RandyRandy

More foreigners living in KL, although many foreigners visit Penang. I was there a couple of times, most recently for a wedding. Nice place to stay for a few days, beach was ok, some decent resorts, a lot of good food places. People from there are fiercely loyal to it (as most people anywhere) and talk it up like it's heaven on earth. I could take it or leave it.

Absolutely cheap when compared to Singapore - on every level. As far as an investment, I do think KL is a rising star. They want to become a more international player and Malaysia has this plan called Wawasan (Vision) 2020 - where they become self-sufficient industrialized nation by then. Ambitious, and to me that shows they aren't an extremist government and don't want to go that way. Hey - if there weren't two "incidents" with Malaysian Airways this year, Malaysia would have continued to exist under the radar for most of the Western world.

In KL, there is new construction everywhere - a lot of high-end residences and a good investment in infrastructure ( expanding their rapid transit system) And SEA's first Nobu opened this month in KL - that should say something.

I've seen 39c - but it's not as hot as Dubai or India. The only reason I mention the het (and humidity) is because in another thread on Panama, many people were complaining how hot and humid it gets there when considering retirement there. It does get hot, but not as bad as KL. For the record, the heat isn't a bad enough factor for me in either place.

My partner has been here for 5 years - all on a 90 day visa. He just got married to a local, so he's now getting a spousal visa, but that didn't stop him (or me) from getting a rental or bank account. You won't be able to get an account at the local banks, but I got one at HSBC. They asked for the last six months of my American bank account statements and that was it. Some banks won't even consider an American because of FACTA - they don't want to do the paperwork.

As far as cheap accommodations - you can get as cheap as you want. Most of my workers live 4-5 to a bedroom in nice neighborhoods @ 150rm per month (US$50) But assuming you don't want to live in a house with 20-25 Bangladeshis, of course there are great apartments that you can share with 1,2,3 others. bartender friend here lives in a crazy spectacular condo on the 40th floor - awesome amenities. He's sharing with three others in a 4 bedroom/4 bathroom furnished apartment for about 1,500rm a month (US$500) and that includes everything. You could easily find furnished apartments to share for less.

If you want a neighborhood that's affluent and has a lot of foreigners, then you look at Bangsar, Mont Kiara or Damansara. You can find a lot of deals here: www.mudah.my Mudah.my is Malaysia's version of Craigslist, very useful.

Smog? What smog?