To save this: press Ctrl/Cmd + Pand choose "Save as PDF". Everything except the checklist is stripped from the printed page.
From the guide: Kuala Lumpur Guide: Rent, Food, Nightlife and Where to Stay
Kuala Lumpur Checklist
27 things to do, eat, check and decide. demontemag.com
✈️ Before you land
- Pack a Type G adapterUK three-pin. A Thailand or Indonesia adapter will not fit
- Base the first stay in Bangsar or Bukit Bintang
- Plan to use the LRT and MRT, not a carTraffic is the worst thing about KL
- Budget alcohol separatelyFood is cheap, drinks are taxed and are not
- Pack an umbrellaHard, brief rain most late afternoons
☕ Cafes and working
- VCR, BangsarThe one people name first
- Feeka, Bukit BintangThe central option
- Try a Bangsar coworking space for a day
- Do not plan around wifiCity baseline is 90+ Mbps
🍢 Food
- Jalan Alor after sunsetRuns until about 6am. Barbecue, seafood, satay, Peranakan
- Eat at a proper hawker centre tooCheaper than Jalan Alor. Know the difference
- Have Malay, Chinese and Indian meals in the same weekAll three are local food here, not foreign options
- Try Peranakan at least once
🍸 Nightlife
- Changkat Bukit BintangThe strip. British-style pubs, busy, walkable from Jalan Alor
- Bangsar for a draft beerWhere people who live here go
- Pair them: eat Jalan Alor, drink Changkat
🔑 Finding a place
- View at least 3 condos before signing
- Compare Bangsar against the city fringeRM 1,500 to 2,000 fringe versus RM 1,800 to 3,500 Bangsar
- Check the walk to an LRT or MRT stationThis matters more than the building
- Confirm what utilities are excluded
🗓️ First week, in order
- Day 1 — Walk Bangsar. Get a SIM
- Day 2 — Work a full day from VCR
- Day 3 — Bukit Bintang and Jalan Alor after dark
- Day 4 — KLCC and the towers, so you can decide if you care
- Day 5 — View three condos
- Day 6 — A hawker centre lunch and a Changkat evening
- Day 7 — Pick the area. Sign
💸 Rent, RM per month
| Studio / 1-bed, city fringe | RM 1,500 – 2,000 |
| 1-bed, Mont Kiara or Bangsar | RM 1,800 – 3,500 |
| 1-bed, expat areas generally | RM 2,400 – 3,500+ |
| 1-bed, KLCC or Bukit Bintang | RM 2,500 – 4,500 |
| 2-bed, city average | about RM 3,700 |
| Single person, all in | RM 3,000 – 6,000 |
| Couple, all in | RM 5,000 – 9,000 |
A working single person is commonly quoted at around $1,300 a month all in. Families using international schools run RM 10,000 to 25,000+.
demontemag.com/blog/kuala-lumpur-guide-rent-food-nightlife