firearms or alcohol. If recorded videos, VCDs or DVDs are imported they will be checked for content - there is a checking charge of RM30 or £4.30 per item.

Once the retiree has been out of the UK for the prescribed period, their offshore investments become free of UK Tax and are not taxed by the Malaysian Tax Authority. Several retirees have calculated that their living expenses within Malaysia are far less than their tax savings, making it in effect, cost free to live in Malaysia!

Property prices are well below those in the UK, with properties, such as a three-bedroom apartment in a condominium in Penang, available from just £36,000. In addition to the savings in buying a property, the Assessment (Malaysian equivalent to Council Tax) is much less. The annual Assessment for a terraced house would be £55, for a three-bedroom apartment £58 and £180 for a large four- bedroom apartment.

Flats are always charged at a higher rate because the Assessment is based on potential rental earnings, and flats command a higher rent, as the landlord has to pay the service charge and the Assessment. In a house the tenant pays for all outgoings, thus rents are lower. Unlike the UK, garbage from flats is collected 7 days a week and from houses 3 times a week. (Possible saving over the UK Council Tax of £1,300 per annum.)

Get a series of 5 Country Retirement Reports that contain complete details on retirement opportunities in some of the world's top retirement havens right now; one of them is in SE Asia: Malaysia.

Local domestic help is readily available and, while it is not necessary to have a maid if living in a condominium, as there is less work than in a house, it certainly makes life more pleasant. Local maids are available for £1.50 per hour, and for many couples, hiring a maid for just a few hours a day to do the washing, ironing and cleaning is sufficient. A full time "live-in" Indonesian maid costs about £75 per month, while an English-speaking "live-in" maid from the Philippines would cost £110 per month. Overseas maids can be requested through an agency, but often take several weeks to arrive. However, for full-time employment, there are some pitfalls as the market in Malaysia is less regulated than in Singapore and Hong Kong. Thus the best solution is to take local advice and possibly take over a maid from a friend who is leaving, or to hire one on the recommendation of a friend. Most four bedroom properties and above have an additional maid’s sleeping quarter and maid’s bathroom off the yard or wet kitchen.

Public transport is much cheaper than in the UK, and there are low cost airlines flying all over Asia. (A 6 kilometre bus ride costs about £0.10) Cars, however, are generally more expensive to buy than in the UK, especially imported models with a large engine capacity, while "ASEAN" cars are just 10%-15% higher. (Foreigners, who join the Malaysia My Second Home Scheme, are entitled to buy or import one car, tax and duty free, making it considerably cheaper than in the UK.) Running costs are very cheap; petrol is much cheaper than the UK as it is heavily subsidised. Road tax for a 2-litre car is £57, and for a 1-litre model the cost is £18.

Third party insurance for all cars without No Claims Bonus is £14 per annum. A "No Claims Bonus" (NCB) can be transferred from a UK insurer at up to 30%-40% depending on the company and further NCBs can then be earned, up to a maximum of 55%. However, it is necessary to bring a written NCB declaration from one’s UK Insurance Company, as a copy of a UK Insurance Contract will not normally be sufficient proof to claim an initial NCB. Comprehensive insurance is based on the replacement value of the car and therefore varies with the model and age of the car. As repairs and maintenance are very cheap, and the insurance companies operate a "Knock for Knock" policy, whereby both parties lose their NCB, irrespective of who was at fault, many vehicle owners prefer to pay for their own repairs and insure for Third party only. This is mandatory but does not cover Fire and Theft. A major 20,000 kilometre service by the registered agents for a two litre Proton Perdana costs £85, while a basic oil change service at a local garage costs £28. (This includes being driven back home after delivering the car to the local garage and then being picked up to collect the car after the service.) Parking charges vary from £0.04 per half hour in a metered space (minimum £0.015 pence for 8 minutes) to £0.06 pence per half hour in a warden controlled space, to £0.14 per hour in a car park, up to as high as £0.50 per hour in the most expensive hotel underground car park. For parking illegally, the fine is up to RM30 or £4.28.

There is good news and bad news regarding the essentials of life. The good news is that imported cigarettes cost less than £1 for 20 and local ones even less, but alcohol, especially premium brand imported spirits, is expensive. Wine is available from £3 per bottle upwards – alas, a long way upwards - as the percentage duty increases with the value of the wine. Beer in the supermarkets fluctuates according to the current special offer, and, when bought by the case, varies from £0.45 to £0.75 per small can. Imported spirits are about £12 per bottle, but locally bottled gin, vodka, rum, brandy and whisky are available for less than £4 per bottle. As mixers, other than the whisky, they are ideal, but for most expatriates the whisky is noticeably different from the usual proprietary brands. All international flights into Malaysia allow a litre of duty free spirits per person to be brought into the country, and the island of Langkawi, just a ferry ride away, is totally duty free.

Eating out is one of the great joys of Malaysia, a social activity that takes place 24 hours a day, seven days a week and seems to involve the entire population. Costs range from less than £1 per person for a casual snack at one of the hawker stalls, to £5 per person for a delightful dinner in a small restaurant or club, up to a sumptuous buffet (with wine and beer included) in a premier hotel, such as the Eastern and Oriental located on the harbour front, for less than £10 per person. Food of every variety and flavour is available in Penang, a true melting pot of culinary styles.

Shopping for food and general household products is generally cheaper than in the UK, and there are several international chains operating in Malaysia, such as Tesco, Carrefour, Welcome and Cold Storage. For imported goods, the prices are similar to those in the UK, but locally sourced items are considerably cheaper. The range of products, however, is considerably less than in the UK. There are far fewer types of cheese, fewer UK biscuits and items such as Paxo stuffing and Bisto are not available throughout the year. If they are on the shelves in October buy then, because by Christmas they will have sold out!

Read traveller reviews of Malaysia's attractions and accommodation availability.

The local markets are good value, especially for local vegetables, which are offered for sale only hours after being picked. There is an abundant choice of fresh fruit, both locally and internationally sourced, and in the wet markets the fish and poultry is killed and prepared to order. The price of most basic ingredients is controlled by the government, so inflation remains low.

An additional expense in Malaysia is that of joining and being a member of a club. The majority of expatriates who retire to Malaysia join at least one club, as membership forms a pleasant part of the social fabric of retired life. Booking and waiting lists for temporary membership are quite short, normally until the cheque has cleared, and full membership can often be obtained within three or four months. There are various types of club. In a member-owned club, each member owns a share of the club and an elected committee of members runs the club. This type of membership, which costs from £1,600 to £5,000, can be sold on at a later date if the member moves away. The club normally takes about 25% of the sale price as an administrative fee, but over the long term these memberships can increase in value.

The other type of club is a commercial club, which charges a lower yearly membership fee of £200 to £300, that must be renewed each year, but the members have no control over the club. In addition to the joining fee, club members have to pay a monthly fee ranging from £8 to £20. This goes towards the running of the club, as facilities are free and food and beverage prices are often subsidised – thus, the more one uses the club, the better value it becomes. Malaysia is a land blessed with many golf clubs, and around both Kuala Lumpur and Penang there are at least half a dozen, to which non-members can easily drive. During the week, non-members can use such places simply by paying green fees of £10-£20, inclusive of buggy. Caddies cost £3 upwards. New and Official service for get Malaysia visa safe and easy in just 3 online steps. Get it Here !

To summarise, whatever the disposable income, a retiree to Malaysia is guaranteed a lifestyle far superior than that available in the UK with the equivalent funds. Money in Malaysia really does go a lot further.

Note that some prices are shown at RM7 to £1 (2005-7). By 2019, the MYR/GBP rate had changed to about RM5.2 and there are around 4.2 MYR to the US dollar.

Learn more about Malaysia

Home