I've spent a combined five months here over the past five years, and as of last month month it's replaced Singapore as the winter home base.
I've yet to check out the major cities of the Philippines, and I'll be paying a visit to Kuching soon to see how East Malaysia compares, but based on the dozens of other Asian cities I've spent at least a week in since 2002, I rank KL as Asia's most liveable city for westerners. This is based on:
- Widely spoken English. It's great to be able to chat in detail with your Grab driver or 7-eleven member of staff without needing to know the local lingo.
- Cost of living. With the exception of the beer tax which makes beer more expensive than places such as Vietnam but barely any more expensive than Thailand, everything is great value for money here.
- Infrastructure. The 52 kilometre MRT (with another half constructed) is the best I've ever used and it adds greatly to the city's already extensive public transport system. Each MRT station also has a complement of brand new aircon feeder buses that run on an accurate timetable and cost the equivalent of 7.5 baht on a smartcard.
- Traffic. I've yet to be caught up in a traffic jam. Granted, I don't travel in rush hour, but most Asian cities seem to be congested throughout the day.
- Climate. It has no dry dusty cloudless season thank god, and it reliably rains a couple of times per week at least, throughout the year. Not hot season either thank god. Cool breezes are the norm here blowing over the mountains to the east, and most afternoons are cloudy, making being outdoors a joy.
- Next to awesome mountains yet easily accessible to the sea. I spent Monday in Port Dickson, a charming coastal town an easy day trip from here. And I spent Tuesday in the Genting Highlands, some spectacular easily accessible mountains in the other direction with 20 celsius daytime temps. Off to Fraser's Hill for more highland adventures tomorrow.
- Greenery and topography. This city really is within a rainforest, and it shows. There are large areas of huge trees within the city, and the city is surrounded by green mountains. There are also hills throughout the city, something I love. I could never go back to living in a flat grey concrete mess like Bangkok.
- Connectivity. The home of AirAsia. Need I say more.
- Multicultural. The city is 45% Malay, 43% Chinese, and 10% Indian. This makes it far more interesting and diverse than other Asian countries, and everyone fits in and goes mostly unnoticed regardless of their ethnicity. Plus the diversity of food is unbeatable.
- Commonwealth. It's part of the Commonwealth, which can only be a good thing. Its British ancestry also shows, from the landscaping of its streets to a love of British accents.
- Visa exemption and house ownership. 90 days visa exempt on arrival, with longer stays easily arranged. I'm currently looking into the MM2H scheme for an even longer stay, along with a house purchase.
- Accommodation - The city is awash with brand new luxury condo buildings which are highly affordable on monthly Airbnb bookings.
I've probably forgotten some others.
I might post up some piccies sometime.
I've yet to check out the major cities of the Philippines, and I'll be paying a visit to Kuching soon to see how East Malaysia compares, but based on the dozens of other Asian cities I've spent at least a week in since 2002, I rank KL as Asia's most liveable city for westerners. This is based on:
- Widely spoken English. It's great to be able to chat in detail with your Grab driver or 7-eleven member of staff without needing to know the local lingo.
- Cost of living. With the exception of the beer tax which makes beer more expensive than places such as Vietnam but barely any more expensive than Thailand, everything is great value for money here.
- Infrastructure. The 52 kilometre MRT (with another half constructed) is the best I've ever used and it adds greatly to the city's already extensive public transport system. Each MRT station also has a complement of brand new aircon feeder buses that run on an accurate timetable and cost the equivalent of 7.5 baht on a smartcard.
- Traffic. I've yet to be caught up in a traffic jam. Granted, I don't travel in rush hour, but most Asian cities seem to be congested throughout the day.
- Climate. It has no dry dusty cloudless season thank god, and it reliably rains a couple of times per week at least, throughout the year. Not hot season either thank god. Cool breezes are the norm here blowing over the mountains to the east, and most afternoons are cloudy, making being outdoors a joy.
- Next to awesome mountains yet easily accessible to the sea. I spent Monday in Port Dickson, a charming coastal town an easy day trip from here. And I spent Tuesday in the Genting Highlands, some spectacular easily accessible mountains in the other direction with 20 celsius daytime temps. Off to Fraser's Hill for more highland adventures tomorrow.
- Greenery and topography. This city really is within a rainforest, and it shows. There are large areas of huge trees within the city, and the city is surrounded by green mountains. There are also hills throughout the city, something I love. I could never go back to living in a flat grey concrete mess like Bangkok.
- Connectivity. The home of AirAsia. Need I say more.
- Multicultural. The city is 45% Malay, 43% Chinese, and 10% Indian. This makes it far more interesting and diverse than other Asian countries, and everyone fits in and goes mostly unnoticed regardless of their ethnicity. Plus the diversity of food is unbeatable.
- Commonwealth. It's part of the Commonwealth, which can only be a good thing. Its British ancestry also shows, from the landscaping of its streets to a love of British accents.
- Visa exemption and house ownership. 90 days visa exempt on arrival, with longer stays easily arranged. I'm currently looking into the MM2H scheme for an even longer stay, along with a house purchase.
- Accommodation - The city is awash with brand new luxury condo buildings which are highly affordable on monthly Airbnb bookings.
I've probably forgotten some others.
I might post up some piccies sometime.
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