If you have decided to take advantage of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme you must consider where best to live.

It is not an easy decision because there are a number of attractive alternatives to choose from.

Because Malaysians are friendly and approachable and speak good English it is easy to settle in without the support of other expats.

Indeed, a 2019 survey of 200 MM2H participants showed that only 9% mixed mostly with other expats.

The same survey found that 40% of respondents lived in the Klang Valley, 32% in Penang and smaller populations in Langkawi, Johor and Melaka. 7% lived in Sabah and Sarawak.

If being part of a large expat community is important to you the best places are KL and Penang.

Penang is Malaysia in miniature and has it all. Quality hospitals and schools, large expat community, foodie paradise, great shopping, beaches, National Park, a hill station, nightlife and relatively low crime.

Leisure activities

Golf: If you like golf you will be spoilt for choice as Malaysia has around 175 excellent courses all over the country. Of the 25 nominees for Malaysia’s Best Golf Course 2020, 12 were in the Klang Valley and five in Johor, two in Sabah and two in Perak.

Beaches: The best beaches meanwhile tend to be on islands or in remote locations which are better for short visits rather than living full time.

Langkawi scores highest for beaches. Penang’s beaches, while not the best, are handy for retirees on the island.

Port Dickson also scores on this criterion. Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru, Kuantan and Taiping have beaches within striking distance.

Hiking: Wherever you live in Malaysia you will find hills and jungles nearby. Penang has its own national park and has Penang Hill so scores high. But even Kuala Lumpur has many hiking trails on the edges of the city.

Proximity to international airports

• Kuala Lumpur is the top scorer with dozens of international, regional and domestic flights from its two major airports.
• Kota Kinabalu airport has flights to Thailand, China, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Philippines, Brunei and domestic.
• Penang has flights to China, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia (seasonal), Thailand, Qatar and domestic destinations.
• Johor Bahru has flights to Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Macau, Korea, China, and domestic. Johor Bahru is also close to Singapore’s fantastic airport although getting across the border can add to your travel time.
• Langkawi has international flights to Singapore, Qatar, Guangzhou, UK (seasonal) and domestic flights.
• Kuching has flights to Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, domestic
• Labuan’s airport is domestic only so a stopover in Kota Kinabalu, Brunei or Kuala Lumpur would be required for international journeys.
• Ipoh only has flights to Johor Bahru, Singapore and Langkawi. It is more than three hours’ drive from KLIA.

Hospitals and medical facilities

Since MM2H retirees are mostly over 50 and intend to stay in Malaysia long term, healthcare is a priority.

With a score of 95 out of 100, Malaysia ranks first in the healthcare category of the International Living Annual Global Retirement Index 2019 that describes Malaysia’s medical care as world-class with a modern and sophisticated infrastructure.

According to Lyfboat’s list of the 12 best hospitals in Malaysia, eight are in Klang Valley and one each in Melaka, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru and Penang.

Shopping, dining, nightlife

Malaysia is a shopping paradise. And when it comes to dining, Malaysia is another paradise with great restaurants, food courts and street food all over the country.

There is a lot of rivalry about choosing the best places in Malaysia for food but the five most consistently rated cities are Penang, Melaka, Ipoh, Kuching and Kuala Lumpur.

Traffic

Kuala Lumpur was ranked the 77th worst city in the world for traffic congestion in 2020 by TomTom. It is certainly the worst place in Malaysia.

Penang, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu and Ipoh can also suffer from heavy traffic at peak times but you get used to it.

So where are the best retirement places in Malaysia?

As mentioned earlier, not all the criteria covered here may be relevant so you will need to make your own assessment based on what is important for you.

This article first appeared in Malaysia Traveller.