Housing in Malaysia

Studying in Malaysia gives students the opportunity to acquire useful international ties and expand their professional horizons. Given the low cost of living and a wonderful climate, it is not surprising that Malaysia is today one of the most popular student destinations.

Along with the process of enrolling in an educational institution and resolving a visa issue, the search for housing in Malaysia is an indispensable item in planning your move to study.

Life in Malaysia

Campus accommodation

Most universities offer international students accommodation on campus. Such a system may involve several types of accommodation, unlike the United States and Great Britain, where campus accommodation always means living directly in a student residence.

In Malaysia, this type of accommodation means a student living in a residence, student hostel or other type of accommodation. In all Malaysian universities that accept international students, there are student offices that help students find suitable housing.

Residence

In universities that provide accommodation in a residence, this type of placement is especially popular among foreign students, because it allows you to regularly be in the center of campus life. Some residences are just a short walk from the campus, and only a few further.

The conditions of student accommodation in them depend on the particular university and location, for example, in some residences students can pay 127-253 rubles. per day for meals.

Usually, students pay 7,609-3,8048 rubles for living in a residence. per semester, and a single room costs 1,268-6,341 rubles. per month.

For example, standard accommodation at the University of Putra University of Malaysia costs 6,848-7,609 rubles. per month, and in a room for two people - 3,424-3,804 rubles.

Students who are going to live in a university residence should learn in advance more about this type of accommodation and prepare for it. In particular, it is necessary to apply for accommodation immediately after you are enrolled in a course at a university.

Hostel

Student hostel accommodation is most common in Malaysia. All hostels have different communal and housing conditions, and living in them is similar to living in a hostel. Here students can live in shared or single rooms.

For example, the hostel of Swinburne University of Technology in Sarawak provides 420 places for students, most of which are distributed between foreign students and students from the regions. There are 4 types of accommodation, at a cost of 1,141-2,815 per week.

Students must pay for their accommodation every month, as well as pre-book a place in order to preserve it. The rooms here are located in several blocks of the hostel, each of which is equipped with furniture, connected to Wi-Fi, has lounges and restrooms on each floor. In addition, each unit is under 24-hour security.

Off campus accommodation

Off-campus residence in Malaysia is common among both local and international students. For example, students can rent a room or a studio apartment on their own, or a whole house with friends in the immediate vicinity of the school. You can also arrange student placement outside the campus through an educational institution.

The rent, when placed off campus, is charged every month and usually does not include the cost of utility bills. Many universities have their own apartments for students off campus. For example, Monash University of Malaysia has a 22-story student apartment building just a 3-minute walk from the campus. The residential complex includes 2114 furnished rooms connected to Wi-Fi. In such a complex, a student can live in a single or shared room, paying 44.896 rubles. every three months, or in a single room with a separate bathroom, paying 6, 2906 rubles. once every three months.

Apartments and studio apartments (condominium)

Independent accommodation while studying is traditionally considered a more expensive type of accommodation for students. Sometimes certain types of accommodation are offered by educational institutions, along with living in a residence. For example, the University of Multimedia (MMU) offers students rental apartments for 2,282-5,073 rubles. per month, including water and electricity bills.

The apartments are designed for 4-8 people, furnished, connected to Wi-Fi and are under 24-hour security.

Renting a home located off campus or campus usually costs students 19,024-31,706 rubles. per month.

Services of real estate agencies

In Malaysia, there are a number of real estate agencies specializing in finding housing for students. You can contact such agencies directly or through an educational institution. The choice of housing depends on its location, your budget and preferences. On average, the monthly cost of one-room apartments in the city center is 19.404 rubles.

A real estate agency may begin to search for a suitable accommodation before you arrive in Malaysia, but students who wish to rent an apartment on their own usually complete the entire rental process after the move.

That is why any student should prepare a clear plan for their placement in Malaysia. Sometimes it makes sense to live a little at the hostel in order to fully prepare for the rental of individual housing. In any case, given the number of accommodation options available, do not worry - you will never be left without housing!

Useful information

Malaysia is a hot, tropical country, so housing bills here largely depend on whether you use air conditioning or not. It is worthwhile to learn in advance what is meant by “air conditioning” in the proposed housing - in the case of cheap accommodation, this concept can include only a small desktop fan.

When choosing housing outside the campus, it makes sense to contact several agencies and compare the proposed housing options to choose the most suitable. Remember that the duty of such agencies is to familiarize you with the real estate market, and receiving any information from them, in itself, does not oblige you to anything.

Housing provided by educational institutions usually has a fixed rent and its own characteristics. Therefore, pre-talk with students who live or once lived in such housing in order to learn more about what awaits you.

If you plan to live in a hostel, find information about it on the Internet - accommodation in some hostels is provided not only to students, but also to travelers. In this case, information about the hostel, as well as reviews of tourists about it, will be available on various thematic sites and forums.