Life has changed dramatically after moving to Malaysia for one Canadian family, as has their cost of living.
In 2024, Sana, 33, and Muhammad William “Will” Saleh, 38, decided to pack up their lives in Toronto, Ontario and move with their three children, Aaminah, 9, Zaynab, 7, and Yusuf, 2, halfway across the world. The decision came after they were hit with a realization about their future.
“The cost of living has become unreal,” Sana told us in 2024. “Rent, bills, groceries, car payments, insurance — all of it is way too unaffordable, and we could never buy a house there either.”
As full-time social media content creators and business owners running Lala Hijabs remotely, the Salehs had the flexibility to explore different cities.
The Salehs first visited Malaysia for their honeymoon. The couple returned a decade later with three children in tow. After living there for several months, they knew it was the right place for them, so they returned to Canada to pack up their home and finally settled down in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.
“We never thought we would actually be here, but here we are!” said Sana.”“It feels like home now that all of our belongings have arrived from Canada, and we are so grateful for our decision.”
Looking back
The cost of living was just one factor in the couple’s decision to relocate.
When the war erupted in the Middle East in October 2023, they said that Canada’s stance no longer made them feel welcome as Muslims.
Sana and her family still feel the same, if not even more strongly. “We are glad we made the decision when we did,” she said.
According to a 2020 census by the Malaysian government, 63.5 per cent of the population practices Islam. In a recent video, Will stated that food in the country is halal by default unless specified, making it easier for tourists to find halal food options.
Their decision to leave Canada drew mixed reactions, with the couple being subjected to hate comments on their YouTube channel, Saleh Family, which has 1.3 million subscribers. However, almost a year later, sentiments seem to have changed.
“People are starting to warm up to it despite many people still telling us to renounce our citizenship and passports for Canada,” said Sana. “We have met several families here that moved recently from Canada or are in the process of moving!”
Trade war tensions between the U.S. and Canada have also been disheartening for the couple.
“We are sad to hear about all of the political pressure the U.S. is putting on Canada,” Sana stated. “I think it is a wake-up call.”
Breaking down living costs in Malaysia
Living in Malaysia has been significantly more affordable for the Saleh family.
“To give you an example, a family meal for all of us is generally over $100 back in Canada, and that’s not exaggerating,” said Sana in a video where they detail the differences in the cost of living. “You can get by on, like, $20 to $30 and get a lot of food for the whole family to eat.”
Sana shares some of the family’s regular expenses:
Rent: $2,600
Utilities: $300
Internet: $100
Cell phones: $25
Transportation: To get around, the family uses Grab, a popular rideshare app in Asia. “It can be around $3 to get to our local mall, but during high times, it can cost upwards of $10 or so,” shared Sana.
Groceries: $150 per week or less
Dining out: Generally $30 for the whole family
Childcare: None
Entertainment: “Depends! Theme parks are priced pretty good,” said Sana. “The whole family can do an activity for under $100.”
Travel: “Cheap flights within the country usually cost $50 round trip per person,” said Sana.
Adjusting to life abroad
The family spent the last summer back in Canada to say goodbye to family and friends and ensure that they had a team in place that would allow them to continue to run their business remotely. What they did not expect, however, was that they’d be choosing their future home in Malaysia online while packing up their lives in Canada.
“We were searching in person last year, but it ended up being that we selected a landed home remotely while still in Canada; we wish we would have done it in person, though,” admitted Sana.
Expat life also comes with several adjustments.
“Little construction flaws in the homes here, but nothing we can’t repair or fix,” she said. “Honestly, everything here is so pleasant and easy. People are very helpful here. We are just getting used to the geckos in the house and surroundings.”
Living in a sunny country where the average temperature is 31 C in March also allows the family to spend more time outdoors.
“We homeschool our kids, work from home, and participate in extracurriculars like swimming, art, and gymnastics. We love being outdoors here,” shared Sana.
Other unexpected opportunities also arose in the process of their move: the couple was offered to work as international marketing executives at Durioo+, a streaming platform for Islamic and educational content for Muslim children.
“They said we are willing to help you guys and bring you on through the employment pass, a work visa, basically,” explained Will.
Like most expats, being away from family has been the toughest part of living abroad.
“We miss our friends and family; this has been the hardest adjustment,” said Sana. “But some of our friends have already visited us, so we are quite happy.”
For now, the Salehs are content with their decision.
“We don’t know the future, right? So we don’t know. We know that we’re going to be here for the next two years, but beyond that, who knows?” said Will. “But while we’re here, we’re going to enjoy it.”
In the past, we’ve also covered stories of Canadians who have moved to the U.K., Italy, Mexico, the Philippines, the Maldives, and more.
