Kuala Lumpur

I try to like this city and been many times (twice for 1 month and few times for few days) but it's been pretty rough. Overall malaysia is not that easy for slow nomads (if you want to stay for 1-3 months) and I still preferred penang much more. This might be good place for family to settle or if you having base for most of the year with many friends around.

LOGISTICS
You will waste a lot of time to move around:
- if you hate malls you won't be able to avoid it - crossing some street sometimes require to dive deep into those dungeons and navigating inside maze. Getting you eye attacked by everything blinking around, signboards and ads. I also don't enjoy eating out inside malls - it's just too crowded and loud feel rushed without much vibe.
- grab is cheap (most of the time except peak hours) but unreliable. Sometimes you will wait 20min for it or driver will cancel last minute and you wait more time. There are also restricted zones and hard to figure out pickup spot or you still have to walk to pickup spot either in the heat or rain. Traffic jam is also big minus.
- city is pretty unwalkable. you will need to know some secret shortcuts or walk around malls or hop from mall to mall because there is too many highways. Something like crossing from Pudu to Bukit Bintang that should be just a 20min walk is not a good adventure. Bangkok is much more walkable in this way
- GPS is not very accurate because of high buildings. And google maps so often totally wrong both for walking and driving. It will navigate you to walk on highway or navigate grab driver with completely ridiculous path if driver don't know the area.
- there is no grab bike like in vietnam or thailand or indonesia so you will waste more time and money on being stuck in the traffic or being late to meet your friends for dinner/lunch
- I didn't use much public transport since you need touch & go card and top it up to use most public transport and I didn't feel like going to KL sentral and navigating that maze just for the sake of it. Wish you could use pay with debit card to easily buy ticket from most stations.
- not easy to rent motorbike for 1 month and I feel like safer to drive in vietnam since in malaysia there are more cars, they are more aggressive and roads are not flat so hard to navigate which lane you have to use or ramp to take. It's also raining almost every day around 4pm, and harder to find parking spots.

COWORKINGS
There are many good very modern coworkings for very good price but:
- it's freaking cold in most of them I tried - you have take jacket and long pants
- there is no community or events. Haven't met any nomads, some coworks were just almost empty. There is no any basic stuff like members lunch or occasional event to have dinner or beer to get to known other members. Most of the time those are locals or expats that have their own circle and not interact much.
- most of them in some malls or high office buildings on high floor - you will waste a lot of time waiting for a lift. Many located in places where there is not many local food outside just some food inside malls. I find it hard to relax inside malls.
- some of them have horrible onboarding like you have to fill few pages with your bank number and swift code just to pay deposit even if you are just for 1 month and fill same ridiculus paper when checked out to get your deposit 2 months later - feel like filling tax return.
- the city is to big and too many coworking spaces made everyone spread out - hard to have nomads located in some specific spot like nimman in CM or My An in Danang or Sukumvit in BKK.

ACCOMODATION
- not much option for short term rental except airbnb or coliving (but they usually not well located and have to commit for minimum 3 months). Monthly rental will be around $1000 or more for something that you can have 3-4 times cheaper in Chiang Mai or Danang.

ACTIVITIES
- didn't found many events targeting nomads so it can feel lonely. Also unless you are in Bukit Bintang its hard to spontaneously go for a beer or dinner with someone. Alcohol also more expensive in bars.
- there are some nice parks and hiking paths but logistics makes it complicated to benefit from those more often rather than once every (few) week(s).

ON POSSITIVE SIDE
+ food is still great because of malay, chinese, indian options and can find even good cheap street food or use grab food easily
+ many apartments are very modern, lifts mostly fast and have things like gym, pool and parking as a standard.
+ everyone speak english so nice to be able to talk with grab driver and have small conversation
+ bahasa malay is easier to learn and using latin alphabet in case you want to settle here for longer and easier to make local friends
+ 3 months visa exemption is very generous (but not many options for staying longer without involving lots of paperwork)
+ great travel hub for reaching to other countries in SE Asia
+ many networking events if you prefer more professional networking for a startup

TLDR; Place has a lot of potential and if you love big city vibe and luxury condos and malls you might love it. If you prefer more Chiang Mai, Bali, Danang, Penang vibe you probably will be disappointed.

I was here in early 2024 for 2 months, and things have improved as far as availability of monthly apt hotels on a monthly basis.

Probably because a lot of new buildings have opened so price competition is pushing down the higher rents a bit.

I found a few large studios at around 1k per month, at apt hotels in the central KLCC area, and one small 1bed at 750 per. month. These are luxury apts, fully staffed reception during the day (staff leaves at 8 or 9 PM), 24 hour security, a gym and pool.

If you don't mind staying outside of KLCC, and the other 'hot' areas, luxury apts can be found at even lower costs. Grab is the uber of SE Asia, and it's inexpensive and not difficult to get around in KL.
Locals are mostly nice, but don't expect the effusive exuberance of the Balinese. The Malaysians are quieter, and a bit more shy, but lovely overall.
English being the primary language makes it easier for native English speakers, but it's not American or British English, so there are challenges sometimes, because common things are referred to in different words then what other cultures use, making it difficult to understand for sure what is meant.

There are a few yoga studios, meditation places, and good restaurants. If you're into exploring the food scene, it won't be so boring, at least shorter term.

The other reviews are right—it's a good city with excellent value for money. The people are nice enough. The infrastructure is good. You *should* like it, but you don't—it's incredibly, incomprehensibly boring. The vibe is aggressively lukewarm. You will find more excitement in a rural Japanese village than here—I'm not joking.

It's an impressive enough city, but the vibes are the definition of lukewarm—makes Singapore feel like Phuket in comparison. I had to leave early.

It's getting better. I came here just before the Chinese New Year, and the city was very lively. Lots of people, live music, etc. The decorations in the shopping mall were beautiful, and there were so many food options that it would take a year to try them all.

Good infrastructure, easy to get around. Value for money is outstanding. I should like it but I don't. Every time I'm KL I just want to leave again. It's mind numbing boring and I don't dig the vibe. One big snoozefest.

You'll get to live a luxurious lifestyle for a cheap price. If you're willing to spend 3k/month you can basically live like a king.

But the city itself is quite boring. Apart from going to the mall, there is nothing to see. However, if you want to live a simple life, Kuala Lumpur is the place for you.

In terms of value for money for a city, I would say Kuala Lumpur is the best in all of Asia, high-quality apartments at a good price, high-quality restaurants, has a car scene if you are a car guy. I found it quite safe.

For me, the weather was like 4 seasons in one day almost every day. Rains a lot, a lot of storms and also very hot and humid.
Dating was ok not bad like Western countries but not the best.

I found the city quite boring itself, not a lot to see inside of the city.

If you are a city person who just wants to live a basic life Kuala Lumpur is the place for you in Asia, however, there are a lot better (and way more expensive cities) in Europe in my experience.

Very nice city, but as everyone says, a bit boring after awhile. It's comfortable and feels like the suburbs, with conveniences that you don't always find in SE Asian countries. Luxury shopping malls, excellent hospitals, and infrastructure, are all things that are not as common in other SE Asian countries, (although Bangkok, TH, has good malls and hospitals).

KLCC is safe, from a solo female traveler, if you're careful. I stayed in the KLCC area and was advised by other KL nomads, to stay inside at night, and that it was pretty safe in the KLCC area, except for cell phone and purse snatching from cars, although I never saw or heard about any of this happening firsthand.

The guy at a mall info desk said it's safer to take a taxi, even though it was only a 10 min walk to my apt., because cars drive by and snatch cell phones and bags from people on the sidewalks. Fences have been installed on some busy roads to try to prevent this, but he said it would be less risky to just get a taxi or grab. Taxis and grab are inexpensive and getting a ride for a very short distance is normal in KL, and for a few blocks, costs about $2.

Prices are rising however, and it's now more expensive than it was last year, especially for apartments and hotels. Month to month rentals are hard to find, which is happening now all over SE Asia. There was nothing available month to month, so I stayed in hotels for 2.5 weeks and left earlier than planned.

I reached out to a few hosts that own severals units, but none wanted to rent for a month or longer, and told me the best prices are online and change daily, according to demand. They had several empty units available online, every day. Maybe this is the busy season so they are hoping to fill the empty spaces at the higher rates.

A few nice hotels were willing to offer a monthly rate, but it was higher than rent in LA, Calif.
If you're staying for 6 to 12 months there are a lot of condos available in the KLCC area in the $1,200 - $1,500 USD per month range, and higher.

Just outside of KLCC, there are luxury condos at around $400 monthly and up, with plenty available at much higher costs also.

Locals are pretty chill and nice, it feels like a suburban community. Just don't expect them to be as friendly and sweet as the Balinese, they are more low key in KL, but certainly nice people. They might speak English but can be hard to understand and vice versa.

KL is a good place if you're into food, and it's available at every price point and delicious. There's plenty of Indian vegetarian options, but not a lot of low carb or real plant based places. Unfortunately I did see some 'fake meat' type vegetarian meals being offered. So KL is still behind in this regard (Bali is pretty impressive with real plant based, low carb, and vegan places however)

Just arrived in KL, we are 30/35yrs+, a married couple and digital nomads, and wow.. What a city!
This is the New York City of Asia. These appartments are epic. Grand views, very affordable, luxurious! You would pay 10-fold for the same deal in NYC or Tokyo or Dubai.

And the food is fantastic. Indian, Malay, Indo, Chinese, American, European. The world is here!

Putrajaya is the only place I would recommend due to its close proximity to the airport. The Shaftsbury Hotel is modern with two convenience stores, pharmacy, restaurants, dental, and more in the actual building. There is a rain fountain in "mall" of the building that would be Putrajaya's attempt at Singapore's airport one. The location is also literally right across from the bigger mall that has restaurants, international grocery store, movie theater, bowling, electronics, etc. It's a safe area if you're going to be in Malaysia for a week or two.

First time I was in KL was in 2015 as a backpacking student. I stayed for 2 weeks at an airbnb in Bangsar South and I loved it. Met up with Uni friends, made new friends and I really like the relaxed atmosphere, despite being in a huge city.

Fast forward, 3 years later, I went by myself to KL for a 3 days stay on a visa run from Chiang Mai. I stayed in a hotel near Bukit Bintang. I actually really didn't like it - I think because I was by myself, in a fairly wild part of the city and got so used to all the conveniences of Chaing Mai prior to coming here. I couldn't wait to leave this hell hole.... Ironically, as a student, I loved the crazier parts of the city, but maybe as we get older, that changes.

But then, 6 months later, I decided to give it another go, coming from Penang. This time with my girlfriend and back to the area where I first got to know KL back in 2015. We booked an apartment in Bangsar South. Swimming pool, gym, 1gbps internet connection, walking distance to supermarket, convenience store and metro to go exploring. Was an absolutely great month and ended up extending our stay by another 15 days until our visas expired. Cannot wait to go back after corona.

Kuala Lumpur is a modern metropolitan filled with fun loving people and excellent choice of food, available around the clock. Night life could be a little boring in downtown area but the suburbs are where the fun is in the evening. Internet speed is world-class, modern roads and highways, good connectivity and comfortable to live and work. Safety at night is a bit compromised so extra care is needed when travel alone. Most of the people speak reasonably good English. Alcohol is cheap and conveniently available.

Great city. I got a lot of work done. Luxury residences are overbuilt so the key to reserving sight unseen is determining how many units they have open (more=bad) and how many people aren't paying their maintenance (which you can determine from requesting a photo of their elevator interior which posts the debts.) Empty buildings with lots of debtors mean poor maintenance and perks like restaurants and pools being in disrepair or closed.

You can settle for a few months in the two Jaya areas (burbs) where modern conveniences are around (food deliveries, malls, nature parks, etc). Cyberjaya is a more youthful Jaya with college students, 24 hour bookstore, etc. You can still find families around though. It's rather quiet and "boring" to some though. It's good for relaxing, working out at the infinity pool gyms, and taking a travel rest.

Been Many times and it it wow. And if you have been anywhere in Asia you will know what I mean when I say - its modern. I didn't know why so I asked - they have oil off their shore - thus have $$$. And is still affordable - I like it more than Singapore even. Great hotels, great food, great taxi service and great internet.

Kuala Lumpur is one of the dirtiest and dodgies cities we've ever been. Everything looks broken down, messy or unmaintained. It seems completely mismanaged (or not governed at all) by the city government. It's relatively unsafe, with high crime, and especially if you're a woman, you'll get followed and harassed if you're out in the evening or night. To top all that off, it's boring with not many reasons to go here except shopping in malls.

Fantastic internet, pretty good co-working spaces, ridiculously affordable especially considering such a large city with all of the modern amenities, and all of the fun and nightlife you can ask for. I can see KL being one of my standard go-to places.

KL was a great place when I went. Affordable (and quality) apartments, good and affordable food (although spicy), and especially, very, very welcoming people. I will certainly come again!

I think KL will be the next hub for nomads. It's affordable, safe, convenient, has decent Internet and has decent weather. (Yes it's hot during the summer but it gives you a good reason to be inside and get your work done) Mostly it's quite chill, not as hectic and messy as other major SEA cities like Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta. There's not that much to do, but Malaysia has wonderful nature and getaway places, accessible with cheap AirAsia tickets from KL.

It's funny how 15-20 years ago, KL was almost devoid of travelers - presumably because "Muslim country", 9/11, whatever. THAT was actually a time when not only was everything ridiculously cheap; the locals were happy, friendly, courteous, always giving you a huge smile. I have so many happy memories of back then.
Fast-forward to 2019: Yes, KL is now "on the map". Yet the cost of living is exploding; much of the city's heritage has been bulldozed away; a high-rise is going up at every corner; and more and more people are visibly stressed, frustrated, hostile. As a foreigner, I encounter silent treatment every day; have people shut the elevator door in my face; rarely get a Please or Thank You or even Excuse Me; the little annoyances just keep mushrooming. But all in all, and especially for those who never experienced the fun and relaxed KL of yesteryear, it's still a relatively safe and affordable place. Nowhere near as pricey as Singapore, and also not as prone to power cuts and violent crime and accidents as Thailand or Philippines. I see private doctors, and they are excellent, London/Cambridge-trained and yet affordable. Also, phone apps work quite well when it comes to payments, booking a Grab car or ordering food / groceries. And of course, the sky is blue and the sun is shining all year round.

Mostly great weather year round and some of the best food in the world at cheap prices.
Probably the best standard of living for the cost in an international city.
Good but not excellent public transport.
Some questionable reviews being left here by people who possibly never visited,

It's hot and always cloudy
lack of good & delicious food
good co-working spaces are available with good internet
if grab doesn't work for you, use gocar

An Islamic consumerist utopia.

Boring, dangerous, and overall average.

Alright for a week or two if you're a couple or male. Hell on earth if you're female (DO NOT GO OUTSIDE ALONE AFTER 8PM IF YOU'RE MORE THAN 2KMs FROM THE CBD).

Stay in luxury Airbnb with all mod cons for less than $700 per month. Eat for less than $5. It’s clean and has everything you need, including great supermarkets and restaurants. Stay away from KL if you want history etc, but if you’re an expat this ticks every box.

I hope less people will come to KL so i have more of the city to myself LOL. Where else can you get fresh made roti canai with teh terek for less than US1.00 for breakfast? Where else can you stay at a 5star hotel for 1/3 the cost of overpriced Singapore. Please, tourist, stay away and leave KL to expats who appreciate the good side of a typical crowded Asian city.

Whanted to write a review, wrote about 200 words than pressed the arrow key and left the page and the review was gone. Fix this shit. You obviously don't give a rats ass about UX

I am confused why anyone wants to visit Kuala Lumpur, it’s a dirty, messy and crime infested city.

It’s hard to love Kuala Lumpur. Because everything here is average. Malaysia’s food is marketed as a mix of all cultures’ cuisines, that’s nice and all but that mix of the same cultures is tastier in any food court in Singapore. Because in KL the food is average. Malaysians are also far behind in cafes, you’ll see Starbucks rated 5 stars, while arisanal boutique cafes are rated 2 stars on Foursquare. Why? Because they have a prehistoric obsession with big brands and consumerism. The coffee in the few artisanal cafes is outstanding. Everywhere else? Average. A day in KL means you’ll be going from mall to mall. Chinatown still has some remnants of local street authenticity, but even that’s starting to be bulldozed by malls its edge. Admittedly Kuala Lumpur has come far since a decade ago, its citizens are getting close to middle class (that is if you're not one of the millions of illegal immigrants). But where Kuala Lumpur now thrives in money, it still lacks in class. And that makes it, well, average.

It’s hard to love Kuala Lumpur. Because everything here is average.

Malaysia’s food is marketed as a mix of all cultures’ cuisines, that’s nice and all but that mix of the same cultures is tastier in any food court in Singapore. Because in KL the food is average.

Malaysians are also far behind in cafes, you’ll see Starbucks rated 5 stars, while arisanal boutique cafes are rated 2 stars on Foursquare. Why? Because they have a prehistoric obsession with big brands and consumerism. The coffee in the few artisanal cafes is outstanding. Everywhere else? Average.

A day in KL means you’ll be going from mall to mall. Chinatown still has some remnants of local street authenticity, but even that’s starting to be bulldozed by malls.

Admittedly Kuala Lumpur has come far since a decade ago, its citizens are now middle class. But where Kuala Lumpur now thrives in money, it still lacks in class. And that makes it, well, average.