The residence routes we hold for Malaysia, each requirement as its rule states it, and what a month costs in its cities. This page assesses no one.
This page describes the destination for nobody in particular. Answer a few questions and each requirement is set against your own answers, with a monthly budget for your household. Your answers stay in the address bar of your browser; nothing is stored.
English is an official business language; British-based legal system.
Low cost of living with good infrastructure; Kuala Lumpur is modern.
Diverse, tolerant society; good private healthcare.
Strong regional hub for trade and logistics.
Penang is a liveable second city with a heritage centre and tech industry.
Cons
Residence routes for a business owner are narrow (MM2H forbids business; PVIP requires large deposits).
Hot, humid, with seasonal haze.
Foreign-ownership rules and bumiputera quotas in some sectors.
Political shifts affect policy toward foreigners.
Alcohol, pork and some lifestyle costs are high; some social norms are conservative.
Emigrator’s assessment, 6 October 2026. Where a point names a figure, the sourced data above governs.
Routes we hold for Malaysia
What each rule states, as we encoded it from the source. A money threshold that grows with the size of the household is shown for the reference household named under the costs.
Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)
Draft — not checked by us yet
We built these rules from the country’s own sources and have not finished checking them line by line.
· past the limit — verification required
Requirement
Rule says
Type
Main applicant aged 25 or over
At least years
Mandatory
Fixed deposit of at least USD 150,000 in a licensed Malaysian institution*
At least €132,100.40150,000 USD, converted at the ECB euro reference rate for the US dollar (0.880669 EUR/USD, effective 29 September 2026) = €132,100.40
Mandatory
What the authority states and we cannot test
Quoted in the authority’s own words rather than summarised. No rule of ours tests these.
Compulsory to purchase and own a residence after obtaining the approval as MM2H participant. Value of the purchased residence should be RM600,000 or above. Selling of the residence is not allowed for 10 years.
Stated by Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia — Malaysia My Second Home, Category Overview and the Platinum, Gold and Silver category pages, Category Silver, Purchase of Residence
Be present / staying in Malaysia for 90 days (cumulative) in one year. For participants between the age of 25 to 49 years old, the length of stay in Malaysia can be fulfilled by the principal and/or their dependents.
Stated by Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia — Malaysia My Second Home, Category Overview and the Platinum, Gold and Silver category pages, Category Silver, Minimum Length of Stay
Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Programme (MTEP), New Entrepreneur
Draft — not checked by us yet
We built these rules from the country’s own sources and have not finished checking them line by line.
Never checked · limit 45 days
Requirement
Rule says
Type
Savings covering the bank balance the programme requires*
At least €10,778.8850,000 MYR, converted at Bank Negara Malaysia's middle rate for the euro against the ringgit (0.215578 EUR/MYR, effective 29 September 2026) = €10,778.88
Mandatory
What the authority states and we cannot test
Quoted in the authority’s own words rather than summarised. No rule of ours tests these.
A non-Malaysian individual who may be a self-employed person with an innovative business idea in the digital field/platform and have a strong digital proposition.
Stated by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), an agency of the Ministry of Digital — Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Programme (MTEP), FAQs, New Entrepreneur definition
New Entrepreneurs must locate at Malaysia Digital Hubs
Stated by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), an agency of the Ministry of Digital — Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Programme (MTEP), FAQs, New Entrepreneur conditions
Malaysia Premium Visa Programme (PVIP)
Draft — not checked by us yet
We built these rules from the country’s own sources and have not finished checking them line by line.
Never checked · limit 45 days
Requirement
Rule says
Type
Savings covering the fixed deposit this programme requires*
At least €215,577.641,000,000 MYR, converted at Bank Negara Malaysia's middle rate for the euro against the ringgit (0.215578 EUR/MYR, effective 29 September 2026) = €215,577.64
Mandatory
Monthly income at the level the programme states
This requirement can be met in more than one way:
Mandatory
Monthly income
At least €8,623.11 per month40,000 MYR, converted at Bank Negara Malaysia's middle rate for the euro against the ringgit (0.215578 EUR/MYR, effective 29 September 2026) = €8,623.11
—
Total net worth at the level the programme accepts instead of income
At least €215,577,6401,000,000,000 MYR, converted at Bank Negara Malaysia's middle rate for the euro against the ringgit (0.215578 EUR/MYR, effective 29 September 2026) = €215,577,640
—
What the authority states and we cannot test
Quoted in the authority’s own words rather than summarised. No rule of ours tests these.
All applications are required to be made through an authorized agency appointed by the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
Stated by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (Immigration Department of Malaysia) — Malaysia Premium Visa Programme (PVIP), General FAQ, question 3, item iv
To pay Participation Fees (RM200,000.00 for Principal and RM100,000.00 for Dependents)
Stated by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (Immigration Department of Malaysia) — Malaysia Premium Visa Programme (PVIP), General FAQ, question 3, item iii
A month here, for a reference household
Reference household: two adults aged 38 and 37, a one-bedroom home, no children.
Residence fees and health cover are those of Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H). The low, middle and high figures are the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles where a publisher states them; each line says who published it.
illustrative Money figures on this page are illustrative unless the figure names its publisher. The illustrative ones are arranged so the shape is right — a larger flat costs more than a smaller one, and the expensive cities are the expensive ones — and they are accurate in nothing. Do not plan on them.
City
P25
P50
P75
Kuala LumpurThis total does not include Building or service charge, Statutory levies and licences, Residence permit renewals and Domestic help, which nobody publishes for this city. It is the sum of what we hold, not of what the household will pay.
€1,368
€1,853
€2,337
George TownThis total does not include Building or service charge, Statutory levies and licences, Residence permit renewals and Domestic help, which nobody publishes for this city. It is the sum of what we hold, not of what the household will pay.
Each cell: average daily high, monthly mean, average daily low, in °C. These are averages of daily values over 2001–2020, not records — the hottest day is higher and is not shown.
Each cell: average daily high, monthly mean, average daily low, in °C. These are averages of daily values over 2001–2020, not records — the hottest day is higher and is not shown.
How this country is governed
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024, on a 0–100 scale the Bank publishes itself. They describe the country, not any city in it.
Political stability and absence of violence
72the World Bank governance score for political stability
Rule of law
63the World Bank governance score for rule of law
Control of corruption
58the World Bank governance score for control of corruption
Rule set 1.58.0-2026-10-11 · read on 26 October 2026. Every figure on this page was computed by the engine from versioned rule files. No language model produced any number here, and translation happens only after the calculation.
