Investment property in Malaysia: what to buy and what it costs
Three-bedroom apartment in Bukit Mertajam for long-term letting
$125,000
A 130 m² apartment with three bedrooms, a living-dining room, air conditioning and a balcony on the twelfth floor of a condominium with a pool in Bukit Mertajam - a market town on the mainland side of the state of Penang. The windows look onto palm trees and green hills. Industrial parks with electronics factories are nearby, and such apartments are let long-term to engineers and specialists' families.
Three-bedroom apartment in the new town of Batu Kawan
$140,000
A 145 m² apartment with three bedrooms, a bright living room, an open kitchen and a balcony on the fifteenth floor of a new residential tower in Batu Kawan - a new town on the mainland by the second bridge to Penang Island. The windows look onto mangrove shores and the strait. An industrial park, university campuses and shopping centres are nearby.
Three-bedroom apartment near the metro in Cheras
$251,000
A 135 m² apartment with three bedrooms, a living-dining room, air conditioning and a balcony on the eighteenth floor of a 30-storey condominium in Cheras - a large residential district in the south-east of Kuala Lumpur. The metro station is a few minutes away, the centre 20-25 minutes. Such apartments are let to the families of company staff.
Three-bedroom apartment in Bayan Lepas on Penang Island
$254,000
A 160 m² apartment with three bedrooms, a spacious living-dining room, air conditioning and a balcony on the twentieth floor of a condominium in Bayan Lepas in the south of Penang Island. The windows look onto forested hills and a strip of sea. The airport and the free industrial zone with electronics factories are nearby, and the apartments are let to engineers and managers.
Three-bedroom apartment with a large balcony in Kuala Lumpur
$270,000
A 145 m² apartment with three bedrooms, a living room, an open kitchen and a wide balcony with a view of green hills on the twenty-second floor of a condominium off Old Klang Road. Central Kuala Lumpur is 15-20 minutes away, with shopping centres and office blocks nearby. Apartments here are let all year round to company specialists.
Four-bedroom apartment with a sea view in Gelugor
$277,000
A 175 m² apartment with four bedrooms, a large living-dining room, air conditioning and a balcony on the twenty-fourth floor of a condominium in Gelugor on the east coast of Penang Island. The windows look onto the strait and the mainland shore. A university, hospitals and the waterfront are nearby, and old George Town is 15 minutes away.
Four-bedroom apartment by the park in Bukit Jalil
$298,000
A 160 m² apartment with four bedrooms, a living-dining room, air conditioning and a balcony with a view of a park with a lake on the sixteenth floor of a condominium in Bukit Jalil in the south of Kuala Lumpur. International schools, a shopping centre and a light rail station are nearby. Such apartments are let to the families of foreign specialists.
Four-bedroom apartment for a large family in Setapak
$326,000
A 175 m² apartment with four bedrooms, a large living-dining room, air conditioning and a long balcony with a view of forested hills on the nineteenth floor of a condominium in Setapak in the north of Kuala Lumpur. Universities, schools and a light rail station are nearby. Apartments of this size are let to large families.
What properties are bought for investment in Malaysia
Above are the most interesting offers selected by our experts. The price in each card is the city's square metre price for an apartment by our experts' estimate multiplied by the floor area, and every apartment is above the foreign-buyer threshold of its state. A manager will find a property to match your requirements.
Apartments for sale in Kuala Lumpur and the state of Penang, price thresholds for foreigners, rental yields, taxes on buying and owning, the second home visa.
Malaysia sells apartments to foreigners with the consent of the state authorities and above a threshold each state sets itself: from 1 million ringgit (about $250,000) in Kuala Lumpur and on Penang Island, from 500,000 ringgit (about $120,000) on the Penang mainland. By our experts' estimate, a square metre of an apartment costs about $1,900 in Kuala Lumpur, $1,600 on Penang Island and $970 on the mainland.
This page covers apartments above the threshold in the capital and the state of Penang, prices by city, rental yields, taxes for a foreigner and the second home visa, whose conditions include buying a home.
The market in brief
Prices and rules as of 2026.
How much an apartment in Malaysia costs in 2026
Home prices in Malaysia are quoted in ringgit per square foot; we have converted them into square metres and dollars. A foreigner can buy only the part of the market above the state's threshold: at the average square metre price that means apartments from 132 m² in Kuala Lumpur, from 155 m² on Penang Island and from 128 m² on the mainland. A square metre on the mainland is 1.6 times cheaper than on the island.
| City | Square metre | Threshold for a foreigner |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur | ~$1,900 (7,600 ringgit) | 1 million ringgit (~$250,000) |
| Penang Island | ~$1,600 (6,500 ringgit) | 1 million ringgit (~$250,000) |
| Penang mainland | ~$970 (4,000 ringgit) | 500,000 ringgit (~$120,000) |
Square metre prices are our experts' estimate in 2026, rounded.
What yield letting gives
The long-term rental yield in Kuala Lumpur is about 4.6% a year before tax and costs, by our experts' estimate: a three-bedroom apartment is let for about $890 (3,700 ringgit) a month. On the Penang mainland apartments are cheaper and the yield is higher, on the island it is lower than in the capital.
| Tax | Rate |
|---|---|
| Rental income, non-resident | 30% with no deductions |
| Rental income, resident (182 days a year or more) | scale of 0-30% |
| Annual taxes on the owner | quit rent to the state and the municipal assessment tax on the annual rental value |
| Gain on sale, foreigner | 30% in the first 5 years of ownership, 10% from the 6th year |
| Inheritance tax | none |
Data for 2026: the yield is our experts' estimate for Kuala Lumpur; a comparison of countries is in the rental yield table.
Foreign income of individuals in Malaysia is exempt from tax until the end of 2036, and there is no inheritance tax. Rates and examples are on the page taxes in Malaysia.
What costs to add to the property price
| Payment | Amount |
|---|---|
| Stamp duty on the transfer of a home, foreigner | 8% of the price from 1 January 2026 |
| State consent to the purchase | fee at the state's tariff |
| Lawyer for the agreement and the transfer | at the scale rate |
| Registration of title at the land office | at tariff |
Data for 2026. For an apartment in Cheras at 1,030,000 ringgit the stamp duty comes to 82,400 ringgit (about $20,000). The agreement is signed subject to the state's consent: an apartment below the threshold, on Malay reserve land or from the indigenous quota will not be sold to a foreigner. A manager calculates the total for a specific property.
In Malaysia the state's threshold and the land tenure are checked before the deposit
Mistakes cost more than the fee: an apartment below the state's threshold, on Malay reserve land or from the indigenous quota will not get consent; a 99-year lease with little time left lowers the resale price and closes off a mortgage; a forgotten 8% stamp duty changes the yield calculation. We check the threshold, the land and the developer before the deposit and file the application for the state's consent together with the lawyer.
The cost of support depends on the purchase budget and the goal - investment, the second home visa or a home for yourself; a manager will calculate it in the chat.
Does the purchase give a residence permit
The purchase on its own does not give a residence permit. A long-term visa comes with the second home programme: in the silver tier, a deposit from $150,000 in a Malaysian bank and a home purchase from 600,000 ringgit (about $150,000) give a 5-year visa for the whole family, with a one-off fee of 1,000 ringgit.
A home under the programme is also bought with the state's consent and above its threshold, so in Kuala Lumpur and on Penang Island an apartment from 1 million ringgit qualifies for the visa. Every apartment on this page in the capital and on the island qualifies for the silver tier.
How we find a property
- Budget and goal: investment, letting, the second home visa or a home for yourself. The manager clarifies the state and how you will pay.
- A selection of real properties above the state's threshold: apartments with the seller's price, floor area, the building fee and a yield calculation.
- Checks before the deposit: the land tenure - freehold or a 99-year lease, any Malay reserve or indigenous quota marks, arrears of fees and taxes, the developer.
- A remote deal through a lawyer in Malaysia: an agreement subject to the state's consent, the consent application, payment of the balance and the stamp duty by bank transfer, registration of title at the land office.
The manager sends the selection to the chat, with sellers' prices on the date of the selection.
Options in other countries
Investment property in other countries:
- Investment property in Turkey: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in the UAE: what to buy in Dubai and what it costs
- Investment property in Serbia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Brazil: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Georgia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Spain: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Italy: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Bulgaria: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Cyprus: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Montenegro: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Greece: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Thailand: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Bali: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Paraguay: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Portugal: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Egypt: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Panama: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in France: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in the USA: what to buy in Florida and what it costs
- Investment property in the UK: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Bosnia and Herzegovina: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Argentina: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Peru: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Uruguay: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Chile: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Mexico: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Armenia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Ireland: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Costa Rica: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Germany: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Australia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in South Korea: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Belarus: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Kazakhstan: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Japan: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Poland: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Taiwan: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Qatar: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Hong Kong: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Sweden: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Finland: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Albania: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Luxembourg: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Slovakia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Vietnam: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Israel: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in the Netherlands: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in the Czech Republic: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Bahrain: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Azerbaijan: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Mongolia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in the Philippines: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Norway: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Austria: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Croatia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Hungary: what to buy and what it costs
- Investing in property in Lithuania: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Monaco: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Slovenia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Estonia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Latvia: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Ecuador: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Kyrgyzstan: what to buy and what it costs
- Investment property in Andorra: what to buy and what it costs
More on buying in this country:
- Property in Malaysia to live in and invest: rules, taxes and the deal
- Buying an apartment in Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur
- Company registration in Malaysia
- Personal bank account in Malaysia
- Kuala Lumpur: what to see and whether to move there
- How to send money to Malaysia
All countries and budgets compared - on the page Investment property abroad.
FAQ
How much does an apartment in Malaysia cost in 2026?
Can foreigners buy property in Malaysia?
Does buying property give a residence permit in Malaysia?
What yield does letting an apartment in Malaysia give?
What taxes apply when buying property in Malaysia?
In what currency do you buy an apartment in Malaysia?
Where to buy an apartment for investment in Malaysia?
Can you buy property in Malaysia remotely?
Don’t want to figure this out alone?
We handle the whole process end to end: we shortlist properties for your goal, run legal checks and support the deal through to registration. Ask your question in the chat: the free consultation starts right here. Legal representation before authorities and courts is handled by Murblz specialists together with locally licensed partners.
The Murblz consultant replies straight away in the chat on this page. Describe your situation and we will work it out together.
Free consultationWhat happens next
- An expert reviews your situation and goal.
- We contact you the way you prefer and answer your questions.
- You get a work plan, honest timelines and a written quote.