PropertyGuide
A foreign individual who sells a Malaysian property pays RPGT of 30% on the gain in the first five years and 10% from the sixth year; a citizen pays nothing from the sixth year. This guide gives the rates, the exemptions, three worked examples and the filing calendar.
Rules & taxExplainer
The Expatriate Services Division of the Immigration Department of Malaysia announced on 6 November 2026 a standard background for passport photos in expatriate applications. It applies from 1 December 2026 to photos submitted through Xpats Gateway and ESD Online.
15 stories
New launches ranked on what you can check, and the real costs of owning: stamp duty, maintenance fees, rules for foreigners.
7 stories
Franchises and licensed businesses: the official steps, the fees, and what each brand actually publishes.
8 stories
Moving to, buying in and retiring in Malaysia, with every rule sourced and dated.
How SIM ranks
Every ranking is built from a data file. Each entry is scored on criteria anyone can check, every figure links to its source with a date, and nobody pays to appear or to move up.
See all 12 rankingsUpdated . This list updates automatically whenever an article is published or revised. Ringgit rates: Bank Negara Malaysia's 12:00 rates, refreshed every hour; gold: every business day at 11:30 (Kuala Lumpur time).
Move to MalaysiaGuide
Published 2026–27 tuition at 15 international schools in KL, Selangor and Putrajaya, from RM27,000 to RM143,400 a year, each figure linked to the school's own fee page.
PropertyGuide
Large industrial plots in Johor sold for about RM36 to RM160 per sq ft depending on the zone, or about RM1.6 million to RM7.0 million per acre. Johor recorded 669 industrial sales worth RM3.94 billion in H1 2026, and foreign buyers can buy from RM1 million with state consent.
Move to MalaysiaGuide
Malaysia has no single investor visa: the Investor Pass allows up to 12 months to prepare an investment, MM2H Silver starts at a USD 150,000 deposit, and the Employment Pass starts at RM5,000 a month. Each pass is compared below by condition, cost, length and family rights.
Since 1 June 2026 an Employment Pass needs a basic salary of RM20,000 (Category I), RM10,000 to RM19,999 (II) or RM5,000 to RM9,999 (III). The official fee is RM2,000 plus 8% tax, and each step has its own counter.
11 halal-compatible franchises that publish their entry cost, from RM85,000 for a maths centre to RM1 million for a Marrybrown, with fees and JAKIM status checked.
PropertyRanking
KLCC-area serviced apartments stood at about RM1,007 psf in H1 2026 (NAPIC, KL Centre), and Kuala Lumpur's median gross yield was 4.57% for condominiums. Foreign buyers need at least RM1 million per unit; we list ten projects still on sale, scored on rail, tenure, developer and price.
Move to MalaysiaGuide
The SC's Shariah Advisory Council publishes the official list of Shariah-compliant shares each May and November, and an Islamic fund must name an SC-registered Shariah adviser. A share passes if non-compliant income is below 5% and conventional cash and interest-bearing debt are each below 33% of total assets.
Yes, a foreigner can incorporate a Sdn Bhd in Malaysia and own 100% of it in most sectors; SSM charges RM1,000 for direct registration. You need a resident director and a licensed company secretary, and the ESD asks RM500,000 paid-up capital if you hire expatriates.
Move to MalaysiaGuide
A single person needs roughly RM2,950 to RM4,530 a month in Kuala Lumpur, a couple RM3,600 to RM5,250 and a family of four RM6,150 to RM9,250 before school fees. Every line shows its source and date.
How the Malaysia Halal Certificate works in 2026: who issues it, staff rules, MYeHALAL steps and official fees from RM100 a year, checked against JAKIM's own manual.
Living in MalaysiaRanking
Eight luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur hold a current MOTAC five-star grading and run under a luxury brand or hold a MICHELIN Key. Mandarin Oriental scores highest on what you can check: a JAKIM halal certificate, the walk to the train, the year of opening and the latest inspection.
Of the large chains we checked, only Alpro offers a pharmacy franchise in Malaysia, and it publishes no fee. Watsons, Guardian and BIG Pharmacy do not franchise, and any new pharmacy needs a registered pharmacist in control.
PropertyGuide
Malaysia's house price index was 234.7 in Q2 2026 (2010 = 100), 0.9% higher than a year earlier after two quarterly falls. The average house price was RM506,317, from RM261,234 in Melaka to RM825,282 in Kuala Lumpur.
Move to MalaysiaGuide
Every Simpanan Shariah dividend rate since 2017, with the date and source for each, plus how opting in, the three accounts and withdrawals work.
PropertyGuide
Yes, if the price reaches the state's minimum and the state gives consent. The floors for all 13 states and 3 federal territories, plus levies, buying steps and resale rules.
PropertyRanking
Ten new launches are on sale in Kuala Lumpur, all with a valid sales permit, and the earliest handover on a permit is January 2028. For each one we show the permit, the committed handover date, the permit price and the foreign-buyer floor, checked on 2 November 2026.
PropertyGuide
A condo maintenance fee in Malaysia is your unit's share of the building's budget, worked out by share units, plus a sinking fund of at least 10% of the charges. The developer sets it first, then the JMB, then the owners at a general meeting; late payment can lead to court or the Strata Management Tribunal.
Move to MalaysiaGuide
MM2H has four categories in 2026: Silver (USD 150,000 deposit), Gold (USD 500,000), Platinum (USD 1,000,000) and SEZ/SFZ (USD 32,000 or 65,000). You must be 25 or older (21 for SEZ/SFZ), buy a qualifying home and apply through a MOTAC-licensed agent.
PropertyGuide
In H1 2026, NAPIC's median gross yield for condominiums and apartments ran from 3.5% on Penang island to 5.3% in Melaka Tengah, with 4.57% in Kuala Lumpur. Gross is before costs: our RM800,000 example falls from 4.8% gross to 3.25% net.
PropertyGuide
No city leads on every measure. Selangor and Johor Bahru score highest on our data-only city score, Kuala Lumpur has the highest prices, and Melaka and Ipoh have the highest observed condo yields (NAPIC, 2026).
PropertyGuide
When you buy a new home from a developer, it must repair faults for free for 24 months after you get the keys. How the period works, who holds the last 5% of the price, and how to claim at the Homebuyer Tribunal, linked to the statutory agreements.
Move to MalaysiaGuide
What each EPF account pays out for in 2026: Akaun Fleksibel at any time, Akaun Sejahtera for housing, education, health and Hajj, Akaun Persaraan from 55.
ToolsGuide
What gold costs to buy in Malaysia, and what it fetches when you sell it back the same day. Bank Negara's Kijang Emas price is recorded every day; Maybank Islamic and Public Gold prices are shown as each seller publishes them, with the date. No ranking, no advice.
PropertyRanking
Ten condo projects within 5 km of the Bukit Chagar RTS station, scored on what you can check yourself: rail, tenure, a listed developer and a published price.
PropertyRanking
Ten condo projects in Mont Kiara, Dutamas, Sri Hartamas and Segambut, scored on rail, tenure, a listed developer and a published price. Every figure sourced.
PropertyRanking
Ten new high-rise projects on Penang island, scored on what you can check yourself: rail, tenure, a listed developer and a published price.
Rules & taxExplainer
Malaysia's Budget 2027 tax measures, tabled on 9 October 2026, propose lower income tax for part of the resident middle band, lower rates for small companies and a wider first-home stamp duty exemption for citizens. Here is what each measure says, who it concerns among our readers, and its status.
Living in MalaysiaRanking
Langkawi, Tioman, Perhentian, Redang and six more, scored on what you can check: how to get there from KL, whether the island is open all year, and whether its reefs are protected.
Living in MalaysiaGuide
Eight places scored on what you can check before you leave, the official weather record for each month, and how to get there from Kuala Lumpur.
Living in MalaysiaRanking
Eight upscale restaurants in Kuala Lumpur whose own kitchen holds a valid halal certificate, checked one by one in JAKIM's official directory, then scored on rail access, certificate validity and published prices.
Living in MalaysiaRanking
Ten places that opened or reopened in Kuala Lumpur and Greater KL between October 2025 and October 2026, from the new Galeri PETRONAS to the restored Seri Negara, scored on what you can check: opening date, walk from a station, price, hours and rain shelter.
Living in MalaysiaRanking
Eight places in central Kuala Lumpur, from the Petronas Twin Towers to the National Mosque, scored on what you can check: published price, walking distance from a station, shelter from rain, opening hours and wheelchair information.
Living in MalaysiaRanking
Ten places on Penang island, from the George Town murals to Penang Hill and the national park, scored on what you can check: entry price, the bus that gets you there, published hours and UNESCO status.
Living in MalaysiaRanking
Nine events between November 2026 and April 2027, from a Palestinian embroidery exhibition in Kuala Lumpur to a Super 1000 badminton tournament and a bridge marathon, scored on what you can check: access, price, public entry, published size and track record.
What a Labuan company is, the 3% tax and its staff and spending conditions, Labuan FSA's 2026 fees in US dollars, and how it compares with a Malaysian Sdn Bhd.
Move to MalaysiaGuide
Long-stay visa routes, a sourced monthly budget for Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru, public and private healthcare fees and the 2036 foreign-income rule.
PropertyGuide
Passenger service is now expected in February 2027. The 4 km line, its two stations, one-stop immigration, what is known about fares and what it changes in JB.
Who can hold the registration, what CKAPS checks, the official fees and the published timeline, from Borang A to Borang B. Every rule links to the Ministry of Health, the Medical Council or the law, with its date.
PropertyGuide
Transfer stamp duty for citizens and foreigners, the first-home exemption, lawyers' scale fees and RPGT on resale, with six worked examples and a calculator.
