Moving to Malaysia from Philippines
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Philippines to Malaysia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Philippines to Malaysia, you would find that Malaysia is 17.8% more expensive than Philippines overall. A ₱4,700,000 salary in Philippines would need to be roughly MYR360,000 in Malaysia to maintain the same lifestyle. You’ll also switch from driving on the right to the left.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Philippines to Malaysia.
What does your salary buy?
₱4,700,000 → MYR360,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Malaysia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 11.3% more
Groceries
pay 2.9% more
Transportation
pay 18.7% more
Housing
pay 19.4% more
Childcare
pay 26.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 41.2% 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 Malaysia cost about 37% more than cities in Philippines.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Philippines to Malaysia, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Philippines and Malaysia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Philippines generally does better on safety, though Malaysia leads in homicide rate.
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
Philippines generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Malaysia 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
Philippines generally does better on environment, though Malaysia leads in air pollution deaths.
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
Malaysia performs significantly better than Philippines across all infrastructure metrics.
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
share of people below the poverty line
Malaysia generally does better on employment & economy, though Philippines 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
Philippines generally does better on family life, though Malaysia leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Internal Revenue (2016), Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Manila | Kuala Lumpur |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 87°/75°F (31°/24°C) | 91°/73°F (33°/23°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 91°/79°F (33°/26°C) | 91°/75°F (33°/24°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 88°/78°F (31°/26°C) | 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 87°/77°F (30°/25°C) | 89°/74°F (32°/23°C) |
View all months
| Month | Manila | Kuala Lumpur |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85°/74°F (29.5°/23.5°C) | 90°/72°F (32.1°/22.5°C) |
| Feb | 87°/75°F (30.5°/23.8°C) | 91°/73°F (32.9°/22.8°C) |
| Mar | 90°/77°F (32.1°/24.9°C) | 92°/74°F (33.2°/23.2°C) |
| Apr | 92°/79°F (33.5°/26.2°C) | 92°/75°F (33.1°/23.7°C) |
| May | 92°/80°F (33.2°/26.7°C) | 91°/75°F (32.9°/23.9°C) |
| Jun | 90°/79°F (32.2°/26.2°C) | 91°/74°F (32.7°/23.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/78°F (31.1°/25.8°C) | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.2°C) |
| Aug | 87°/78°F (30.6°/25.5°C) | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.1°C) |
| Sep | 88°/78°F (30.9°/25.5°C) | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) |
| Oct | 88°/78°F (30.9°/25.5°C) | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) |
| Nov | 87°/77°F (30.7°/24.9°C) | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.2°C) |
| Dec | 85°/75°F (29.7°/23.9°C) | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.9°C) |
Data:
Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration,
Malaysian Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Philippines and Malaysia. To live, work, or study long-term in Malaysia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Malaysia's immigration authority.
Philippines passport holder visiting Malaysia
Visa Free
Malaysia passport holder visiting Philippines
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 Malaysia than Philippines?
Day-to-day costs in Malaysia run about 18% higher than Philippines on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Malaysia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ₱4,700,000 comparable salary, that's around MYR90,000 in Malaysia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Malaysia?
With 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Malaysia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Philippines and Malaysia.
Is Malaysia safe for expats?
Philippines generally does better on safety, though Malaysia leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Malaysia is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 4.3 in Philippines.
How is healthcare in Malaysia compared to Philippines?
Philippines generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Malaysia leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Malaysia, compared to 7.9 in Philippines. Malaysia scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Philippines: 58).
What's the weather like in Malaysia compared to Philippines?
The average high temperature in Kuala Lumpur is 90°F, compared to 88°F in Manila. Kuala Lumpur receives around 95.6 in of rainfall per year, while Manila gets 86.7 in.
What language do they speak in Malaysia?
The official languages in Malaysia are English and Malay. In Philippines, the official languages are English and Filipino.
