Malaysia, Johor Bahru

Country Full Name: Federation of Malaysia.

Location: Malaysia is a peninsula in South Eastern Asia bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam.

Country Climate: Tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons.

Country Terrain: Coastal plains rising to hills and mountains.

Major Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese dialects, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam.

Major Religions: Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism.

Population: 1.8 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Malaysia is a growing and relatively open state-oriented market economy. The state plays a significant but declining role in guiding economic activity through macroeconomic plans.

Currency: Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). Make an international currency transfer to Malaysia.

Inflation: 3.3% (2011 est.).

Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor and is the second largest urban area in Malaysia, after the national capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Johor Bahru is an important industrial, tourism and commercial hub for southern Malaysia and one of the biggest industrial centres of the country. Major industries include electronics, resource and petrochemical refinery, and shipbuilding. Johor Bahru enjoys a close economic relationship with Singapore with a large number of residents in Johor Bahru working in Singapore and many Singaporeans living in Johor Bahru or visiting the city for shopping, entertainment, and dining.

The cost of living in Johor Bahru in Malaysia is low compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Johor Bahru in Malaysia is currently ranked 511 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very high compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 38 places that are more expensive, and 741 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are high compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 248 places that are more expensive, and 531 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are average compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 332 places that are more expensive, and 447 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 608 places that are more expensive, and 171 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are average compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 381 places that are more expensive, and 398 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are low compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 611 places that are more expensive, and 168 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 621 places that are more expensive, and 158 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are high compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 180 places that are more expensive, and 599 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 468 places that are more expensive, and 311 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 724 places that are more expensive, and 55 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are low compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 488 places that are more expensive, and 291 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 606 places that are more expensive, and 173 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very low compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 747 places that are more expensive, and 32 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Johor Bahru in Malaysia are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Johor Bahru in Malaysia is ranked as some hardship with a hardship index of 20%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Johor Bahru in Malaysia are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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