Moving to Saudi Arabia from Malaysia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia, you would find that Saudi Arabia is 59.6% more expensive than Malaysia overall. A MYR307,192 salary in Malaysia would need to be roughly SAR334,082 in Saudi Arabia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia.
What does your salary buy?
MYR307,192 → SAR334,082
To maintain the same standard of living in Saudi Arabia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 35.7% more
Groceries
pay 2.2% more
Transportation
pay 77.6% more
Housing
pay 2.1 times more
Childcare
pay 54.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.1 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Saudi Arabia cost about 22% more than cities in Malaysia.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Malaysia and Saudi Arabia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Malaysia performs better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Malaysia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Malaysia performs better than Saudi Arabia across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Saudi Arabia generally does better on infrastructure, though Malaysia leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Saudi Arabia generally does better on employment & economy, though Malaysia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Saudi Arabia generally does better on family life, though Malaysia leads in infant mortality.
Data: Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Kuala Lumpur | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 91°/73°F (33°/23°C) | 75°/50°F (24°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 91°/75°F (33°/24°C) | 101°/72°F (38°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) | 109°/77°F (43°/25°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 89°/74°F (32°/23°C) | 84°/56°F (29°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kuala Lumpur | Riyadh |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90°/72°F (32.1°/22.5°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.9°C) |
| Feb | 91°/73°F (32.9°/22.8°C) | 74°/49°F (23.3°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 92°/74°F (33.2°/23.2°C) | 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.2°C) |
| Apr | 92°/75°F (33.1°/23.7°C) | 92°/65°F (33.3°/18.4°C) |
| May | 91°/75°F (32.9°/23.9°C) | 103°/74°F (39.4°/23.4°C) |
| Jun | 91°/74°F (32.7°/23.6°C) | 109°/78°F (42.6°/25.3°C) |
| Jul | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.2°C) | 111°/80°F (43.7°/26.4°C) |
| Aug | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.1°C) | 111°/79°F (43.7°/26.3°C) |
| Sep | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) | 105°/73°F (40.6°/22.9°C) |
| Oct | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) | 96°/65°F (35.5°/18.2°C) |
| Nov | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.2°C) | 83°/56°F (28.1°/13.3°C) |
| Dec | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.9°C) | 72°/47°F (22.1°/8.4°C) |
Data:
Malaysian Meteorological Department,
National Center for Meteorology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. To live, work, or study long-term in Saudi Arabia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Saudi Arabia's immigration authority.
Malaysia passport holder visiting Saudi Arabia
Visa on Arrival
Saudi Arabia passport holder visiting Malaysia
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Saudi Arabia than Malaysia?
Day-to-day costs in Saudi Arabia run about 19% higher than Malaysia on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Saudi Arabia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a MYR307,192 comparable salary, that's around SAR83,520 in Saudi Arabia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Saudi Arabia?
With 37.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
Is Saudi Arabia safe for expats?
Malaysia performs better than Saudi Arabia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Saudi Arabia is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Malaysia.
How is healthcare in Saudi Arabia compared to Malaysia?
Malaysia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Saudi Arabia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 30.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Saudi Arabia, compared to 23.2 in Malaysia. Saudi Arabia scores 74 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Malaysia: 76).
What's the weather like in Saudi Arabia compared to Malaysia?
The average high temperature in Riyadh is 92°F, compared to 90°F in Kuala Lumpur. Riyadh receives around 4.4 in of rainfall per year, while Kuala Lumpur gets 95.6 in.
What language do they speak in Saudi Arabia?
The official language in Saudi Arabia is Arabic. In Malaysia, the official languages are English and Malay.
