One Month’s Spend for Travellers, Retirees and Nomads
Cost of Living in Ipoh
Are you planning an extended stay in Ipoh? Wondering what the cost of living in Ipoh might be? One of Malaysia’s most historical cities has a lot to offer in the way of outstanding cultural experiences, great food and affordable living. Also, it’s a common destination for travelers, digital nomads and retirees. .
When we decided to travel the world full-time, we set a monthly budget for ourselves of $2000 Canadian dollars (about $1,600 USD) per month. We know that it will vary depending on where we are in the world, but we plan to stick to it as best we can and hope it all evens out in the end.
All figures below will be in US dollars. All costs are for both of us combined as a couple, not per person.
Let’s see how our cost of living compares to our budget:
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Accommodations
We spent four weeks in Ipoh at this AirBnb and had a great time. Located in the heart of the tourist district with great food options all around. We really couldn’t have asked for anything more. Extremely clean and comfortable unit with more than enough supplies to make a months long stay comfortable. The Host was spectacular in every regard with great recommendations for things to do and eat. Even checked up on us in person every few days.
Ipoh is considered by many to be the hub of Chinese culture in Malaysia and they show why with all of the amazing food. From the famous Ipoh bean sprout chicken to Tau Foo Fah. There is really too many to name here, but this often overlooked destination has some of the best food Malaysia has to offer
The area known as the old town is a tourist hot spot these days. Unlike most cities with tourist areas, you still get a feel of real Malaysia here. Our unit was located right on Jalan Theatre and the entire area was extremely walkable. A short walk and you are to the infamous Concubine Lane. Once home to many brothels, today it is a famous tourist attraction filled with eateries and cafes
Our AirBnb in question was extremely large with two large bedrooms, private bathrooms, full kitchen, washer and comfortable seating area. It was the most we have spent on an AirBnb since leaving Spain, but we here around Christmas time and felt we needed an extremely comfortable space to relax
If you’re interested in checking out the unit you can find it here: Comfort Stay 7 – Doorsteps to Famous IPOH eateries
If you would like to know what it costs to stay a month in Kuala Lumpur: Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living
Total cost for accommodation for the month: $1058
Looking for short term accommodations? Check these great deals:
- Luxury Accommodations: – The Haven All Suite Resort, Ipoh – Features a 5-level swimming pool and guests can enjoy meals at the in-house restaurant or have a drink at the bar. Free WiFi is available throughout the property.
- Mid-Range Accommodations: – The Horizon – Ipoh – 1.9 km from Ipoh Parade, The Horizon – Ipoh features accommodation with an outdoor swimming pool, free private parking, a garden and a terrace.
- Budget Accommodations: – Bercam Times Inn Hotel – The property is a 10-minute drive from AEON Jaya Jusco and a 15-minute drive from The Lost World of Tambun and Ipoh Parade. Perak Cave is a 20-minute drive away, while Sultan Azlan Shah Airport is a 30-minute drive away.
Or check here for the latest deals on Booking.com
Check out our Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living
Activities
This is where we made the transition to full time food content creators. So activities also took a different twist for us. We did have some time sightseeing on our own but nothing major that incurred cost. We visited a string of Temples built into the mountainside on the edge of town. Most notable Sam Po Temple and Mirror Lake. All of the temples in this area are free to enter but donations are highly encouraged. What we donated is between God and us and won’t be added into this Cost of living in Ipoh post.
We also spent a Sunday driving to different areas surrounding Ipoh for more temples, Kelly’s mansion and a ton of food. Our hosts for the trip who turned out to be great friends refused to take a single Malaysian Ringgit from us. Chefs Jason and Kane, the owners of Makan Nonya Cafe, also appear in one of our videos
For the purpose of this article I am adding our transportation costs to and from the Sam Po Temple area as well as transportation to and from mirror lake as well the entrance fee at Mirror Lake. It was very minimal.
Total Cost for Activities for the month: $11
Check out our video about Jason and Kane which also features our day out with them in the areas surrounding Ipoh:
The following are some tours we wish we would have had the time to do
Dining and Restaurants.
Before arriving in Malaysia, I can’t say that either of us knew much more than basics about Malaysian food but man once we arrived. The flavours of this amazing country took over and sky rocketed their cuisine into my top 5 favourite foods in the world.
Malaysia’s fantastic food won’t exclude Ipoh. From Nasi Ganja, curry noodles and pork lard rice to Gai Si Hor Fun and chicken curry buns. The food here is some of the best you will find.
Our prices here include a few Grab deliveries and dining out. Prices can range anywhere from $2 a meal for local food and up significantly if you’re looking for western style food. This is also by far the highest dining spend we have ever had. But to be fair $83 of this comes from a night out having Margaritas and Steaks at a place called Durbar. And another $55 when we out for a Christmas Eve dinner
Total Cost for Dining out for One Month: $517
Our Favourite Dishes in Ipoh, Malaysia
Groceries
We ate out so much that our groceries bill was relatively low this month. Additionally the majority of this cost comes from toiletries and not food items
Total Cost for Groceries for the Month: $152
Cell Phones
When we made it to Ipoh I decided I wanted a sim card of my own. So I purchased one here with unlimited data for 30 days. Being as it wasn’t at the airport it was cheaper than one Angela bought at the airport when we arrived in country
Total Cost for Phone and Data for one Month: $11
Transportation
This cost would consist mainly of Grabs around town. Jason and Kane for instance live a good distance from where we were as does their restaurant.
Total cost for Transportation for One Month: $28
Visas
American and Canadian Citizens are allowed to be in country for 90 days at a time Visa Free
Total Cost for Visa for one month: $0
Miscellaneous
This category covers pretty much everything that’s not included above. We choose to include alcohol in miscellaneous. You might not drink and if you are planning a budget you can easily omit this cost. For us, alcohol makes up about 60% of this category. This month it also included a haircut and sandals for Angela. Batteries for our airtags. And Jason and Kane had a western New Years party and we purchased gifts for them
Total Miscellaneous Costs for one month: $142
One thing we can’t live without while on the road full time – Saves us lots of money too!
Total Cost of Living for One Month in Ipoh
Looking at the table above, you can see that we were well over budget. $1919 USD works out to a little over $2616 CAD. Not where we wanted to be and definitely went over the top a bit. But It feels great to confirm what we always expected. Living abroad can be much cheaper than in your home country. These numbers were about 1/3 of what our typical expenses would have been in Canada for one month.
Have you lived in Ipoh for any length of time? Were your numbers similar to our cost of living for one month in Ipoh? Do you have any other tips for potential travelers? Leave a comment and let us know. We would love to hear from you.
