How To Travel In Kuala Lumpur on A Low Budget

At this time I took my time to talk about how to explore Malaysia with a low budget on my blog. There are a lot of people slide into my dm's and asked 

" Is it possible to explore Malaysia, specifically Kuala Lumpur in a low budget? " -, 

" Is Kuala Lumpur expensive to visit? "-,

and many questions addressing those things. The answer depends. For me, it’s possible to visit Malaysia on a cheap itinerary if you plan your trip carefully and organized. Malaysia's ringgit currency isn't that high tho for all foreigners, especially for Indonesian.

But still, from accommodation to transportation, things must be carefully calculated. There are also some ways that have been proven to cut the expenses incurred during your vacation in Malaysia!

Bukit Bintang

So If you really want to know how to explore Malaysia, specifically to Kuala Lumpur in a low budget or an affordable itinerary, you better check out the following travel tips to help you save more money and cut the expenses incurred during your vacation in Malaysia!

1. Book everything before you arrive, when it's half-price

Some Airlines like AirAsia, JetStar, Scoot and etc always doing the promos on big days like  Anniversary, Chinese New Year, Eid, X-mas, New Year, etc and you may get 50% off for your itinerary ticket. I got my multiple-way ticket ( CGK - KUL & KUL - CGK ) with AirAsia and it costs around 175 MYR. If you got a plan to travel to Malaysia and you're gonna stay around at Kuala Lumpur, I can recommend you to go to hostels and guesthouses. They are usually in Bukit Bintang, Chow Kit or Chinatown, where you can find a bed for as low as $4 - $6 per night in a hostel. I can't say staying in central areas such as KLCC in Kuala Lumpur can be the affordable things to live because most of the budget hostels are around KL Sentral Brickfields neighborhood. 

2. Be considerate with public transport

Ticket Machine that shows some public transport by RapidKL

Use public transportation such as LRT and MRT in Kuala Lumpur. But, in other major cities around Malaysia like Putrajaya and Cyberjaya where mass transport doesn’t exist, rely on GrabCar. But I would literally ask you to download MyCar than GrabCar, cause most of the time MyCar is like 2-3 MYR cheaper than GrabCar.

3.  Visit free places

Twin Towers

Walk out of KL Sentral through Suria KLCC, then you can see Malaysia's iconic twin towers. This place is free to visit and you can take a lot of selfies right there. Besides the twin towers, there are some free places to visit such as Perdana Botanical Garden, Masjid Negara, Merdeka Square and many more. I've heard there's a program for tourists called " Free Walking Tour " in Kuala Lumpur, where the local city government offers free weekly tours to take tourists around Kuala Lumpur with a knowledgeable English speaking guide.

4. Be smart about accommodations.
Make sure everywhere you go, bring your friendly eco-bag and your portable container instead of buying single-use water bottles each day. It will be expensive over a couple of weeks. In Malaysia, to get a plastic bag from the grocery or any stores will cost you like 20 cents/plastic bag. For honesty, tap water in Malaysia isn't that safe like Singapore's do! Find guesthouses or hotels that offer filtered water or allow you to boil water in your room. 

5. Eat at the hawker stalls

Alor Street

I won't recommend if you're on a budget itinerary to have lunch or dinner in the restaurants around Alor street. It's quite expensive than having some meals from Mamak Restaurants, Indian Cuisine. 

My friend checking out a snack from the hawker at Alor Street
Ps: we aren't on a budget itinerary

Besides, you’ll find street food around. As a travel destination, Kuala Lumpur has a lot of hawker stalls. From selling snacks on the streets to heavy meals inside restaurants. The food is cheap and costs a few ringgits. Eating at the hawker stalls will save a considerable amount compared to the restaurants aimed at tourists. Never been to this place but I've heard from some MyCar/GrabCar drivers and also local friends If you like to enjoy local cuisines such as Malaysia’s national dish, nasi lemak (coconut-flavored rice meal), satay (grilled meat in skewers), and tapai (sweet fermented rice wrapped in banana leaves). You better take a wheel to the hawker stalls around Kampung Bharu!

6. Bargain shopping

me and my friends, chilling at Jalan Petaling aka Chinatown.

Many tourists come to Malaysia for shopping. KL is a paradise for bargain hunters. Head over to Chinatown and Little India for cheap souvenirs, clothes, food, and gadgets.

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I can say Kuala Lumpur is a quite expensive destination, but at the moment I also can say Kuala Lumpur is an affordable travel destination. Like you can make your visit there as budget-friendly as possible. As long as you travel smart in this city, and plan your trip carefully.