FollowThe cost of living and food prices in Ipoh are noticeably lower than in Kuala Lumpur. If you shop for food and fresh produce in places like Kg Simee and Bercham—both well-known new villages—the prices are even more affordable.
My dad loves doing his marketing at the Kg Simee wet market, a place our family has been visiting for more than half a century. It’s familiar, friendly, and full of long-time vendors who know their customers well.
He cooks a wide variety of delicious home-style dishes for us every day, yet the ingredients he buys are surprisingly inexpensive. A bundle of vegetables can cost as little as RM1 to RM3, and the sellers often throw in extra or freebies. He also frequents Lotus’s, where fresh produce can be very reasonably priced. Just the other day, he bought white pomfret for RM4 each, and yesterday, large black pomfret for RM7 each.
Dad also enjoys buying ready-cooked dishes from a shop in Kg Simee—comfort food that tastes like home. Their black vinegar pork trotters with radish cost only RM10 for a big pot (pic below), enough to feed the three of us for two days. A pot of braised chicken with black fungus and red fermented bean curd (pic below), also sufficient for three, costs just RM15. In Kuala Lumpur, these dishes would easily cost double, if not more. This shop also sells delicious pig intestines pepper soup and braised pork ribs at RM10 – RM15 for a big packet, enough for 3-4 pax.
For anyone looking for a lower cost of living, good food, and affordable everyday meals, Ipoh is truly worth considering—especially as a place to retire and enjoy a slower, more comfortable pace of life 
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