It comes as no surprise that the majority of young adults are moving out of their home states and moving to live and work in Kuala Lumpur. The siren call of better job opportunities, entertainment, and the ‘glamorous’ city life is attracting them to move out of their states and into the capital city. Ironically, KL ubanites are moving out of the city and into the suburbs, with some even going as far as across the Causeway to find a way to escape the overpopulated and over-polluted city. This phenomena has been attributed to the ever-increasing cost of living, rental, property prices, vehicle upkeep and deteriorating infrastructure within the city.
As a native Selangorian (is that even a word?), I am more than happy to enjoy the perks of city life, which include various choices of public transport, a stable job, great internet connectivity, more shopping malls and cinemas than my monthly salary can keep up with, being spoilt for choice when it comes to food and beverage, 24-hour fast food, next day online shopping delivery, and most importantly, a place to call home among the hustle and bustle of city life.
So, the question is, will I ever consider moving to other states, other cities?
The answer is a slightly hesitant ‘No’.
Wait, hear me out. Remember the tale of “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse“? It’s exactly like that, but from the town mouse’s point of view.
It’s true that moving to some place other than Kuala Lumpur will definitely save me a lot of money in the long run. I’d be able to afford to buy my own property, maybe a nice double-storey terrace house with a big front yard in Seremban 3. I’d probably be able to afford all that, maybe bigger, along with a Myvi SE, and have enough left over to save for retirement, if I chose to settle down in Chalok, Terengganu (I bet you’ve never even heard of it; I had to search Google maps for a random place). The cost of living would be so much lower, and there won’t be much in way of entertainment, thus saving me a lot of money. And the main reason why we crave entertainment, to escape from reality, is thanks to stress of city life, the tedium of traffic jams and long commutes.
I hesitate, because if it was the choice of moving to another big city like Georgetown or Johor Bahru, the answer might be ‘Yes’. These are cities that have grown so big, both in size and in economic ability, that they can almost rival the capital. In fact, some might argue that these places would be much better choices, and I can hardly disagree.
The fact is, just like town mouse and country mouse, people are more or less conditioned to stay in the place where they feel they belong. It can be an apartment in the city, a simple house in the country, or anything in between, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to one thing – the sense of belonging.
*Disclaimer: The opinions and views in the article above are purely that of the author and by no means represent the opinions and views of Estate123.com.
