Woman swaps £1,300 UK flat for paradise island and now pays £190 | Personal Finance | Finance

A woman who lived “pay cheque to pay cheque” despite juggling three jobs has swapped the UK for Malaysia, where monthly rent costs just £190 and meals out can be as little as 50p. Alysha Nij, 28, chose to make the move after her gruelling 12-hour shifts left her perpetually exhausted and with little prospect of saving for a property deposit any time soon.

She turned her back on “unsafe” and “expensive” London, where she had been forking out £1,300 a month for a one-bedroom flat, and now rents a one-bedroom property just two minutes’ walk from the beach for a mere £190 a month, bills included. Alysha, who hails from Leeds, has since been able to relinquish two of her jobs thanks to the remarkably low cost of living, and intends to use her newfound financial freedom to launch two businesses.

Alysha, who works in creative management, said: “The UK is really difficult for young people and it’s super expensive. I was working three jobs; my days would start at 8am and finish at 10pm.

“I was constantly burnt out, but I still didn’t feel financially free. It’s a different world out here; the people are so friendly, relaxed and happy.

“English people are so anti-social, but here I’ll end up talking to a random person for 20 minutes. I’ve given up almost all my work, I no longer have to worry about money, because everything is so cheap.”

Following a trip to Malaysia and China last September, Alysha fell head over heels for the easygoing and unhurried way of life and resolved to relocate to Asia. She had previously been planning to launch a business in London with a friend, but concluded that the capital was simply too costly to live in, and subsequently shelved her commercial ambitions.

“When I was living in London, my money just wasn’t stretching at all, I was living pay cheque to pay cheque,” she said.

Having worked in creative management, social media management and as a special effects makeup artist, she felt unable to put anything aside financially and couldn’t envisage ever accumulating enough for a house deposit. She returned to her family home in Leeds in March to build up funds for her travels, selling all her possessions in readiness for her departure to Malaysia on May 29.

While bidding farewell to loved ones proved difficult, Alysha’s Malaysian heritage meant she experienced no culture shock upon arrival. Her parents are intending to join her in Asia once she has settled in properly. Alysha is now residing in an apartment in Langkawi, an archipelago made up of 99 islands.

“I’d just come from living in a big city, so I wanted a completely different way of life,” she said. “There are lots of beaches and mountains and no distractions.”

Alysha now saves £1,100 on rent and describes her new apartment as “much nicer” than her former UK home. Thus far, she is thoroughly embracing island life and reports feeling considerably safer than she ever did in London.

“Whenever I was walking around in the UK, I’d always get cat calls and have to be wary of my belongings, but here it’s a completely different environment,” she said. “It takes so much mental stress away, especially being a woman.”

Alysha reveals she would typically spend £20 on a meal out in the UK, yet the same experience costs just 50p in Malaysia, with a coffee coming in at around 70p. She never pays more than £1 for a taxi.

“It’s super affordable, and you get more than what you paid for,” she said. To furnish her new home, Alysha visited the Malaysian equivalent of Poundland, managing to purchase all her cutlery, crockery, towels and storage units for a mere £12.

“When I moved to London, it cost me £380 to get everything,” she said. Alysha has relinquished two of her three jobs and now undertakes occasional freelance creative management work, adding that she was not “too focused” on it, given how dramatically her monthly outgoings have fallen.

Once settled, she intends to establish two businesses — one focused on importing and exporting goods from China, and another offering guidance to female solo travellers. Alysha is currently pursuing Malaysian residency and hopes to purchase a property in either Malaysia or China within a year.

She documents her journey on @alyshainasia.

Breakdown of Alysha’s costs

Rent for a one-bed flat in London – £1,300 a month

Rent for a one-bed flat in Malaysia – £190 a month

Cost of a meal out in London – £20

Cost of a meal out in Malaysia – 50p

Cost of purchasing essentials for her new home in London – £380

Cost of purchasing essentials for her new home in Malaysia – £12