In the booming capital of Malaysia, most people speak English, the quality of life for Brits is high, the cost of living is low, workmen are cheap and efficient – and all religious faiths are accepted. Sound like heaven on earth?
My name is Andy Davison and I settled in Malaysia in 1996 after 25 years of travelling the world with a major American multinational. I considered returning to the UK when I left that company, but eventually decided to start my own business in Malaysia as I very much enjoy the lifestyle in this part of Asia.
I've just turned 60 and I live in a house just outside Kuala Lumpur with my Indonesian wife and our four children, who attend international schools here. Our eldest daughter will start university in the UK next year.
I started my own business when I moved here and now own several publications and websites which offer information about Malaysia to resident and newly-arrived expats and overseas visitors. It was hard work building the business - there are quite a few pitfalls for naive foreigners hoping to strike it rich in this part of the world.
Now we have achieved a degree of success and our main monthly magazine, The Expat, has around 6,000 families from over 100 different countries subscribing to it. We interact with the local expat community on a regular basis and organise monthly wine dinners, a monthly get-together for single people as well as an annual exhibition about Malaysia, called The Expat Expo. It takes place in September in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
One of the attractions of Malaysia is that most people speak English and a lot of the media is in English. It is therefore relatively easy to make Malaysian friends, and for many foreigners this is one of the joys of living here.
I have recently become involved in promoting the government’s ‘Malaysia: My Second Home’ programme, which offers a ten-year renewable visa to anyone wishing to come and live here. It’s a very attractive programme and is particularly suited to British retirees.
The cost of living in Malaysia is very low and the quality of life is high. The scheme includes one tax-free car and overseas income can be remitted tax free. Foreigners can buy as many properties as they wish. Another big plus point is that it is possible to own freehold land in Malaysia, which is most unusual in Asia.
The country has experienced very rapid economic growth in the last 20 years. The major cities boast many modern buildings, world-class shopping malls, superb dining establishments, good schools and excellent hospitals. For those who like driving there are many major highways and well maintained country roads. You can explore peninsular Malaysia, drive into neighbouring Thailand to the north or Singapore to the south.
Some people worry about living in an Islamic country, but the government believes in religious freedom and there are plenty of Christian churches, not to mention Hindu and Buddhist temples. We own a reasonable-sized four bedroom house with a small gym, a children’s play room, a study and a bar overlooking the swimming pool. On Sunday mornings, if we are in town, I cook a full English breakfast and we eat it by the pool, which the kids love.
A house is a lot more work than an apartment but the children enjoy it and we like the privacy it offers. It’s easy to get repairs done and workmen usually arrive the day you call them and their charges are quite reasonable.
Hotel prices are low, with a five-star luxury beachfront resort running at around £50-£60 a night, so we often take the children away for weekend trips to the beach. Typically, English people who retire to Malaysia buy nice apartments and homes for £100,000 to £200,000. That means they usually end up with plenty of cash in their pockets after selling their UK homes. On top of this, receiving their pension tax-free, and the low cost of living, means a big improvement in their quality of life. I expect to retire here eventually, but right now I enjoy my job too much.
