Living in Malaysia: Cities, Cost of Living, Visas and Settling In as a French National

Malaysia combines a modern setting with everyday life accessible in English. The official language is Malay; English, Mandarin and Tamil are in common use (France Diplomatie). On the peninsula, the rail network is dense and relatively reliable and the Kuala Lumpur metro is very modern (France Diplomatie).

• Strengths: visa-free entry for under 90 days, which allows a trial stay before committing; several long-term permits depending on your profile; an established French community, with an embassy in Kuala Lumpur and honorary consuls in Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching (French embassy).
• Points of caution: a hot and humid climate; a pollution haze from June to October in the south-west of the peninsula, including the capital region; dense traffic in the large cities and a high road accident rate (17th in the world for road deaths, according to France Diplomatie); health cover to arrange before departure.
• Social protection: CLEISS (the French liaison centre for international social security) lists no social security agreement between France and Malaysia. Health cover should therefore be prepared before departure: see the guide to the Malaysian healthcare system and the page on healthcare reimbursement in Malaysia.

France Diplomatie cites Kuala Lumpur, George Town, Ipoh, Johor Bahru, Melaka and Kota Kinabalu as the main cities. The spending figures below come from the 2024 survey by DOSM, the Malaysian statistics office, which ranks six states and territories above the national average.

• Kuala Lumpur: the capital has 2.1 million inhabitants, 7.5 million in Greater Kuala Lumpur (France Diplomatie). It is home to the French embassy and the Lycée français; a household there spends on average MYR 8,178 a month (about €1,784), the highest level after Putrajaya.
• Penang: the state of Pulau Pinang has George Town as its main city. An honorary French consul and the Alliance française de Penang welcome French residents. A household there spends on average MYR 5,850 a month (about €1,276).
• Johor Bahru: capital of Johor state, which shows the strongest rise in average household spending between 2022 and 2024 (5.2% a year), at a level of MYR 5,927 a month (about €1,293).
• Langkawi: an archipelago in Kedah state. Outside Kuala Lumpur, France Diplomatie specifies that there is no SAMU-type emergency service (the French emergency medical service): check the medical evacuation provided in the contract before settling on an island.
• Kota Kinabalu: capital of Sabah, where an honorary French consul is based. Sabah and Sarawak have their own entry rules (a 30-day permit in Sarawak), and France Diplomatie details warnings specific to the north and east coasts of Sabah.

A trial stay in two or three cities helps you choose: the October to February monsoon and the June to October pollution haze do not affect all regions in the same way.

The 2024 DOSM household expenditure survey gives average monthly spending of MYR 5,566 (about €1,214 at the ECB reference rate of 02/10/2026, €1 = MYR 4.5849). The most expensive territories are Putrajaya (MYR 9,186), Kuala Lumpur (MYR 8,178, or about €1,784), Selangor (MYR 7,266, about €1,585), Melaka (MYR 6,212), Johor (MYR 5,927) and Pulau Pinang (MYR 5,850). These averages cover all Malaysian households, tenants and owners alike, and give an order of magnitude rather than an expat budget.

• Housing, water, electricity and gas: 23.5% of the budget, or MYR 1,307 a month (about €285), the largest item.
• Restaurants and accommodation: 17.0%, or MYR 948 (about €207), ahead of food (15.7%, MYR 876) and transport (11.0%, MYR 611).
• Health: 2.6% of the average budget, or MYR 147 a month (about €32).

Local incomes and the minimum wage are detailed in the page on working in Malaysia.

The official sources consulted publish no average rent by city: someone planning to settle compares offers on site, by district and by state. Housing weighs 23.5% of household budgets (DOSM), and its cost varies mostly with proximity to transport and services.

• Renting: visit several districts during the visa-free stay, read the lease carefully and check electricity and air-conditioning charges, which weigh on the budget in a tropical climate.
• Buying: the purchase conditions that apply to a foreigner should be checked with the authorities of the state concerned before any sale agreement; the page on retiring in Malaysia presents the purchase required by the Malaysia My Second Home programme.
• Health and distance: choose a home within a reasonable distance of a hospital, because SAMU-type emergency services are limited outside Kuala Lumpur (France Diplomatie).

The guide to the checklist for the first 90 days helps you put the settling-in formalities in order.

A French national stays without a visa for under 90 days in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah; in Sarawak, a 30-day permit is issued on arrival. The passport must be valid for at least six months after the departure date, and the online MDAC form must be validated within the 3 days before arrival (France Diplomatie). Beyond 90 days, a long-term permit is required.

• Employment Pass: the employee’s permit, applied for by the Malaysian employer; the page on working in Malaysia details the three categories, the salary thresholds and the passes for family members.
• DE Rantau Nomad Pass: the remote-work permit for working for foreign employers or clients, presented in the page on working in Malaysia and in the guide to digital nomad visas.
• Malaysia My Second Home: the long-term residence detailed in the page on retiring in Malaysia.
• Numbers and registrations: the tax identification number is obtained online on the MyTax portal of the Malaysian tax authority with a copy of the passport (HASiL); registration on the register of French nationals living abroad is free and quick, online on service-public.fr (French embassy). The employee’s social affiliations (EPF, PERKESO) are detailed in the page on working in Malaysia.

Overstaying the authorised period leads to a paid regularisation, possible detention, fines and a re-entry ban of at least one year (France Diplomatie).

The Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) lists in Malaysia the Lycée français de Kuala Lumpur, Henri-Fauconnier, a partner-agreement school located in Kuala Lumpur. Families settled in Penang, Johor Bahru or Kota Kinabalu look at the distance to the lycée and at distance learning, or turn to local schools.

• School support: the French embassy announces the opening of the second 2026-2027 school grants campaign; the conditions should be confirmed with the consulate.
• Higher education: the page on healthcare reimbursement in Malaysia details the local medical insurance required of foreign students.

The guide to children’s cover abroad and the page on expat family insurance help you plan the family’s health cover.

France Diplomatie describes street crime marked by bag snatching, aimed particularly at foreigners and very frequent in the large cities, notably in Kuala Lumpur. Practical advice: carry bags and cameras on the side away from traffic, use taxis from recognised companies or the Grab app, and show your papers only to a uniformed police officer. Drug legislation is applied with zero tolerance, and never carrying luggage for someone else remains the rule.

• Driving: traffic drives on the left; only the Malaysian licence and the international licence, presented with the French licence, are officially recognised; the French category B licence does not authorise riding a two-wheeler, and third-party insurance is compulsory (France Diplomatie).
• Climate: an October to February monsoon can cause sometimes violent floods and landslides in hilly regions; a pollution haze, caused by burning on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, can affect the south-west of the peninsula from June to October, the capital included (France Diplomatie).
• Customs: Islam is the state religion; France Diplomatie invites you to adopt dress and behaviour in line with local customs, especially outside the large cities and near places of worship, and points out that the law forbids foreigners from taking part in a demonstration.
• Areas to check: the north and east coasts of Sabah and the Thai border are the subject of specific recommendations in the France Diplomatie country page, to be read before any trip.

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