A traditional Punjabi sweets shopkeeper seen at their shop during the Diwali eve at Klang in Malaysia on October 30, 2024. (Photo: CFP)
The average monthly basic expenses for decent living for households in Malaysia reached RM4,729 in 2023, based on the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The Basic Expenses for Decent Living or Perbelanjaan Asas Kehidupan Wajar (PAKW) is a newly created cost of living index based on 419 items such as food, clothing, water, electricity and transportation.
Statistics from DOSM show that the decent living expenses in urban areas are higher than those in rural areas, at RM5,040 and RM3,631 respectively.
Among the 136 states and federal territories in the country, Selangor topped the list with RM5,854; the rest are Kuala Lumpur (RM5,468), Labuan (RM5,376), Malacca (RM5,291) and Putrajaya (RM5,249).
The decent living expenses of these five states and federal territories are all higher than the national average.
In terms of counties and cities nationwide, Petaling (RM6,660), Klang (RM6,244), and Hulu Langat (RM5,810) in Selangor ranked the top three, while Kuala Terengganu (RM5,750) in Terengganu and Lahad Datu (RM5,608) in Sabah ranked fourth and fifth respectively.
DOSM pointed out that factors affecting the cost of a decent life include family size, age, gender, and geographic region.
Developed by DOSM since 2018, PAKW provides value for decent living and considers household spending patterns based on the household income and expenditure survey.
Reporter | Zhang Ruijun
Editor | Yuan Zixiang, Huang Qini, James, Shen He
