How green is the grass in Southeast Asia?

My Dearest Moo Moo Cow,

I just came across this article regarding real estate in Southeast Asia. The article is called, Low Cost of Living Draws Retirees to Southeast Asia. I do believe it would get you all exited. I really do.

See, folks are starting to consider Southeast Asia as a cheap place to say. Look at the start of the article.

• Ultimately, they picked Phuket, an island on Thailand's west coast blessed with sunshine, tranquility and friendly people. The price of entry also worked in their favor: For about $500,000, they got a four-bedroom luxury villa with a private pool, courtyard and garden. They figure that's less than half what it would have cost in similar spots in most European countries.
  "This is a palace," Mr. Richards declares, surveying his new home. "What more could a man want?"
  The Richardses aren't the only retirees from abroad happily settling into Southeast Asia. More people from around the world are coming to the region, drawn by word of mouth, incentives from regional governments vying for retirement nest eggs, and affordable living, including housing and relatively inexpensive medical care.

The grass over here is considered cheap, my dearest Moo Moo Cow. Look at the ranking of Kuala Lumpur.

• According to Mercer's 2006 cost-of-living study, Kuala Lumpur ranked 114th out of 144 cities, while Bangkok was 127th and Manila came in at number 141. By comparison, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong ranked as the second, third, and fourth costliest places (behind Moscow), while London and New York were in the top 10. Sydney was the 19th most expensive city, Madrid ranked 53rd and Monterrey in Mexico was 103.

And the trend of overseas retirees buying properties is growing in Malaysia!

• While the overall number of overseas retirees in Southeast Asia is still small, it's growing fast. Malaysia, for instance, started issuing retirement visas in 1996. By 1998, there were fewer than 50 holders of such visas. But by 2001, the total had grown to more than 800 and last year topped 8,700, excluding dependents. Malaysia aims to add 3,000 to 3,500 retirement visas annually over the next three years under its Malaysia My Second Home program, says Donald Lim, the country's deputy minister of tourism.

And do you remember the chatter you heard that some mainland China folks are interested in Malaysian properties? This issue is even mentioned in the article.

• Already, Malaysia is benefiting from the growing middle class in China. Lai Shevren, a spokeswoman in Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian retirement program, notes that the largest single group of retirement visa holders -- about 2,000 -- are mainland Chinese. She says one attraction is that many of them have relatives in Malaysia.

Relatives my Moo Moo Cow. Family!

And then you have Japanese retirees coming here because of the issue of golf. Golf. Yes, my dearest Moo Moo Cow, that's the game where they take the stick and try to whack that small ball into a holes all over your green grass!! Yeah, just tell me all about it.

• For Kiyoshi Shiraiwa, 65, and his wife Yoko, 59, the bonus of retiring to Malaysia is golf. They pay about $425 each for annual membership at Kelab Golf Perkhidmatan Awam, a lush country club 10 minutes away by taxi from their Kuala Lumpur condo. They say that in Tokyo something equivalent would cost 10 times as much -- and be 90 minutes away. "We play golf twice a week," says Ms. Shiraiwa, looking as if she still can't believe it.
  The couple rent their condo, which has a pool, tennis courts and gym, for about $575 a month; they estimate a similar set-up in Tokyo would cost more than $1,700. And the comforts of home -- including shops that cater to Japanese tastes -- aren't far away. "It's like a little Tokyo," beams Ms. Shiraiwa.

Wow. South Koreans coming to KL because of polluted air??? Sure?

• Others intend to make a more permanent move. Lee Hyeung Seock's physician in Seoul recommended he avoid the South Korean capital's polluted air because of a lung ailment. So Mr. Lee, 50, retired as an exporter of women's garments, applied for a Malaysian retirement visa and moved to Kuala Lumpur with his family last September. Being able to enroll his 10-year-old son in an American-style school is a bonus. "In Korea," Mr. Lee says, "there are only a few international schools."

And my dearest Moo Moo Cow, they love the town where your other dearest friend, yeah that 'buaya-kaki' of yours, is working, Penang!!!

• Mr. Simon describes Penang as "unbelievably inexpensive," noting he gets by mainly on his U.S. Social Security checks. He pays about $350 a month for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo that overlooks the Andaman Sea and is surrounded by tropical jungle. He plays golf frequently with friends, and dines out four or five times a week. A maid cleans for him once a week.
  All told, Mr. Simon says he lives on less than $1,500 a month, adding that he could never enjoy his current lifestyle on the Florida coast spending the same amount.
  Accessibility to good health care also influenced his decision to stay in Penang, Mr. Simon says. Not long after arriving, he had major spinal surgery at Island Hospital, a local private facility. That was followed by minor prostate surgery. "Medical care here is first rate," he says. Mr. Simon says he isn't insured, so he paid cash, and adds that the two procedures, including hospital stays and 24-hour home care, totaled less than $10,000. He figures his out-of-pocket expenses in the U.S., where much of the bill would have been covered by the government's Medicare program, would still have cost him two to three times more than he paid in Malaysia.
  The low cost of living also drew Takeshi Yano, 63, and his wife, Junko, to Penang. "It's very, very hard to live in Japan with only a pension, so (retirees) are moving here," says the former cosmetics importer from Tokyo.
  Mr. Yano, who says the couple didn't know anyone in Penang when they decided to move there, receives a monthly government pension of about $2,000 to $2,500, depending on the exchange rate. "I wanted to go to Europe or the U.S., but the basic idea is: Can we live with the pension or not?"
  On Penang, he says, he manages by paying about $450 in monthly rent for a three-bedroom, sea-view apartment. Mr. Yano says he plays golf once a week and socializes with other Japanese retirees and expatriates, as well as Penang locals.
  For some, though, the gain in lifestyle doesn't offset the loss of comfort zone. Mr. Yano says some of his acquaintances on Penang went back to Japan after a few months because they couldn't adjust. They didn't speak English -- almost everyone there does. They also didn't own a car, he says, plus Penang isn't pedestrian-friendly and doesn't have enough taxis -- and taxi drivers charge the Japanese more, he grouses.

Hey, how now my dearest Moo Moo Cow? Do you live our grasses here in Malaysia or not?

How?

( article source: here )