Moving to Malaysia from South Africa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Africa to Malaysia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Africa to Malaysia, you would find that Malaysia is 4.4% cheaper than South Africa overall. A ZAR1,218,000 salary in South Africa would need to be roughly MYR329,198 in Malaysia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Kuala Lumpur averages 90°F vs 77°F in Pretoria, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from South Africa to Malaysia.
What does your salary buy?
ZAR1,218,000 → MYR329,198
To maintain the same standard of living in Malaysia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 39.9% less
Groceries
pay 26.3% more
Transportation
pay 24.4% less
Housing
pay 34.2% less
Childcare
pay 27.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.5% 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.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How South Africa and Malaysia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Malaysia performs significantly better than South Africa 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
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Malaysia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
South Africa performs better than Malaysia 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
Malaysia performs significantly better than South Africa 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
Malaysia performs significantly better than South Africa across all employment & economy metrics.
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
South Africa generally does better on family life, though Malaysia leads in life expectancy.
Data: South African Revenue Service, 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 | Pretoria | Kuala Lumpur |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) | 91°/73°F (33°/23°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 91°/75°F (33°/24°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 79°/60°F (26°/15°C) | 89°/74°F (32°/23°C) |
View all months
| Month | Pretoria | Kuala Lumpur |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84°/65°F (29.0°/18.1°C) | 90°/72°F (32.1°/22.5°C) |
| Feb | 84°/64°F (28.7°/18.0°C) | 91°/73°F (32.9°/22.8°C) |
| Mar | 81°/62°F (27.3°/16.6°C) | 92°/74°F (33.2°/23.2°C) |
| Apr | 77°/56°F (24.8°/13.1°C) | 92°/75°F (33.1°/23.7°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.4°/8.7°C) | 91°/75°F (32.9°/23.9°C) |
| Jun | 67°/41°F (19.6°/5.2°C) | 91°/74°F (32.7°/23.6°C) |
| Jul | 68°/42°F (19.8°/5.3°C) | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.2°C) |
| Aug | 72°/47°F (22.3°/8.2°C) | 90°/74°F (32.3°/23.1°C) |
| Sep | 76°/53°F (24.4°/11.8°C) | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) |
| Oct | 77°/57°F (25.2°/14.0°C) | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.2°C) |
| Nov | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.2°C) |
| Dec | 82°/63°F (27.9°/17.0°C) | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.9°C) |
Data:
South African Weather Service,
Malaysian Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Africa 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.
South Africa passport holder visiting Malaysia
Visa Free
Malaysia passport holder visiting South Africa
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 South Africa?
Day-to-day costs in Malaysia run about 11% higher than South Africa 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 ZAR1,218,000 comparable salary, that's around MYR82,300 in Malaysia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Malaysia?
With 12.4 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 South Africa and Malaysia.
Is Malaysia safe for expats?
Malaysia performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Malaysia is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 45.5 in South Africa. About 90% of people in Malaysia feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Malaysia compared to South Africa?
Malaysia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 23.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Malaysia, compared to 8.1 in South Africa. Malaysia scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (South Africa: 71).
What's the weather like in Malaysia compared to South Africa?
The average high temperature in Kuala Lumpur is 90°F, compared to 77°F in Pretoria. Kuala Lumpur receives around 95.6 in of rainfall per year, while Pretoria gets 27.0 in.
What language do they speak in Malaysia?
The official languages in Malaysia are English and Malay. In South Africa, the official languages are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
Compare further: South Africa vs. Malaysia
At a Glance
ZA
|
MY
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 57,516,665 | 33,871,431 |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu | English, Malay |
| Driving side | Left | Left |
| Calling code | +27 | +60 |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency number | 10111 | 999 |