A Singaporean man who is currently working for a big 4 company in Singapore as an auditor recently gave his reasons on why he wanted to move to Malaysia when he turns 50. He stated on how he would never be able to afford a big landed house in Singapore and he would also never be able to afford to buy cool cars.
Here is the full story.
Does it make sense for me to want to retire in JB because any amount of money I would’ve saved by the time I reach the age of 50 is bound to go much further in Malaysia than it will here? I can buy a landed property, a branded car, get access to all the cheapest Singapore food I can find, and still, if I feel like it, I can just drive back into Singapore. I mean, if you live near the Causeway or Second Link, driving from JB to Orchard would take 45 mins tops if you avoid the peak hours. I’ve made the journey in under 30 mins. Some people in the US commute 2 hours from their homes in the suburbs into the cities every day.
My widower grandfather lives in JB and he doesn’t get along with my parents. My grandfather has willed his house to me, along with two shops tenanted at 5K MYR each a month. He is almost 90 so I don’t think he has much longer to live. If I sell his house upon receipt, I’ll get anywhere from 1.5 – 2 million MYR, that’s around 500K-700K SGD.
I wouldn’t be able to afford much in SG with 500K. Yet, with 1.5 mil MYR, I can afford a semi-detached home in a good gated area in the Iskandar region. I don’t know, seems kinda like an easy decision to me.
My concern are the downsides. Malaysia is known to have a lot of issues—bad infrastructure, high crime etc. But if I were to keep within my enclave, could I be effectively insulated from all the problems of the country? I have no idea. I have no one to talk to about this so I hope some of you can give me some advice.
I now have a well-paying auditing job at a Big 4. I think I’ll save quite a substantial amount by the time I hit 50, although never enough to buy a GCB in Bukit Timah. I can, however, get a GCB-sized landed property in JB. Most importantly, I can buy really cool cars and I can keep them forever (not to mention having far more room to speed).