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What do you think? Sabah, Malaysia

 
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asian sensation



Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:11 am    Post subject: What do you think? Sabah, Malaysia Reply with quote

Is a job offer for 4000 MYR decent for K. Kinabalu. The hours are not too bad, maybe 5 or 6 a day. No kids, private enterprise. I know KL is more expensive, I have traveled to both, but never actually lived in either city. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks.
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DanGUK



Joined: 19 Aug 2009
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds ok to me. I spent some time in Kuching and, assuming cost of living is similar, then it should be quite high compared to local salaries.

Whilst in Kuching, I scoped out the private uni's there and know that for a bog standard English lecturer they would range from 3000 (starting rate from local private) to 4500 (top end for Aussie private).

East Malaysia is cheaper for food and general living, plus there is less in the way of excitement to drain your salary(!). One thing you might want to look into though is accommodation costs. In Kuching, almost all apartments were 2-3 bedrooms and aimed at the more wealthy, so the prices weren't that much lower than KL. I didn't find any 1 bed places. Houses are very cheap, but usually not furnished.

Hope this helps:)

Oh, one more caveat: you might get some replies from 'expats' telling you you need at least a zillion ringgits a day to keep up with the Joneses. Pinch of salt advised:)
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asian sensation



Joined: 17 Oct 2007
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 4:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cheers mate, helpful indeed!
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KayuJati



Joined: 21 Feb 2010
Posts: 313

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I liked Kota Kinabalu (KK) the one time that I visited, a 4-day marketing trip. Sabah and Sarawak are different from the Mainland in that they have their own passport control. Even Mainland Malaysians have to take their passports with to enter Sabah and Sarawak.

KK is a nice-looking city, but it has a terrible traffic problem like so many places. I noted that there were fewer Malays, and a greater variety of peoples including Kadazandusun, Bugis, Filipino, Bajau and etc. There is a quite large Kampung Filipino in KK. (One of the most beautiful women in my office is from Sabah and is 100% Filipino although she was raised a Malaysian resident and is categorised as Malay.)

I don't know about rents, but RM4,000 might be a decent-enough salary given that some things are cheaper than the Mainland. However, imported items might be a tad bit higher in price.

KK would be a great place to live for island hopping and mountain climbing. The one large drawback for me was that there are very few Indians there (Tamil) and, thus, Indian restaurants are few and far in-between. Indian food is the best in the world, of course.
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DanGUK



Joined: 19 Aug 2009
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 2:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One more thing - you'll almost certainly need to run a car or bike. Cars are pricey, even second-hand local brands, due to import duties. Bikes are more affordable - a new local brand (check out Demak for example) probably starts at around 3000.
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DragonJade



Joined: 20 Mar 2011
Posts: 33

PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought that the minimum you had to earn was RM5000 if you wanted to get a work visa for Malaysia.
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BillyHoyle



Joined: 25 May 2012
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How much does the cost of living vary from places like KL (or close to KL) to the eastern Malaysian areas? What would apartments cost in both? Food? Entertainment? etc..
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DanGUK



Joined: 19 Aug 2009
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I thought that the minimum you had to earn was RM5000 if you wanted to get a work visa for Malaysia.


Yeah, but that rule is pretty bendable as far as I've seen, especially outside of KL. A bit like most of the laws:)

Quote:
How much does the cost of living vary from places like KL (or close to KL) to the eastern Malaysian areas? What would apartments cost in both? Food? Entertainment? etc..


Erm... can you read?
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BillyHoyle



Joined: 25 May 2012
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, I can read.

Could someone answer the question specifically, maybe with actual numbers? Not they are close, or they are aimed at the wealthy?

I do not see - a loaf of bread costs ____, a movie costs ______, a gym membership costs ______, a taxi costs ________, apartments range from ___________.
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DanGUK



Joined: 19 Aug 2009
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's because there is a range with all these things and, if you look back through the Malaysia posts, people massively disagree on these things.

To give you an example:

Food

I don't buy bread, i tend to eat hawker food. In KL this ranges from 3-4RM to 20 RM. However, a lot of people here wouldn't dream of eating hawker food so will quote higher (Mont Kiara, Changkat etc) food prices. All depends on how you view yourself as an expat.

My point being, only general cost of living information is relevant. Therefore, apartment costs are similar for the reasons I gave before, food is generally cheaper, and there is less entertainment. Actual costs depend on the sort of person you are.

Besides, there are property websites, gym websites etc etc, so it is not like specific information is not there for you if you go and look for it.
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