Malaysia real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $2,085 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 4.57%
• 12-month price change (USD): 5%
• Net rental yield: 3.2%
• Transaction cost: 5.7%
• Bubble-risk band: moderate
• Price basis: national average

Residential property in Malaysia averages $2,085 per square metre, +5% in dollar terms over the last twelve months. That makes it the 229th most expensive of the 264 markets in the set.

What a buyer pays in Malaysia

The $2,085 figure is a national average across all residential property types, which flattens a wide spread — the capital typically runs far above it and small towns far below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 5.7% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $11,885 on top of the $208,500 purchase price. That is below the 9.5% median across the set, which shortens the time it takes for a purchase to break even. Of that, the transfer tax alone is 8%; the rest is notary, registration and agency fees. Inside Malaysia we track 2 local markets separately: Penang at $2,198 (5.4% above the national figure) down to Johor Bahru at $2,024.

What it earns

A square metre lets for about $7.9 a month. Against a purchase price of $2,085 per square metre that is 4.6% gross, before tax. Both figures come from the same source and the same period, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. It ranks 192nd of 311 markets by gross yield. Rental income is taxed at 30%, which takes the yield down to 3.2% net. The 1.4-point difference between the gross and net figure is the part most listing sites leave out. On the way out there is a third tax: a non-resident seller pays 10–30% on the gain, depending on how long the property was held and who is selling.

How the tax works. Flat 30% for a non-resident individual on net rental income with no personal reliefs and no tax-free band (Income Tax Act 1967 § 4(d), Schedule 1 Part II); with no expenses claimed, net equals gross. There is no withholding on rent in Malaysia; the owner self-assesses on Form M. Source: PwC Malaysia.

Where the price sits against its own history

Prices are +20.3% over five years and +38.7% over ten in local terms. Today’s level is within 12.7% of the country’s own long-run trend, so the price is close to where its own history would put it. Glopra’s bubble-risk score for Malaysia is 53 out of 100 — moderate risk. Of the 65 markets scored, 40 read higher.

Malaysia house price index, 2016–2026 (2016 = 100)

Rebased to 100 in 2016, the index stands at 133.6 in 2026. The series is in local currency, and the twelve-month numbers above show how much of that a dollar buyer actually keeps.

Who can buy in Malaysia

Freehold, subject to a minimum price and state approval. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.

How this figure is built

The price figure for Malaysia is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-29. We rate our confidence in this market’s data low — treat the figures as indicative and check them before acting. We recompute every market the same way; a figure that fails our checks is suppressed, not guessed.

Sources: iqiglobal.com · rummah.my · edgeprop.my · globalpropertyguide.com. Snapshot: 2026-10-29.