Fair salary for an expat working in an office/job in KL?

hey guys, any input on this?

any help please

in Malaysia average salary for locals is around RM 3k to RM 10K.
for expats its 40% higher as companies are providing expat allowances.

so depends upon experience and requirement for expat salary range can be RM 7 k to RM 15 K even more but this is the average.

Additionally for expats companies are providing a good health insurance.

Thanks hope this clarifies any doubt free feel to message.

Hey rajat, thanks a lot!
So in my case it wouldn't be the classical expat position, more compared to a local position.

So it would be a local position but worked by a german with some working experience.

So would you say 15K MYR per month is a realistic salary?

rajat_08 wrote:

in Malaysia average salary for locals is around RM 3k to RM 10K.
for expats its 40% higher as companies are providing expat allowances.

so depends upon experience and requirement for expat salary range can be RM 7 k to RM 15 K even more but this is the average.

Additionally for expats companies are providing a good health insurance.

Thanks hope this clarifies any doubt free feel to message.

Hey rajat, thanks a lot!
So in my case it wouldn't be the classical expat position, more compared to a local position.

So it would be a local position but worked by a german with some working experience.

So would you say 15K MYR per month is a realistic salary?
How much would I need to spend (round about) for health insurance? Is it mandatory by law?

Hi Keren,

Salary would depend on the company, industry and position.  So your assessment will be based on those items.  There are some expats that get below 10k. In most cases rates are inclusive of allowances.

Hi Keren,

It always "depends", but if your company in Germany is planning to move you here, I would expect at least MYR 20,000/month, plus some housing allowance (MYR 3-4,000). Depending on your seniority and the level of responsibility in your role, the salary could go higher.

Hope this helps.

You can't just get an "office job" in KL/Malaysia.To justify a work permit you need to.be an expert eg oil and gas engineer, heart surgeon, leading researcher or a teacher. Admin hell ...  - @Nemodot Hi,I applied for a position which is as described. It's therefore not the typical expat position but more a local position. After some research and studying I think that 80k per year or 6.7k/month is an average salary for an office worker position which is described as a more local position. Is this ok? 

@kl_keren Min. salary is RM5k, this is the guideline from LHDN for any expat to be hired by any company in Malaysia, from there depends on your experience and what you can get the company to pay. After 10 years living and working in Malaysia I've personally started my own company and now only take US clients. Since the lockdowns and MCO it's been much more difficult for expats to get hired and the pay has been reduced in many areas. The rest I leave to you:)

@Nemodot Not sure where you've gotten your information but I've worked with International school in Malaysia for 10 years and minimum salary has always been 5k across the board from any industry. As for international schools your pay goes higher and more perks offered but I've seen certified American school teacher get RM7,000 up to RM13,000, the latter being at Garden International School, I believe 10k was at Nexus. If you're talking higher than that then you'd be referring to ISKL as one of the top paying schools in KL and also they cater to the expats working at larger companies who do get accommodations and such. For international schools I suggest the German international school in Singapore, my best friend gets 11 0r 13k SGD there. Malaysia pay rate is lower, you can get hired in the business section, I've personally done corporate trainings and developed programs for a range of companies including Samsung. But the most basic salary requirement from LHDN (Malaysia's Tax Office) is and always has been 5k for full-time workers. Many company's aren't hiring expats currently because it has become more difficult to provide working visas. I'm under a spouse visa and have often found it difficult for my CV to be looked at even though I placed American with spouse visa and working permit at the top of the CV. Better to work online and get paid in USD and work as a digital nomad if you have the tech skills.

@Nemodot So clearly a gross salary of RM12200/month for an expatriate UK teacher with a child is not enough. Based on your experience and expertise, what should be a good monthly net salary for an expat teacher living in Johor Bahru (asking for after-tax figures to have a more realistic idea in terms of comfort of living and possible savings level)?