The Expat’s Guide To MM2H In Kuala Lumpur

As the capital city, Kuala Lumpur is the choice for Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) holders. 

However, depending on priorities, there are better options many expats don’t know about due to unfamiliarity with Malaysia. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the reality of being a foreigner!

This guide provides a glance at how Kuala Lumpur compares to other strategic locations so MM2H applicants can get a more complete picture of their options. 

Here’s how we’ve broken it down:

• clarifying a common misconception of ‘Kuala Lumpur’
• the main MM2H requirement that differs between states
• comparing Kuala Lumpur to other strategic MM2H states
• our recommendations

Note: This guide is for readers who are somewhat familiar with the programme, so if you’re not, start with our overall MM2H guide so this will really make sense!

Let’s begin.

Clarifying ‘Kuala Lumpur’

Geographically, ‘Kuala Lumpur’ refers to the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

However, when expats say ‘Kuala Lumpur’ they often mean the wider Klang Valley which includes popular expat spots in Kuala Lumpur proper and the state of Selangor.

This matters a lot because:

• many expat hubs lie within the Klang Valley but outside Kuala Lumpur
• living just outside Kuala Lumpur can give you most of the pros without most of the cons
• different states have their own minimum property purchase price for foreigners

For MM2H participants, that last point is especially crucial as we explain next.

How state affects MM2H home purchases

Our MM2H property purchase guide explains this at length, but here’s the basic explanation:

• each MM2H tier has a minimum property value requirement that applies across Malaysia
• independent of this, each state has a minimum property purchase price for foreigners
• when different, participants must meet the higher of the two to satisfy both
• some states offer a preferential rate for MM2H participants and others don’t

To the last point, most states with an ‘MM2H discount’ are generally not where expats want to settle down, while states that are ideal for expats don’t offer a discount.

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor very much fall into the latter.

However, there are two exceptions: Penang and Johor.

Home purchase prices across states

The table below shows two key things:

• minimum home purchase prices in four expat-friendly states in Malaysia, and
• if they have a preferential MM2H rate

We’ll let the numbers do the talking now. 

State	Minimum	Minimum With MM2H
Kuala Lumpur	RM 1 million	RM 1 million
Selangor	RM 2 million (Zones 1 & 2) RM 1 million (Zone 3)	RM 2 million (Zones 1 & 2) RM 1 million (Zone 3)
Penang Island	RM 1 million – RM 3 million	RM 500,000 (for first two properties)
Johor	RM 2 million (landed property in international zones) RM 1 million (strata title & landed in non-international zones, except Medini)	RM 1 million

Clearly, Johor and Penang are better value for money locations to purchase an MM2H property than Kuala Lumpur (and Selangor).

Of course, developers and homeowners are free to set their own prices, but with a significantly lower minimum price, it will be easier to find a good deal.

The good news is that both are established expat-friendly spots–they’re just not as well known.

Again, Kuala Lumpur is a great location, but it’s not the only choice, and certainly not the best for everyone, so if you choose it, we hope it’s with full knowledge of available options.

And if you do choose it, get in touch with us to kickstart your MM2H journey! 

Let MISHU handle your MM2H application

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