7 Months in Kuala Lumpur: Was Moving from San Francisco Worth It?
Seven months ago, my wife Aliesha and I made a bold decision: we packed up our lives in San Francisco and moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with our two young kids. Today, I’m sharing our honest update about what life has really been like.
To see how we started this journey, start here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SQ5nFuTrdU&list=PLGPOk_Ox3FcYyEfl1p2G-K3dfLZrAQmJ2
What We Cover:
– 💰 Housing: How we got 4x the space for half the price
– 🍜 Food & Dining: Why that $35 SF martini changed everything
– 🏥 Healthcare: Getting same-day appointments and comprehensive health screenings
– 👶 Childcare: Paying 1/4 the cost for higher quality education
– ✈️ Travel: Weekend trips to Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, and Indonesia
– 🚗 Transportation: Navigating life in KL (yes, the traffic is manageable!)
– 😊 Quality of Life: The surprising things that just… work
The Bottom Line:
After seven months, would we do it all over again? Watch to find out.
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About This Channel:
Hi, I’m Andy! I document our family’s journey from the San Francisco Bay Area to Kuala Lumpur, sharing practical insights about expat life, cost of living, raising kids abroad, and exploring Southeast Asia. Whether you’re considering a similar move or just curious about life in KL, I break down the real costs, challenges, and surprises of building a life in Malaysia.
Check out more videos:
📍 Currently in: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
🎯 Subscribe for updates on our expat journey!
💬 Thinking about making a similar move? Drop a comment below – I’d love to connect and answer your questions!
👍 If this video was helpful, please like and subscribe for more content about our life in KL!
#ExpatLife #KualaLumpur #MovingAbroad #Malaysia #SanFrancisco #CostOfLiving #FamilyTravel #DigitalNomad
00:00 Introduction and Life Update
00:44 Housing: A Major Upgrade
03:05 Food: Affordable and Diverse
06:05 Transportation: Getting Around KL
09:45 Childcare: Improved Quality at Lower Cost
12:23 Healthcare: Efficient and Affordable
14:41 Daily Life and Conveniences
17:37 Work and Remote Setup
18:34 Traveling in Southeast Asia
20:50 Cultural Adjustment and Social Life
22:48 What We Miss About San Francisco
25:22 What We Don’t Miss About San Francisco
26:55 Conclusion: Reflecting on the Move
34 Comments
If you're curious about our life in KL after SF then go here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGPOk_Ox3FcYyEfl1p2G-K3dfLZrAQmJ2&si=s-T3Jd2d5biHPAuU
PLS DONT ENCOURAGE AMERICAN TO MALAYSIA
Great video!!
Nice! Fellow study grad 🙂 I just recently moved to Singapore from growing up in nyc, living in California and most recently Florida. The QOL difference is incredible. I also lived at 301 king in sf too. Small world. Let’s grab coffee when I am in Kl next Andy!
It's definitely a plus to spend USD in Malaysia
As a Malaysian, outdoor time is pretty much around the morning and afternoon. We avoid the 12-4 PM time frame and stay indoor.
By 4-5, we start having outdoor activities.
It is better if you decide whether you really like to live in Malaysia or not, and if yes, apply for MM2H fast. Because the qualification will be more stringent in future. Better lock in the current easy qualification.
Welcome to malaysia ive been here my self 19 years now, i kinda grew up here and now work here now and let me just say for general living and children, KL is amazing, but imo best place if you have kids will be somewhere like Desa Park City school, shops and everything is all very close. i went to school there my self and lived there for about 10 years, and its not to far away from city center (if you are traveling at the right time)
I believe you are considering buying condo property and car soon,
hah!.. I moved from South Bay to Penang. I do miss the bay area, its an awesome place, wonderful weather and people (in silicon valley at least). I also miss Hun's Wan Ton House in Chinatown. It was a hard decision but I guess its the right one for my family. Drop me a PM if you have any questions. Cheers.
I'm glad you and your fam are enjoying KL!
Come visit here in east Malaysia (Sabah or Sarawak)
This February will bw your first Chinese New Year in Malaysia… Enjoy it… I hope you will be invited to some open house event….
We do have hiking activities, just that it needs to be early, starts before sunrise and ends by 9-10 am. You can try the canopy walk at FRIM, Bukit Nenas Forest Reserve right at the city center, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, or go a bit further out to Broga Hills. On weekends try, Tanjung Sepat for some food adventures.
Oh, and make friends with the locals (for cheaper cost of living 😁).
Smart choice 👍🏻
Hey Andy really appreciate the video as I am planning to move to Malaysia from the west. Your description of your apartment sounds amazing. which area are you guys staying in. Good luck in the next chapter of your family life
btw when you mentioned about the fuel price, the $2 per liter is actually not the govt subsidized price. thats just the actual cost of it here. also, since you missed nature, i suggest you go look for waterfalls. rivers and waterfalls are all over the country and its our way of cooling down in a hot day other than hanging out in malls.
Hey Andy. Just bumped into your video. First off great content and thanks for sharing your experience. I can see the sincerity in ur video. I was a Malaysia and now USC living in Bay Area. Lately I have been thinking of moving back to KL on MM2H or even the SEZ plan in Forest City. But I am skeptical about the quality of healtcare. Not sure if it is as good and on same level as you mentioned compared to US? Well. I look forward to your coming videos. Hopefully we can connect somehow, someday. U just earned a subscription. Cheers.
Great job, especially for me coming from the Bay Area. Question: would you consider other cities? JB, Penang, or SMM2H which doesn’t require property purchase at this point? Or only KL
NYC Stuyvesant High school? 👍
Not sure if I missed this but how was the adjustment from the cool foggy mild SF weather to a place so constantly hot and humid? Do you not notice it much over time? How do you guys manage? That would be the biggest thing holding me back from considering going to SE Asia long term. I remember being in KL for business about two decades ago. Stayed for a few days and I was constantly soaked in my sweat. walking around outside feels like having bricks for feet 😅. Back then there were quite a few beggars in some parts of KL though and we didn't feel all that safe but they actually were just beggars begging for money and not the kind of drugged up violent mental cases in US cities nowadays. 😂
And Desa Park City (where it looks like you are based) is about the most expensive part of KL, so there's even opportunity to half those expenses again living in a different but still good area.
One clarification: Malaysia is a secular country with Muslim majority.
I'm happy that my country has fit your family's needs. Welcome to Malaysia.
I love your channel, just stumbled on it today. I live in DC and my husband is Aussie. We planned to return to Malaysia to live but recently my mom was diagnosed with a really rare cancer which Malaysia does not even have a specialist for. We had to go to Singapore to get an opinion from but even so, we don't have the funds for her to be treated there. It made me realize that although the medical system seems advanced, for the more unusual situations/illnesses they still fall short. As such my mom is left without any treatment as we just wait it out for the end. It made me appreciate the USA even though people complain about how inaccessible healthcare is.
As for driving around – I recently went to Vietnam – last week to be precise, which is a 2 hour flight and if you go out of the cities to places like Trang An etc, they you can get your outdoor fix. It is also cheaper than Malaysia, which was really nice. The weather there (Hanoi) is really nice, like SF in the winter, like 66 deg. There are parts of South East Asia with lots of nice outdoor places. I am sure you will discover them as you live in Malaysia longer.
Thanks for posting. Just returned from a new years one week stay in Kl with my wife and wow was that a revelation. I can totally agree with everything you are saying here. Safe. Clean. Organized. Great rates. Great infrastructure. Great building and properties. We really enjoyed our stay near petronas towers. It’s like Singapore luxury at an affordable price. And we loved how incredible diverse the city was !
Cars are the most expensive TO BUY here, and as a car enthusiast in Malaysia that’s very annoying, a new base model C200 for example can cost more than 50000 USD, I’m sure that’s almost AMG price in the states. The good things are that interest rate is cheap 3-4% pa, fuel prices are dirt cheap if you’re Malaysian, maintenance, repair and insurance costs are quite affordable compared to the west too.
A second-hand lambo Urus (that’s in near brand new condition) can costs near RM4 mil, that’s around 800k USD for a lambo urus 😭.
All because the government pushes people to buy locally made perodua and proton cars instead. Annoyingly though due to the protectionism, up until recent advancements the Malaysian made cars were absolute dog water A-B survival vehicles, with no reason to innovate
I want to add that doctors here in Malaysia are very competent. They are trained in usa, Australia, n.zeland, Canada, UK, India.
May I add that Malaysia is also under the commonwealth system..therefore you will not find a kidney missing when you wake..because English is the language of choice in hospitals if you wish. I get concerned about Thailand or Korea because we do not know the language..
Hey if you’re going to swimming pools you can wear a bikini, that’s fine man and pretty normal if you yourselves are comfortable with it. Dressing respectfully and whatnot only applies to religious spaces and public spaces that doesn’t warrant dressing up in a bikini or not wearing a top (such as going to a mall). If you’re at the beach or a swimming pool, feel free to go crazy. Most Malaysians just opt out because they’re culturally more reserved and shy. Especially if you’re in KL you’re pretty good. Maybe some research are warranted for more conservative Muslim states like kelantan or Terengganu.
You might get some stares from Pervy uncles but I think that happens no matter where you are. Though if you catch them with a camera feel free to let them meet God early, the public will be on your side.
You didn't mention missing stepping over the human P00 in downtown SF
With the influx of well-off people in most capitol cities in the world , the regular local families can't afford to stay there. Influx is not always a blessing. Wish you a happy stay in beautiful KL.❤❤❤
Best choice you ever made. Best country in the world.
Congratulations on your move, Andy! We live in San Mateo, but have lived in SF for many years. We go to KL almost every year to flee the cold, yes, I'm a wuss.🥶
Question: How are you staying in Malaysia? Visa runs every 90 days, MM2H, digital nomad visa? Is KL permanent or will you be moving around SE Asia? I want to move to KL or Penang, but wifes family is all here in Bay Area and she won't go…🙄
Ok, I asked the visa question too early. 😂
Really thorough video, thanks. 🙏. Be interested to know what your tax situation is. I’m from the uk and considering moving to KL this year.