A Survival Guide To Living On RM1700 In Klang Valley
Table of Contents
Let’s be real: living on an RM 1,700 monthly budget, especially in the heart of Malaysia – Klang Valley – is honestly an impossible feat for many. Think about it, a cup of iced latte from any cafe would set you back by RM8 (~average), or a cup of iced kopi from a local coffee shop is now RM 2.40. That is, a cup of iced latte everyday would cost you RM240 a month!
What about having one of the most famous dishes in Malaysia, Nasi Lemak? Ordering a plate of nasi lemak from the famous Village Park Restaurant costs RM12, and a plate of it every day costs you RM360! That’s already more than 20% of the RM1,700 monthly budget.
The cost of living in the Klang Valley has surged by an average of 6.7% between 2022 and 2024, it is now Malaysia’s most expensive region to live in. However, the unfortunate scene is that the salary of many of Malaysians residing in the region has yet to catch up with the increased cost of living.
Living on minimum wage in Klang Valley
Whilst the minimum wage in Malaysia rose from RM 1,500 to RM 1,700, many businesses use the minimum wage as a benchmark rather than a base for upward negotiation. As such, fresh graduates, gig workers, or even those in entry-level jobs are living on minimum wage.
The result? Many of these employees in Klang Valley are left to feel the financial burn after paying for housing rental, daily transportation, and food.
Though it is heartening that the Malaysian government is taking a positive step forward by increasing the minimum wage, it does not guarantee a livable income, particularly in Klang Valley.
We’ve hence put together a practical guide to help you understand how to budget, save and supplement your income if you’re trying to survive on RM1,700 a month.
Know what needs to be paid first
Unfortunately, we live in an era where the basic necessities of life can’t (always) be paid with stones or personal favours. Before spending on unnecessary expenses, we’ll recommend doing a rough breakdown of fixed expenses you’ll need to pay while living in Klang Valley.
For example:
| Fixed expenses | Estimated monthly costs |
|---|---|
| Rent | RM500 - RM600 |
| Food and groceries | RM400 - RM500 |
| Transport | RM150 |
| Phone and internet | RM30 - RM60 |
| Total | RM1080 - RM1310 |
Just by having to pay for the fixed expenses, your monthly expenses are already nearing RM1400, barely leaving you space to think about savings, insurance or emergencies.
Forget about 50-30-20 saving rules. Your key priority should be paying for the essentials, cutting down any unnecessary expenses and only paying for the most high-value items/expenses.
Ways to reduce your rental expense
If you have a relative or close friend who owns a house in the Klang Valley and lets you crash at their place, treasure that relationship. This article is not meant for you. Because housing rental often takes up such a huge portion of the monthly budget, not having to pay for rental leaves your plenty of room in your budget to work with for your other expenses.
However, if you’re from out of state and would need to rent a house while working in the Klang Valley, there are some hacks you can explore to slightly reduce the expenses for rental:
- Look into renting a room rather than an entire apartment. Consider looking for these listings on Facebook groups, iBilik, Mudah.my, or PropertyGuru
- Filter out listings that are out of your budget! Consider aiming for RM 400 or less. While it’s challenging to find listings that match this budget in the Klang Valley, you might want to consider areas outside of the Klang Valley that are still connected via public transport, like Cheras, Kepong, and Puchong!
- Bargain, bargain, bargain! More often than not, landlords would entertain some room for negotiation. What’s the worst that could happen if they reject the offer? You’ll just pay the same agreed rate. But if they accept it, you could save RM50-RM100 a month!
Stop going to restaurants or cafes!
Instead of heading to Starbucks to grab yourself an iced Coconut milk matcha latte with an extra pump of chocolate syrup (trust me, we’re all guilty of this at one point), go to your local coffee shop and get an iced kopi! Better yet, purchase three-in-one coffee sachets at the grocery store and make your coffee at home!
Instead of heading to Kanbe Ramen to get a hot bowl of noodles (RM39), perhaps consider getting economical rice (RM5 – RM7) or Nasi Campur (RM5 – RM10).
Food and drinks are often an expense most of us bleed without realising it. By being smart with the choices you make, you should be able to live on a budget of RM15 a day.
Here are some small tips to help get you started:
- Get your groceries from wet markets or NSK instead of huge supermarkets like B.I.G and Jaya Grocers
- Meal prep during the weekend, store them in the freezer and take your meals out and warm them up each day
- If heading to restaurants with your colleagues, try to look for good lunch or dinner deals that would help save some money for you! However, don’t be easily tricked by some restaurants that offer lunch sets that include drinks or snacks. More often than not, you don’t need that drink or snack, and ordering an a la carte meal suffices!
Think twice before booking that e-hailing ride
With e-hailing applications easily accessible through your phone, you’ll be much more tempted to use it. Getting around Klang Valley with the public transportation system is entirely doable with a little pre-planning.
Purchase the My50 monthly travel pass to get unlimited rides on LRT, MRT and buses within the Klang Valley area! For short-distance travel, the RapidKL bus is an excellent way to get from one place to another.
Not sure how to use the public transportation system? Download apps like Google Maps and Moovit, and you’ll be able to get the best routes and timings to plan your journey!
You just have to be smart to have fun
Being on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! There are plenty of free activities and discounts that you can enjoy in the Klang Valley area. Perhaps consider following lifestyle publications like The SmartLocal MY, SAYS Malaysia, HYPE Malaysia, or KL Foodie, which share good deals, discounts and promotions!
The Klang Valley is home to many public parks like Titiwangsa, Kepong or KLCC! The best part is that the park outside KLCC puts on a nightly fountain and light show that is free and extremely beautiful, especially when viewed with the KLCC towers in the background!
Some other budget-friendly activities include:
- Catching movies for only RM10 at most cinemas on Wednesdays!
- Thrift shopping at local thrift shops like BundleShops or Kedai RM2
- Again, skip the cafe trap and head to Kopitiams or even mamak shops for a nice roti boom to go with your teh tarik!
Set aside emergency funds and a side hustle if you have the time and energy!
Side hustles is a great alternative for you to build up your monthly budget. With only so little room left for savings with an RM1,700 budget, side hustles can be a great alternative to save for the rainy days (or a broken phone or medical bill).
Popular side hustles in Malaysia include:
- Freelancing
- Delivery gigs
- Part-time weekend jobs
Can you really survive in Klang Valley with an RM1,700 budget?
According to EPF’s Belanjawanku 2024/2025 guide, someone who is single and living in the Klang Valley who gets by with public transport needs RM1,920 a month!
So, yes, it is definitely challenging to try to get by on less than that. It involves sacrifices, constant budgeting, and probably saying a lot of “no” to that expensive group hangout.
If you’re in this boat, just know that you’re not alone, and it’s okay to ask for help. The hustle is real, but there is always hope at the end of the tunnel!
Every ringgit counts, but so does your resilience!
