"I'm thinking of making Malacca My Second Home..."
With regards to retiring in Malacca, it is an idyllic state
compared to industrial Selangor. While the state's current retail
offering is not as good as Penang, the environment here is much
cleaner.
I will briefly share certain aspects that may concern a Singaporean retiree or other first world country retirees (who are used to staying in cities).
Climate
It's very warm with frequent rains although dry spells may occur. Flash floods may occur but it's very rare and it's highly unlikely that your property will be destroyed.
Daily Communications
Many Malaccans speak Malay or Mandarin (depending on ethnicity). Simple Malaysian English is moderately spoken at tourist establishments but you may find it tough to adapt living here if you insist on having the locals speaking to you in Queen's English.
Estimated living expenses
It depends on the type of lifestyle you would like to lead at Malacca but the Malaysian government has stipulated a minimum fixed deposit of RM100-150k in any of the MM2H programme's panel banks.
Try staying at Malacca for two weeks - two months to experience the life here for yourself before you make such a big decision. There is an apartment style hotel in the city that will be able to give you such an experience.
Part-time jobs for retired foreigners
Almost none unless you successfully setup your own small business here. At Malacca, students seldom go for English tuition and even if they do, they only choose teachers teaching in existing Malacca government schools.
Should you successfully find part-time employment, foreigners (even very experienced and highly educated ones) will most likely be paid in Malaysian ringgit even if they have working experiences from other first world countries.
As a retiree, who has been enjoying very good pay at the height of your career at first world countries like Singapore, you may suffer from acute unhappiness in trying to adapt to a life in Malaysia during your semi-retirement years from 55 years old onwards or retirement years from 62 years old onwards.
Malacca has a much slower economy with a lot of jobs relating to the tourist service industry. So, any available contract or part-time jobs for people such as yourself will range from RM700++ - RM1800++ a month with no option of working for 4 days or less in a week.
Most of such jobs are not advertised online and you'll have to walk from shop to shop to enquire. However, if you are unwilling to work in such jobs, you can try searching for other industry jobs at Malacca through www.jobstreet.com.my and mystarjob.com.my
Mobility within the Malacca state
Malaysia differs from Singapore in terms of public transport as
the housing here is build by private developers. Hence, there is no
systematic planning in terms of bus stops and taxi stands or even
inter-connectivity between two differing development plots.
It may be a rude shock for many Singaporean retirees but the Malaysian government expects everyone to own their own cars especially a Proton since it is the brainchild of our 4th Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Therefore, if you are looking to relocate to Malacca in 2015-2020 (without owning a car), the best thing to do in considering a retirement here would be to buy any of the high-rise units (affiliated to the Malaysia My Second Home government programme) as listed below:
- SilverScape (to be completed beyond 2014)
- The Shore (to be completed beyond 2014)
- The Straits Residence (rumoured to be completed by 2015)
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| A more than 10 years abandoned project near Jalan Ong Kim Wee, a 15-25 minutes drive to Chinatown |
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| Vacant landed properties are abundant at Malacca...This house was built about 18 years ago. |
Note:
- As most of Melaka Raya and Kota Laksamana are built on reclaimed land, it's better to buy any homes (for non-investment purposes) in these areas, a few years upon it's completion as you will be able to check whether there will be cracks in the building walls. My father decided not to buy a home at Kota Laksamana after a few years of renting back in the late 1990s as the townhouse we rented has a terrible crack.
- Abandoned projects as well as numerous empty shoplots and double-storey homes are a distinct feature of Malacca's current real estate situation. Don't simply purchase a property here for rental yields be it shop lots or high-rise apartments.
Mobility within the states of Malaysia
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| Pack light in planning a trip to Kuala Lumput using public transport only. |
As quality assurance is not a practice in Malacca yet, home
renovation works and moving in can be a pain for Singaporeans and other
first world country citizens who have been used to high product and service standards. Be very thorough in choosing a contractor to execute simple renovations for your
new home in Malaysia eg kitchen cabinet contractor...
Food Choices
Malacca has a growing variety of local (dishes from all over
Malaysia) and international cuisines. It may take beyond 2020 for Malacca to reach the culinary standards of Phuket and Malacca currently lags behind Bali and Ho Chi Minh although there is a growing variety of local and international cuisines.
As Malaccans in general do not have the purchasing power and it's a Malay Muslim dominant state, usually the non-halal ingredients are hard tough to find and raw ingredients are very expensive. Food presentation is not consistent. Therefore, Singaporean and other first world citizen retirees who are used to dining at restaurants might find it upsetting and expensive to eat outside in the long run.
If you enjoy cooking, the top two grocery giants (AEON and TESCO) at Malacca are near Melaka Sentral bus terminal. So, without a car, you may want to stock up two weeks to one month's worth of groceries and arrange the same taxi to fetch you back after you have made your purchases.
Grocery giants at Malacca do sell imported ingredients but the choices are limited as the Malay Muslim citizens rarely consume such products.
As Malaccans in general do not have the purchasing power and it's a Malay Muslim dominant state, usually the non-halal ingredients are hard tough to find and raw ingredients are very expensive. Food presentation is not consistent. Therefore, Singaporean and other first world citizen retirees who are used to dining at restaurants might find it upsetting and expensive to eat outside in the long run.
If you enjoy cooking, the top two grocery giants (AEON and TESCO) at Malacca are near Melaka Sentral bus terminal. So, without a car, you may want to stock up two weeks to one month's worth of groceries and arrange the same taxi to fetch you back after you have made your purchases.
Grocery giants at Malacca do sell imported ingredients but the choices are limited as the Malay Muslim citizens rarely consume such products.
Medical and special needs
Before purchasing your retirement home, it is best to visit the two private hospitals in the city - Mahkota Medical Centre and Putra Specialist Hospital. There are a smattering of aged local clinics but I do not know of any near the high-rise apartments mentioned above.
Foreigners are allowed to seek treatment at the government-run Malacca General Hospital (Hospital Besar Melaka) but it is a 30 minutes drive from the high-rise apartments under the MM2H programme and tourist areas.
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| A ward at Hospital Besar Melaka |
There are no nursing homes to place your terminally-ill aged family member if you are single or childless and above 55 years old. Singapore and other first world countries will still be a better option for you to retire if you have such needs.
Recreational activities
If you are a fan of nature, there are no public parks at Malacca as the Malacca government does not intend to build any at the moment. The nearest and only public park is actually a forest reserve called Hutan Rekreasi which is a 45 minutes drive from the high-rise units stated above.However, you can always walk or jog along the Malacca River by having a taxi to fetch you there. It's also good to get to know locals who live in well-greened housing estates.
There are numerous privately-run gyms and two public swimming pools (at RM5 and below per entry). Hotel pools at Malacca usually only catered to hotel guests. So, for avid swimmers, it is pointless to sign up for a membership if the hotel only offers you a few vouchers to swim at their under-utilised pools.
Religious needs
Religious needs for foreign retirees following any of the main religions should not be a problem at Malacca. However, if you have been a faithful follower of any mega churches at Singapore for 10-20 years, there is no live streaming at any of the hotel function rooms here and the churches are not linked with each other.
Like the many young Christian foreigners flooding Singapore who find it tough to adapt to the Singapore-centric churches, as an Asian but non-Malaysian foreign retiree, you will also find it tough to adapt to any of the Malaysia-centric churches in Malacca. Churches of your choice might also be very far from the high-rise apartments mentioned above.
Passport renewal
All the embassies are at the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. It's better to take a taxi there rather than using any public transport although there is a "park and ride LRT station" (LRT catering to people with cars).
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I hope these personal observations of mine has been useful to you in planning your retirement. Do visit the Malacca State Government portal and contact them should you have further concerns. Usually, there are no representatives at the property launches here. So, the salesmen will not be able to answer all your concerns in resettling at Malacca, Malaysia.
Last updated on 4 October 2014.
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