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Trading Singapore for KL: One couple’s search for a slower, more affordable life​

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Rachell Tan and her husband Sean Lee bought a 135 sq m apartment for about $539,000 in the Desa ParkCity township in Kuala Lumpur.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RACHELL TAN


Published Jul 13, 2026, 11:15 AM
Updated Jul 13, 2026, 02:18 PM


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SINGAPORE – Singaporean couple Sean Lee, 37, and his wife Rachell Tan, 36, brought their retirement plans forward by nearly two decades when they relocated to Kuala Lumpur in 2025.

The couple, who married in 2020 and who run an e-commerce business together, live in the gated township Desa ParkCity in KL, in a 135 sq m three-bedroom condominium apartment which they bought for around RM1.7 million (S$539,000).

After leaving their four-room Housing Board flat in Yishun vacant for almost a year, they recently sold itfor $520,000, nearly double the price they paid on the resale market in 2019.

 

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Since relocating, they estimate that their average monthly expenditure has decreased by at least 30 per cent, from $4,000 to roughly $2,740.

Enabled by remote work and digital businesses, Lee and Tan are among a growing number of Singaporeans exploring the idea of relocation while they are in the prime of their careers, drawn by lower living costs and the promise of a slower pace of life.

Those who spoke to The Straits Times say housing affordability, cheaper daily expenses and proximity to Singapore are some of the draws of moving across the Causeway.

Motivation behind the move​

Lee and Tan, who do not have children, initially wanted to achieve financial independence in their 40s before moving to the Malaysian capital in their 50s for a slower, more affordable lifestyle.

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But those plans were upended in 2024 when Lee’s mother unexpectedly lost her job in the food and beverage industry.

Until then, the couple’s road map to early retirement had centred on property. In 2024, they spent around $36,000 to renovate the four-room HDB flat of Lee’s single mother, making it more modern and elderly-friendly – with plans to move in with her after selling their own four-room resale flat at a profit.