When it comes to Malaysian food, the best place to get the most authentic hawker food is none other than Penang. But perhaps that’s not only the thing we look forward to in Penang as Penang has a lot more to offer other than the delicious food.
According to our source, George Town in Penang has been voted as one of the world’s “eight great places to retire abroad” by US publisher Kiplinger, a specialist in personal finance and business forecasting which provides advice on retirement, taxes, investment and real estate, among others.
Out of so many Asian countries, Malaysia is the only Asian country included in the list while the rest are Medellin (Colombia), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Salinas (Ecuador), Bilbao (Spain), Coronado (Panama), Galway (Ireland) and Tlaxcala (Mexico).
The report describes the climate of George Town, with a population of about 740,200, as hot and humid which get its fair share of rain, particularly in April and October.
In terms of lowest living costs, Malaysia ranks third, behind only Thailand and the Philippines, in the Global Retirement Index. The report also stated that “an American couple can get along extremely well on $1,500 a month!” despite the fact that seniors generally are restrained about their spending. Besides that, Malaysia provides good, quality and affordable medical and dental services as well.
The major attraction about George Town is that it has a British colonial flavour. From mansions to mosques to Queen Victoria Clock tower, George Town is full of old buildings with rich history and mouthwatering street food makes it one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
“It’s populated mainly by ethnic Chinese, but English is spoken, thanks to the country’s historical ties to Britain,” the report stated.
Kiplinger says that Malaysia My Second Home programme attracted 19,488 foreigners, including 815 North Americans,as it offers retirement incentives such as long-term residency status and breaks on car imports and purchases.
Source: Malaysian Digest
