Twitterjaya Triggers Debate On Better Living In Malaysia VS Indonesia
Jakarta could be cheaper to live in, but Kuala Lumpur provides better value in housing and public infrastructure, albeit at a similar or slightly higher cost.
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Recently, an Indonesian media outlet posted on X (formerly Twitter) asking its followers “If there was one chance to live and work abroad for good, which country would you choose?”.
They came back with another post soon after to reveal that many chose Malaysia.
“We were surprised that many picked Malaysia. Is Malaysia better for living and working compared to this country?” the caption said.
It was indeed a pleasant surprise to find out that many Indonesians think our beloved country is their first choice.
Why did they pick Malaysia?
Looking to the comments, many of them shared their reasons on why they would rather live and work here.
According to one comment, those reasons are: The food is not much different from theirs, our languages are similar so communication won’t be so difficult, cost of living is almost similar to living in Jakarta, salaries are two to three times more than in their capital city, and their hometowns are relatively close for them to visit.
An X user tweeted that Indonesia is barely habitable now, not because of its natural environment, but due to poor government (the user used something more offensive so we just cleaned it up a little for you readers).
One other individual mentioned that Malaysia is “basically Indonesia” but more advanced and with less criminal organisations.
In terms of culture, language, and religion, there’s not much difference, especially for Sumatran people who don’t really feel the culture gap when moving there.
Garong via X
A number of Indonesian individuals responded to the post with comments asking where to find loker in Malaysia, which is a contraction for lowong kerja that translates to “job vacancy”.
“Where can I find loker in Malaysia guys? Video editor or anything in the IT field, I can do it if there’s info,” one user commented, while another user inquired about a designer job in Malaysia, offering their skills in batik design.
A few folks also commended Malaysia’s public transport system and infrastructure (although this probably only applies to major cities).
But what is the reality for an Indonesian national who migrates here?
To paint a better picture on cost of living between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, we’ve used cost-of-living database website Numbeo to calculate the differences of living in each city. Just to clarify, there are many other factors that come into play that might make the numbers different for each individual such as types of jobs and salaries, and government policies on expats. The following numbers are just comparisons of cost of living in each city (for comfortable living).
In terms of housing, renting a one-bedroom apartment in Kuala Lumpur can go as high as RM2,400, while in Jakarta, it comes up to about 6.2 million rupiah (RM1,630).
For something bigger like a three-bedroom apartment, one should be prepared to fork out about RM4,600 for rent in KL, while in Jakarta it would cost roughly 19 million rupiah (about RM4,900).
This all depends on exact location within the city and the size of the property and many other value-related amenities, of course. For purchasing property, foreign expats have the option of buying a home under the Malaysia My 2nd Home (MM2H) programme.
For basic utilities like electricity and water, one can expect to pay about RM270 per month living in a small KL apartment. That’s a little lower compared to Jakarta where it’s around 1.5 million rupiah (RM386) a month.
When it comes to public transport, the average spend in Jakarta is 200,000 to 350,000 rupiah (RM52 to RM91) a month. In Kuala Lumpur, it would be about RM100 to RM150 a month.
A couple living in Kuala Lumpur would spend an average of RM1,200 for groceries each month, while in Jakarta it would be around 4 million rupiah (RM1,040).
Dining out in KL can set you back about RM15 to RM45 per meal (assuming you’re not eating at fancy cafés every day) and eating out in Jakarta hovers between 60,000 to 120,000 rupiah (RM15 to RM31) per mid-range meal.
It deserves a mention that cheaper options are available in both cities, depending on what type of meal you’re going for. A simple roti canai and teh tarik in KL wouldn’t exceed RM10.
In short, Jakarta may be about 10% cheaper overall especially on local services and utilities, but Kuala Lumpur provides better value in housing quality, public infrastructure, and expats-focused amenities, albeit at a similar or slightly higher cost.
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