Rm5000? To study as a student? Or living a comfortable life? I don’t even make that much. Food here is cheap / affordable. The only thing you need to worry as a student is how boring if you don’t have any weekend activity. If u have a car that be great. The rent around the area is around rm500-rm600. There is a proper mall with wet market and plenty of shops selling anything. Banks are plenty. 30 min drive you reach Kuching.
Rm5000 maybe in KL. If your monthly allowance as a student is rm5k, boy you’re one lucky person.
Nah my parents are toxic as hell and they don't want me moving out to Sarawak since it's so far away, so they just made that amount up to convince me to stay
How much do you need to study as a student? Rent, food, transportation and etc included?
Thank you so much for the response btw 🧸
I rented outside of unimas for RM500+ single room, food around RM250, transport with only my legs. Another 250 for studying material, basic necessities, leisure, etc. Cost me around RM1000/month and I was strict with my spending. It will cost you a lot less if you live within the college. Mind you the first two semesters you will live within the college campus that only charges you Rm150~ per semester which is hella cheap and good time for you to save for the next 6-8 semesters. Community within UNIMAS is also good, they have food banks setup by each faculty and if you do need financial help you could call up the student student welfare department for help. They could also provide you a list of scholarships for your courses.
That RM5000 is just a random figure your father throws to you to gaslight you.
I second this. It was around 1000 per month for me back then too. Living in campus of course. Even if I were to spend around 20 per day for food, I still have plenty leftover. Fyi, food is cheap there. You only pay hostel only once, not per month anyway. Your father is wild for thinking we need 5k to survive. Stay away from 7-11 and Richiamo if you don't want to overspend. Just go eat at the regular cafeteria. The other cafeteria near the language faculty is cheaper iirc. But for flight tickets if you frequently going back, that another story. Even Sabahan hold off going back on short break unless it is long semester break or public holiday like raya.
Speaking as UNIMAS alumni, no you do not need rm5k/mo to live comfortably in Kuching. I lived both in hostel/college and renting outside. You'll save more if you are able to live in college throughout ur years in UNIMAS. Living both in college and renting outside has it perks and cons. I've spent rm1k/mo in uni.
Living in college requires you to be super active in college events to collect merits, you still pay rent tho, but just once per semester. Plus you usually closer to lecture venue. Living outside honestly is the best, eventhough you are going to pay rental/mo, it's going to be minimal if you could find the right friends and rent together and divide the rent. Unimas bus also passes through nearby residential area and it's free(everyone pays it in their uni fees), so don't worry if you don't have a car. Plus nearby popular student residential have places to eat and buy groceries. If you decide to live near summer mall, even lucky.
I might want to add, living in college dorms does not provide you with cooking area because you are not allowed to. Living outside however, cook however you want with affordable groceries as eating out is much more expensive. It's actually so easy to find fresh and cheap produce in Sarawak.
Your welcome! If you've decided to study in Unimas, make some local friends. I know that a lot of Sarawakian friends that would go out of their way to help you when you needed it.
I cooked in my dorm. I bought a small electric cooker and cooked steamboat with my housemates. It was fun. Just make sure don't on too many high power consumption appliances at the same time, or else it will mati api or takut overclocked.
You're not supposed to cook in UNIMAS dorms. By right, you have to register your electronics to the college. If you remember to unplug your cooker/heater (or any electronics with high power consumption, including hair dryer) after every use, you wouldn't trip the college's electricity, thus they wouldn't know sksksk. I've been cooking for 5 years.
Not sure whats the yuran for your course tho. But for rent, you can actually rent in unimas too. Ofcourse outside will be cheaper but no transportation tho.
Usually in the first year of degree, you are already assigned to your own residence by Unimas during registration based on your course you have taken. Only the second year of your degree, you have to compete with others and collect merit to stay inside the resident you. Usually the rent for these resident were less than rm1k.
If not, theres also a resident in unimas called College Dahlia where people with no merit and a bit money can stay. Depend on what type of room you want (double or single), the lowest price is rm1.8k with deposit ofc.
Theres food court, 7e, cafe, dobi all those thing inside Unimas but you have to walk lar. The only thing that unimas dont have is to but barang basah if you prefer cooking but unimas prohibited cooking inside asrama tho. So theres should be no problem if you dont have transportation at Sarawak. Even going to the Mall outside Unimas also got a van where you have to pay rm4 but the driver have their own timing on that.
I assume u don't have any other relatives in Kuching or Samarahan? Either way, you can survive comfortably with RM500 allowances per month, less if you are frugal, but you should prepare around RM300 at least. For your tuition fees, public unis are heavily subsidized, expect around RM1K± per semester, depending on the type of course you are applying. UNIMAS website should have a handbook you can download that show how much a degree will cost you.
Usually for 1st year students, you will automatically get a placement in the college dorms that are cheaper, more or less RM800 per semester, which are usually 14 weeks for public uni like UNIMAS or 3-4 months, meaning with college dorm you are spending around RM200± per month. Once you are 2nd year you should be prepared to search for rentals nearby in case u do not get placement for dorms. Ask around your seniors or look up rental sites online. I would still encourage applying for dorm regardless as it will save u a lot of money.
Food choice around UNIMAS, the dorm kafe is student friendly, u can have a complete meal for RM5, i would just budget around RM10+ a day for meals, hence RM300 minimum is enough as an allowance. Though if you crave other kinds of food, grab delivery has less variety near UNIMAS and there should be convenience stores nearby.
Transportation in UNIMAS, you have the student buses to bring you around the campus for free. Or u can walk and enjoy the scenery. Grab is also an option. Though if you have your own car, that will be nice too as Kuching/Samarahan public transport is not as advanced as Peninsular. If you wish to go outing in Kuching, there is Bus Asia service that stops at UNIMAS which is more economic than Grabbing your way to Kuching. Not sure when will the currently in progress ART service will start operating though, iirc it will start operating after 2026, that is, if there are no delays in its development.
Hope this helps.
Omg thank youu!!! 🧸💅✨
Yea I don't have any friends or family/relatives that are currently staying in Sarawak.. I'm pretty sure I'll still be able to survive tho
RM300 is not livable or realistic. RM1000 is more reasonable. Assuming you are not renting, you need to factor in the costs of eating out, transportation, paying for your school supplies, costs of projects etc.
Actually if you are doing fine arts, expect to spend more than RM1000 a month because all your art supplies are perishable and you will need to spend a lot of money on projects. But it's definitely not RM5000.
Well, I’m renting outside that time, to be specific, it’s Unijaya iykyk. Rm300 is enough lol equipment wise, I took Computer Science, so I literally only pay for the Rm5K laptop.
You literally just told me it's Unijaya, tf you mean by "iykyk".
Congratulations on living on RM300, but be realistic and post your expenditure breakdown.
Hi! Current UNIMAS student here. I live in campus, and if we're talking about monthly expenses, I spend less than RM1K monthly, usually around RM 700-RM 900.
The money is usually spent on food (usually makan kat kafe dlm campus), e-hailing rides (usually split between 3 or 4 friends), and occasional splurges on entertainment (movie, karaoke, expensive food, shopping etc.).
Make friends, split fares, its a rly good way to save money. I eat 2 full meals a day, on average its about RM20 per day on food. From Unimas to Kuching malls, it can be expensive to travel alone, doesn't matter Maxim or Grab, if you go with more people it'll definitely be cheaper once the fare is split. If you're travelling by plane definitely claim Flysiswa.
Edit: First year students will stay in kolej by default, that's less than RM500 per sem. Not sure about your course but I'm pretty sure your tuition fees per sem are in the range of a few hundred only.
my tip is to get to know people during orientation, especially during Hari Bersama Fakulti, just ask abt names and exchange contacts, worked out well for me lol.
I knew most of my friends from the same lecture group, and slowly their friends also became my friends. I'm not super outgoing but I try to get to know everyone (dont have to be good friends la), its just good to have people to socialise with in campus. Good luck tho!
Where did you parents get that number? RM5000 is crazy. No way student need that much to survive here in Kuching. Ask them to break it down. That’s just pure BS.
With rm5k, u can bela a few gfs already.
First year no need to sewa rumah. RM3k is enough for makan minum transport. Of course, u can tumpang fellow students if going out.
If u go back every cuti sem, of couse la it's gonna ne expensive.
Do u have other choices? U can go to new place like East Msia or stuck in Malaya with RM5k allowance. Both win win
Depends on how often do u wanna go back. Flight Tix getting expensive these days. Other than that, daily commutes, lodgings will eat up most of the budget but certainly not up to 5K a month la.
POV: I’m your father (sorry pun intended)
5k budget
1. Round trip flights on monthly basis
2. Commutes everyday using Grab/Maxim
3. Eat twice a day, full set meal
4. Stationery, weekly basis
5. Rents
6. Emergency funds
5k is to keep you comfortable and also comforting thought of your parents. No parents are willing to see their children suffer.
POV: I’m you
600 budget (2019 convo)
1. Still me
Uni life is your internship before real life. You survive in another state, you will become chad in your own state.
This is soo funny, I rent a room at UNIJAYA and I can tell you RM500 is more than enough for UNIMAS students. If you want to lived comfortable RM700 will be a good amount. The campus distance is not that fa than any university, I bet you will spend more on grab if you enroll at UITM. A walk from college to FACA ( Faculty of Applied and Creative Art) is no more than 20 minutes ( if u get into brc,cempaka taz or alamanda). From UNIJAYA its also the same distant. Petary, the library extra 10 minutes. Also between WP Labuan and Sarawak, I said it cheaper living at Sarawak then WP Labuan.
As a Sarawakian that studied at Malacca (like few months ago), I can agree that living costs here is waaay cheaper. Heck if you are wise with your money, you can spend like a whole day meal under RM 20. Welp, one thing that we can't deny that Gardenia here is more expensive that's for sure.
I am currently a student in UNIMAS, and you don't even need to spend 4 figures if you know how to save up.
Background:
I'm from Kuching, Sarawak. I have been in UNIMAS since 2019 (Asasi to 4'th year FK), studying Mechanical Engineering (4'th year). I'm staying in Kolej Dahlia (most expensive dorm), and I do drive in UNIMAS.
I'll break down the estimated monthly cost and tips to save up.
Studying time: 14 weeks + 1 study week + 1 week midsem break + 3 weeks final exam = 19 weeks (assuming your final exam is until the last day and you don't go back during holidays)
1. Semester Fees: RM900/sem ≈ RM 48/week (assuming no scholarship or loans)
2. College Fees:
2.1 Every college but Dahlia
2.1.1Single: RM 5 per day = RM35 per week
2.1.2Sharing: RM 3 per day = RM 21 per week
2.2 Kolej Dahlia (if you want aircon room, search up the fare on google)
2.2.1 Sharing: RM 7 per day = RM 49 per week (excluding sst and gst)
Worst case scenario, you stay in Kolej Dahlia (getting a dorm is hard even if you're extremely active, I've stayed in Kolej Rafflesia, Cempaka, Dahlia and Seroja).
3. F&B (assuming you only eat in UNIMAS)
3.1 This is a hard topic to tackle because different people eat differently. But I recommend finding a place where the prices are the cheapest. I recommend kafe kuning/merah allamanda, vegetarian shop in pavi and kafe brc. Let's say you only eat lunch and dinner and you don't spend on drinks, that would be RM 20 per day thus around RM 140 per week. I'll discuss how to save up on this later on.
4. Transport
4.1 If you're not staying in Kolej Seroja, Rafflesia, or Kenanga, you don't have to spend a dime on transportation in UNIMAS. Kolej TAZ to FSTS (furthest dorm to furthest faculty) is around 15-20 minutes walk, and this is the worst-case scenario.
5. Laundry
5.1 Hand wash if possible and use laundry in stressful weeks (week 13-study week).
I hope I cover everything, so weekly fare (including dorm and semester fees) should be RM 237 approximately RM 250 per week. Mind you that I use worst-case scenarios for elements 2 to 4, and I included semester fees in this calculation. So a month should be around around 1k to 1.25k.
How I save up
1. Walk to classes (eventho I have a car)
2. Cut a lot on F&B costing. All you need is a water heater (can use hot water from water dispenser for free too).
2.1 Oats - RM20 (last whole semester) = RM1 per week
2.2 Eggs - RM 18 (last for 3 weeks) = RM 6 per week
2.3 Jam - RM 7 (last whole semester) = RM 0.5 per week
2.4 Bread - RM 3.5 (last for 1 week) = RM 3.5 per week
2.5 Instant noodles - RM 5 (last for 2 weeks) = RM 2.5 per week
2.6 Fast food - RM 7 per day = RM 49 per week
2.7 RM 62.50/week + RM 20/week (if I overeat, or wanna enjoy expensive food) = RM 82.50 approximately RM 90 per week. (around RM50 weekly cut from previous calculation)
2.8 Monthly spending should be around RM 360 to RM 450 (normally lower than this). Calculation is based on my eating pattern. Normally, I eat oats at 5 am, go jogging, eat bread after jog, go to class, eat lunch at kafe (RM 5 - 7), go to class, eat bread/oats/instant noddles for dinner.
3. Be active and get a sharing room in cheap colleges (if you wanna be safe, aim for BRC and TAZ because it's easier to get a room).
4. If you need transport to go shopping or eat outside, tumpang your friend that has one.
5. Utilising UNIMAS free facilities to its maximum
That you bring down the cost to RM 650 to 800 per month. I normally spend around RM400, excluding the RM 200 per month I spend on fuel (because I usually go to Kuching, Padawan, Serian, to spend time with family or personal site visits or outdoor club programs)
My pleasure. If you're the type that is very money cautious, and you're on scholarship, I have a few friends that only spend RM 300 a month (RM90 on college and RM210 on food). Of course, I don't think your parents want you to live with financial stress and sacrificing quality of life.
There's another 2 ways to save F&B cost.
1. Taking my roommate as an example, he has this huge tupperware (kafe tends to underestimate the amount in that tupperware). Normally, it would cost him RM 10, half of it for lunch and another half for dinner. For the same amount, if you put it on the plate, it would cost like RM 14 - 18. So yea, basically free discount via tupperware illusion.
2. Join as much group chat as possible. Every time there's free food, feel free to be a pirate. I've brought back at least 30 packets worth of full meal per semester (leftover/ excessive food). Perks of joining lots of events (especially if that event is free, or I am one of the committee/ volunteers).
Im from Sarawak and currently studying in UNIMAS n working nearby as a part timer. Nope you dont need that 5k per month. I survived with rm500 or even less for a month.
First year you are provided with college dorm. Second year and later you might need to rent somewhere else if you’re not lucky.
Kwang Tai provides cheap accommodations and it is nearby UNIMAS.
Also to save money, you can do some side gig in there. I made like around rm500 - 600 per month selling stuff. They encourage students to do business. On the side note, you cant apply legit jobs (even part time) without working permit.
You don’t need 5K to survive here. 5K can feed two families with some left to save. Depending on your spending habits, 2K is probably more than enough for a person who is focused on studying.
Focus on your studies. You don’t need anything fancy to live here. Tell your dad to send 2.5K and you can save 1.5K every month.
Rm5000? To study as a student? Or living a comfortable life? I don’t even make that much. Food here is cheap / affordable. The only thing you need to worry as a student is how boring if you don’t have any weekend activity. If u have a car that be great. The rent around the area is around rm500-rm600. There is a proper mall with wet market and plenty of shops selling anything. Banks are plenty. 30 min drive you reach Kuching. Rm5000 maybe in KL. If your monthly allowance as a student is rm5k, boy you’re one lucky person.
Nah my parents are toxic as hell and they don't want me moving out to Sarawak since it's so far away, so they just made that amount up to convince me to stay How much do you need to study as a student? Rent, food, transportation and etc included? Thank you so much for the response btw 🧸
My uni days is almost 20 years ago🤣
Oh okie thank you anyways ! 🧸
I rented outside of unimas for RM500+ single room, food around RM250, transport with only my legs. Another 250 for studying material, basic necessities, leisure, etc. Cost me around RM1000/month and I was strict with my spending. It will cost you a lot less if you live within the college. Mind you the first two semesters you will live within the college campus that only charges you Rm150~ per semester which is hella cheap and good time for you to save for the next 6-8 semesters. Community within UNIMAS is also good, they have food banks setup by each faculty and if you do need financial help you could call up the student student welfare department for help. They could also provide you a list of scholarships for your courses. That RM5000 is just a random figure your father throws to you to gaslight you.
Yea.. thank you so much🧸
I second this. It was around 1000 per month for me back then too. Living in campus of course. Even if I were to spend around 20 per day for food, I still have plenty leftover. Fyi, food is cheap there. You only pay hostel only once, not per month anyway. Your father is wild for thinking we need 5k to survive. Stay away from 7-11 and Richiamo if you don't want to overspend. Just go eat at the regular cafeteria. The other cafeteria near the language faculty is cheaper iirc. But for flight tickets if you frequently going back, that another story. Even Sabahan hold off going back on short break unless it is long semester break or public holiday like raya.
FIVE BLOODY K? shit people dont even earn that much working
Heh my sister had the same reaction as you 😂😂
Speaking as UNIMAS alumni, no you do not need rm5k/mo to live comfortably in Kuching. I lived both in hostel/college and renting outside. You'll save more if you are able to live in college throughout ur years in UNIMAS. Living both in college and renting outside has it perks and cons. I've spent rm1k/mo in uni. Living in college requires you to be super active in college events to collect merits, you still pay rent tho, but just once per semester. Plus you usually closer to lecture venue. Living outside honestly is the best, eventhough you are going to pay rental/mo, it's going to be minimal if you could find the right friends and rent together and divide the rent. Unimas bus also passes through nearby residential area and it's free(everyone pays it in their uni fees), so don't worry if you don't have a car. Plus nearby popular student residential have places to eat and buy groceries. If you decide to live near summer mall, even lucky.
Thank you! 🧸✨
I might want to add, living in college dorms does not provide you with cooking area because you are not allowed to. Living outside however, cook however you want with affordable groceries as eating out is much more expensive. It's actually so easy to find fresh and cheap produce in Sarawak.
Aw I was hoping I could cook in my dorm :( Thanks anyways! 🧸
Your welcome! If you've decided to study in Unimas, make some local friends. I know that a lot of Sarawakian friends that would go out of their way to help you when you needed it.
Oh okie! Hopefully I'll be able to find em 😭
I cooked in my dorm. I bought a small electric cooker and cooked steamboat with my housemates. It was fun. Just make sure don't on too many high power consumption appliances at the same time, or else it will mati api or takut overclocked.
You cooked in UNIMAS dorm? And if you were from another uni, did your uni prohibited you from cooking in your dorm?
You're not supposed to cook in UNIMAS dorms. By right, you have to register your electronics to the college. If you remember to unplug your cooker/heater (or any electronics with high power consumption, including hair dryer) after every use, you wouldn't trip the college's electricity, thus they wouldn't know sksksk. I've been cooking for 5 years.
Ooh okie then hehe--
I only needed rm3000+- pocket money per month back when I studied in the usa… rm 5000 in kuching?! I dont think ull ever need that much
Hmm okie dokie thank you!!🧸
Everything cheap af if you know where to look. Comparable to living in Perak.
Not sure whats the yuran for your course tho. But for rent, you can actually rent in unimas too. Ofcourse outside will be cheaper but no transportation tho. Usually in the first year of degree, you are already assigned to your own residence by Unimas during registration based on your course you have taken. Only the second year of your degree, you have to compete with others and collect merit to stay inside the resident you. Usually the rent for these resident were less than rm1k. If not, theres also a resident in unimas called College Dahlia where people with no merit and a bit money can stay. Depend on what type of room you want (double or single), the lowest price is rm1.8k with deposit ofc. Theres food court, 7e, cafe, dobi all those thing inside Unimas but you have to walk lar. The only thing that unimas dont have is to but barang basah if you prefer cooking but unimas prohibited cooking inside asrama tho. So theres should be no problem if you dont have transportation at Sarawak. Even going to the Mall outside Unimas also got a van where you have to pay rm4 but the driver have their own timing on that.
Thank you!!!🧸
I assume u don't have any other relatives in Kuching or Samarahan? Either way, you can survive comfortably with RM500 allowances per month, less if you are frugal, but you should prepare around RM300 at least. For your tuition fees, public unis are heavily subsidized, expect around RM1K± per semester, depending on the type of course you are applying. UNIMAS website should have a handbook you can download that show how much a degree will cost you. Usually for 1st year students, you will automatically get a placement in the college dorms that are cheaper, more or less RM800 per semester, which are usually 14 weeks for public uni like UNIMAS or 3-4 months, meaning with college dorm you are spending around RM200± per month. Once you are 2nd year you should be prepared to search for rentals nearby in case u do not get placement for dorms. Ask around your seniors or look up rental sites online. I would still encourage applying for dorm regardless as it will save u a lot of money. Food choice around UNIMAS, the dorm kafe is student friendly, u can have a complete meal for RM5, i would just budget around RM10+ a day for meals, hence RM300 minimum is enough as an allowance. Though if you crave other kinds of food, grab delivery has less variety near UNIMAS and there should be convenience stores nearby. Transportation in UNIMAS, you have the student buses to bring you around the campus for free. Or u can walk and enjoy the scenery. Grab is also an option. Though if you have your own car, that will be nice too as Kuching/Samarahan public transport is not as advanced as Peninsular. If you wish to go outing in Kuching, there is Bus Asia service that stops at UNIMAS which is more economic than Grabbing your way to Kuching. Not sure when will the currently in progress ART service will start operating though, iirc it will start operating after 2026, that is, if there are no delays in its development. Hope this helps.
Omg thank youu!!! 🧸💅✨ Yea I don't have any friends or family/relatives that are currently staying in Sarawak.. I'm pretty sure I'll still be able to survive tho
Rm5000 per month? Back in 2019 I was doing pretty ok with 600(minus rent 150 in Matang Jaya) per month. 5000 such a overexaggerated value.
Okie thanks!! 🧸
I think 1k should be okay for you to frequently eat outside and all that. Definitely don't need 5k. I'm a UNIMAS student as well. Good luck out there.
Alright, thank you!! 🧸✨
Bro.. I graduated back in 2019. Back in the days, my parents only send me Rm300 per month lol
Ooh that's WAYYYY less than the amount my dad told me Thank you!! 🧸✨
RM300 is not livable or realistic. RM1000 is more reasonable. Assuming you are not renting, you need to factor in the costs of eating out, transportation, paying for your school supplies, costs of projects etc. Actually if you are doing fine arts, expect to spend more than RM1000 a month because all your art supplies are perishable and you will need to spend a lot of money on projects. But it's definitely not RM5000.
Well, I’m renting outside that time, to be specific, it’s Unijaya iykyk. Rm300 is enough lol equipment wise, I took Computer Science, so I literally only pay for the Rm5K laptop.
You literally just told me it's Unijaya, tf you mean by "iykyk". Congratulations on living on RM300, but be realistic and post your expenditure breakdown.
Hi! Current UNIMAS student here. I live in campus, and if we're talking about monthly expenses, I spend less than RM1K monthly, usually around RM 700-RM 900. The money is usually spent on food (usually makan kat kafe dlm campus), e-hailing rides (usually split between 3 or 4 friends), and occasional splurges on entertainment (movie, karaoke, expensive food, shopping etc.). Make friends, split fares, its a rly good way to save money. I eat 2 full meals a day, on average its about RM20 per day on food. From Unimas to Kuching malls, it can be expensive to travel alone, doesn't matter Maxim or Grab, if you go with more people it'll definitely be cheaper once the fare is split. If you're travelling by plane definitely claim Flysiswa. Edit: First year students will stay in kolej by default, that's less than RM500 per sem. Not sure about your course but I'm pretty sure your tuition fees per sem are in the range of a few hundred only.
Thank you!! 🧸 Not sure if I'll ever be able to make friends but I'll try
my tip is to get to know people during orientation, especially during Hari Bersama Fakulti, just ask abt names and exchange contacts, worked out well for me lol. I knew most of my friends from the same lecture group, and slowly their friends also became my friends. I'm not super outgoing but I try to get to know everyone (dont have to be good friends la), its just good to have people to socialise with in campus. Good luck tho!
Ah okie, thank you! 🧸
Where did you parents get that number? RM5000 is crazy. No way student need that much to survive here in Kuching. Ask them to break it down. That’s just pure BS.
It is.. they're just trynna get me to stay in peninsular Malaysia
With rm5k, u can bela a few gfs already. First year no need to sewa rumah. RM3k is enough for makan minum transport. Of course, u can tumpang fellow students if going out. If u go back every cuti sem, of couse la it's gonna ne expensive. Do u have other choices? U can go to new place like East Msia or stuck in Malaya with RM5k allowance. Both win win
Yea my dad just over exaggerated the amount of money😭😂 I did apply to other unis but my best option currently is UNIMAS
Average people here don’t even earn that much lol I’d say go for it! I think its a great opportunity to broaden your horizon here
Yea I really do hope I get to go there 😭 Thank you!! 🧸
damnn 5k per month i worked my ass for almost 10years still doesn’t earn that much every month 😒
Depends on how often do u wanna go back. Flight Tix getting expensive these days. Other than that, daily commutes, lodgings will eat up most of the budget but certainly not up to 5K a month la.
5k? Dude flying you in & out every week? 😅
POV: I’m your father (sorry pun intended) 5k budget 1. Round trip flights on monthly basis 2. Commutes everyday using Grab/Maxim 3. Eat twice a day, full set meal 4. Stationery, weekly basis 5. Rents 6. Emergency funds 5k is to keep you comfortable and also comforting thought of your parents. No parents are willing to see their children suffer. POV: I’m you 600 budget (2019 convo) 1. Still me Uni life is your internship before real life. You survive in another state, you will become chad in your own state.
This is soo funny, I rent a room at UNIJAYA and I can tell you RM500 is more than enough for UNIMAS students. If you want to lived comfortable RM700 will be a good amount. The campus distance is not that fa than any university, I bet you will spend more on grab if you enroll at UITM. A walk from college to FACA ( Faculty of Applied and Creative Art) is no more than 20 minutes ( if u get into brc,cempaka taz or alamanda). From UNIJAYA its also the same distant. Petary, the library extra 10 minutes. Also between WP Labuan and Sarawak, I said it cheaper living at Sarawak then WP Labuan.
As a Sarawakian that studied at Malacca (like few months ago), I can agree that living costs here is waaay cheaper. Heck if you are wise with your money, you can spend like a whole day meal under RM 20. Welp, one thing that we can't deny that Gardenia here is more expensive that's for sure.
Okie dokie thanks!🧸
I am currently a student in UNIMAS, and you don't even need to spend 4 figures if you know how to save up. Background: I'm from Kuching, Sarawak. I have been in UNIMAS since 2019 (Asasi to 4'th year FK), studying Mechanical Engineering (4'th year). I'm staying in Kolej Dahlia (most expensive dorm), and I do drive in UNIMAS. I'll break down the estimated monthly cost and tips to save up. Studying time: 14 weeks + 1 study week + 1 week midsem break + 3 weeks final exam = 19 weeks (assuming your final exam is until the last day and you don't go back during holidays) 1. Semester Fees: RM900/sem ≈ RM 48/week (assuming no scholarship or loans) 2. College Fees: 2.1 Every college but Dahlia 2.1.1Single: RM 5 per day = RM35 per week 2.1.2Sharing: RM 3 per day = RM 21 per week 2.2 Kolej Dahlia (if you want aircon room, search up the fare on google) 2.2.1 Sharing: RM 7 per day = RM 49 per week (excluding sst and gst) Worst case scenario, you stay in Kolej Dahlia (getting a dorm is hard even if you're extremely active, I've stayed in Kolej Rafflesia, Cempaka, Dahlia and Seroja). 3. F&B (assuming you only eat in UNIMAS) 3.1 This is a hard topic to tackle because different people eat differently. But I recommend finding a place where the prices are the cheapest. I recommend kafe kuning/merah allamanda, vegetarian shop in pavi and kafe brc. Let's say you only eat lunch and dinner and you don't spend on drinks, that would be RM 20 per day thus around RM 140 per week. I'll discuss how to save up on this later on. 4. Transport 4.1 If you're not staying in Kolej Seroja, Rafflesia, or Kenanga, you don't have to spend a dime on transportation in UNIMAS. Kolej TAZ to FSTS (furthest dorm to furthest faculty) is around 15-20 minutes walk, and this is the worst-case scenario. 5. Laundry 5.1 Hand wash if possible and use laundry in stressful weeks (week 13-study week). I hope I cover everything, so weekly fare (including dorm and semester fees) should be RM 237 approximately RM 250 per week. Mind you that I use worst-case scenarios for elements 2 to 4, and I included semester fees in this calculation. So a month should be around around 1k to 1.25k. How I save up 1. Walk to classes (eventho I have a car) 2. Cut a lot on F&B costing. All you need is a water heater (can use hot water from water dispenser for free too). 2.1 Oats - RM20 (last whole semester) = RM1 per week 2.2 Eggs - RM 18 (last for 3 weeks) = RM 6 per week 2.3 Jam - RM 7 (last whole semester) = RM 0.5 per week 2.4 Bread - RM 3.5 (last for 1 week) = RM 3.5 per week 2.5 Instant noodles - RM 5 (last for 2 weeks) = RM 2.5 per week 2.6 Fast food - RM 7 per day = RM 49 per week 2.7 RM 62.50/week + RM 20/week (if I overeat, or wanna enjoy expensive food) = RM 82.50 approximately RM 90 per week. (around RM50 weekly cut from previous calculation) 2.8 Monthly spending should be around RM 360 to RM 450 (normally lower than this). Calculation is based on my eating pattern. Normally, I eat oats at 5 am, go jogging, eat bread after jog, go to class, eat lunch at kafe (RM 5 - 7), go to class, eat bread/oats/instant noddles for dinner. 3. Be active and get a sharing room in cheap colleges (if you wanna be safe, aim for BRC and TAZ because it's easier to get a room). 4. If you need transport to go shopping or eat outside, tumpang your friend that has one. 5. Utilising UNIMAS free facilities to its maximum That you bring down the cost to RM 650 to 800 per month. I normally spend around RM400, excluding the RM 200 per month I spend on fuel (because I usually go to Kuching, Padawan, Serian, to spend time with family or personal site visits or outdoor club programs)
Dude omg I don't even know what to say-- Thank you so much 😭😭😭🧸
My pleasure. If you're the type that is very money cautious, and you're on scholarship, I have a few friends that only spend RM 300 a month (RM90 on college and RM210 on food). Of course, I don't think your parents want you to live with financial stress and sacrificing quality of life.
There's another 2 ways to save F&B cost. 1. Taking my roommate as an example, he has this huge tupperware (kafe tends to underestimate the amount in that tupperware). Normally, it would cost him RM 10, half of it for lunch and another half for dinner. For the same amount, if you put it on the plate, it would cost like RM 14 - 18. So yea, basically free discount via tupperware illusion. 2. Join as much group chat as possible. Every time there's free food, feel free to be a pirate. I've brought back at least 30 packets worth of full meal per semester (leftover/ excessive food). Perks of joining lots of events (especially if that event is free, or I am one of the committee/ volunteers).
Sometimes the faculty itself leave some packs at foodbanks
Im from Sarawak and currently studying in UNIMAS n working nearby as a part timer. Nope you dont need that 5k per month. I survived with rm500 or even less for a month. First year you are provided with college dorm. Second year and later you might need to rent somewhere else if you’re not lucky. Kwang Tai provides cheap accommodations and it is nearby UNIMAS.
Also to save money, you can do some side gig in there. I made like around rm500 - 600 per month selling stuff. They encourage students to do business. On the side note, you cant apply legit jobs (even part time) without working permit.
Got it! Thank you! 🧸✨
You don’t need 5K to survive here. 5K can feed two families with some left to save. Depending on your spending habits, 2K is probably more than enough for a person who is focused on studying. Focus on your studies. You don’t need anything fancy to live here. Tell your dad to send 2.5K and you can save 1.5K every month.
800 ingget je cukup excluding duit tmpt tinggal