One of the most respected news site Huffington Post published an article on the ‘world’s best places to retire in 2014.’ It said Malaysia is Asia’s best retirement haven. In fact Malaysia is third best in the world. There were many reasons stated. Let me summarise them as below:
‘A couple can live comfortably in a luxury ocean-view condo on US$1,700 and some could even manage with US$1,000 or less, including rent!’
I don’t really like the next reason; ‘the average temperature is 82F all year round’. I prefer cooler temperatures but hey, we do not have typhoons or tsunamis, just stormy rains. That is a lot to thank for.
Malaysia has some of the best beaches in the world and I can safely attest to this as I have been to around 20 countries and our white sandy beaches are really second to none in the world. I would even encourage Australians to drop by here instead of an island they always frequent if they are there for the beach.
It also stated that Penang and Kuala Lumpur are medical centres of excellence and the hospitals are top-notch and the physicians speak English and that seeing a physician costs as little as US$11! Be reminded, it is as little as US$11, it is not average fee. A few kidney stone EWSL session may cost RM17,000 (US$5,000) but I think this is considered reasonable when compared to UK or US. Or even Singapore.
It said that the infrastructure here is First World and if you intend to drive, the roads are excellent. This one, sometimes I do not agree because there are pot holes on and off.
MM2H was also mentioned. The next point is very valid. It is easy for foreigners to buy properties and you can even buy freehold without any limitations on the number of properties you can own. Of course, now the requirement would be RM1 million threshold as set by the government for foreign purchase.
Good quality dining was also said to be very cheap. US$3. Of course it does not state that this is for posh restaurants. This is more than than enough for Chilli Pan Mee in KL or famous Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow in Penang.
Malaysia’s population also has a lot of respect for their elders and in fact is an intrinsic part of their culture. There were a lot more reasons mentioned but I think there are a few which may have been missed. It does not state the potential capital appreciation as property prices for Malaysia is still much lower when compared to some other major cities of the world.
Would Malaysia still be top in 2015? I sincerely believe so as I longed to come back to Malaysia after my studies in Bristol many years ago. It is true, there are things which are not perfect here, there are also many ‘ugly’ Malaysians but I will continue to put in my tiny little effort to make things even better than today.
written on 7th jan 2014.
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