moving to KL advice please :)

[perhapsLAter]

hey everyone! i am a teacher moving to KL in a months time and wanted to get some help and guidance. this is my first international role and so a little advice on is there anything i shoudl bring from the UK. I have been suggested that Bangsar would be a great space to live in but would 3MYR be a reasonably good budget for a 3 bedroom condo/flat. i am going out with my two children and (16/13) and wanted to know about clubs outside school for hockey/football/ karate. i know that KL is very multicultural and so i am not worried about fitting in, but being vegetarian i feel that some recommendations for take away apart from indian ( im indian origin myself;) i wasnt planning on driving as i have heard the driving is insane, and the school is allowing me to use the school bus so being in bangsar with the train i thought might be a good option. any advice tips would be greatly appreciated !

If you meant myr 3,000 then that's a good budget for KL in general, as far as I know but that's going back a few years. You can also look at Mont Kiara, Desa Park City but these area wont have the trains nearby but Grab is easily available (similar to Uber).
Damansara which is adjacent to Bangsar is also a good bet.

All the 3 sports are popular in Malaysia in general and should be able to find clubs for the kids.

Vegetarian options are many. There are also Chinese vegetarian options but I am not sure exactly where but you will find a lot of variety.

Thank you so much!

My grandparents lived in Bangsar, nice safe area.
I'm a veggie, always lots of options, just got to ask.
I'm sure you will all love it there. I'm a bit jealous!

Any particular apartments / condos to look at? Any specific things you can't get in KL ( I assume nothing!)

I'm most confused on accommodation as I won't be taking my own furn6and I can see fully furnished is quite exp6should I buy from IKEA instead?

For furniture ,you can always buy from IKEA to start with. There are fb groups where expats leaving sell their stuff but it is not too common to use these. Once you are settled with the basics ,you will discover local furniture shops who do great deals on all types of furniture,it's just that it might a bit overwhelming to start with these better to start with IKEA for essentials.

As for apartments, forgot to mention that TTDI (tamam tun Dr Ismail) is a good area as well with good metro connections. Someone I know lives in the sinaran TTDI condo near there.

I'll try to ask some other contacts and get back to you on other condos. It's hard to recommend specific condos as we can't be sure of how things are currently in that particular condo. Maybe check where the other teachers live.

You can get everything in KL ,maybe you won't get Yorkshire tea bags or Waitrose products. You won't miss these after a while as there are many local foods that you will be exploring.

Property guru website using the map for BSC area

Food is WONDERFUL in this part of the world, and you’ll absolutely be catered for as a veggie, too. :)

The agent who helped me find the flat is Mr. Desmond Chui. His e-mail was [email protected]

The agent who helped me find the flat is Mr. Eric Ng. His e-mail was [email protected]

I am so, so envious OP.

Bangsar is a nice area, very popular with expats. It has such a desirable reputation that areas quite far away from the original have called themselves Bangsar (South/East/etc) as well. Be aware that Bangsar LRT station is not that close to the Bangsar suburb itself.

Indian vegetarian food is widely available and delicious. The larger Chinese or Buddhist temples often have an attached eatery which serves Chinese vegetarian food for a very cheap price.

thank you so much for your insights! i appreciate the sharing of the agents also and the map! has anyone joined nay groups when arriving in KL to make some friends? I do not know anyone there and i was wanting to try to let the kids also meet some kids their age. also any dentist reocmendations in bangsar?

I live in PJ - I’d say to get an apartment as close to work as possible! Traffic is horrendous on a morning. You will need approx 2.5 months deposit for rent, and you’ll be taxed at 30% for pretty much most of your first year. Honestly to start off I’d get a fully furnished apartment. We did and have bought our own stuff over the 4 years we’ve been here. IKEA is great and there’s always Facebook marketplace. I’d ask at your new school if anyone is leaving and selling anything - we are leaving this year and are in the process of selling our odds and ends.
3000rm is doable , but I doubt you’d get a decent size condo in Bangsar for that amount. Have look on iproperty or propertyguru. I live in Damansara Perdana and have a 4 bed 4 bath duplex (2 storey) condo which has 4 pools, cafe, gyms , sauna , doctors surgery and salon onsite and pay 4700rm.

Using the school bus to get to and from work is fine , but you’ll need to use grab etc when you’re out and about. The MRT is great so I would advise living as close to one as possible - it’s safe and my kids have been using it independently since they were both about 12.
Regarding activities - loads of paid clubs available , but I’d imagine if you’re at a decent school they will offer these activities as Extra Curriculars.

The areas that an above poster mentioned are lovely and very “expat friendly” but I’d personally only live in Desa Park if I was working there or had a car to get to where I needed to be. Driving is fine, you just have to be prepared for a lot of bikes whizzing by and a lot of traffic but it’s ok.
I’d advise to take tampons if you use them as they’re not found very often here. Also underwear and clothes if you’re on the larger size and ladies shoes if you’re over a size 7!
make sure you have good health insurance with your new school too - dental isn’t always covered so double check that.
Finally the food is amazing ! Loads of choice and different cuisine - don’t be frightened to try the food courts and sit on the road on a plastic chair and sample a bowl of curry mee ! So much choice for vegan and veggies - Brickfields area of KL is great for Indian and veggie foods too.

You can get Waitrose products in BIG grocers too 🙂

thank you all for your kind insights and sharing of information! I think I will be having a wonderufl adventure! @madamepresident please could you share the gated community you live in?

any other gated commnites that any of the wonderful mumsnet family would share for either bangsar or in KL which owuld be great for an expat( i want to be able to have things close on site or near by as its only me and the two kids:)

Hi @perhapsLAter I lived in KL for 14 years.
I left in 2018 so I won't comment on budget etc as others will have more up to date info, but it really depends which school you are working in (assuming your DC will go to the same school). Always go for somewhere near the school - traffic is always bad and I know it hasn't got better since I left.
Alice Smith Primary - look at Bangsar, Damansara Heights and the areas around the Megamall.
Alice Smith Secondary is a good distance away - look at Country Heights and IOI
BSKL - Bandar Utama
ISP - Desa Park City

Food is excellent almost everywhere and makes up for the traffic

The other big school is Garden International - Mont Kiara is the best place to look

i will be getting the school bus from Bangsar shopping centre for the first 6 months before i can think of getting a car :)

hey @perhapsLAter just wondered how things are going in KL? Got a similar move planned mid next year. How have your kids settled as I note they are teens?

We lived in kota damansara.
I don't like to be the voice of doom, but I was mugged 4 times and had my car windows smashed with a machete.
You'll probably come across shops selling personal protection stuff, anything from baseball bats to takers. I would firmly recommend not getting any of them.
On a more positive note, it's brilliantly situated for travelling.
My shopping recommendations would be, tampons , shoes and underwear..good luck