Hong Kong vs Malaysia

Score comparison table

DimensionHong KongMalaysia
Lucky Nomads World Index
7.25 / 107.37 / 10
SafetyShield Index
8.8 / 108.3 / 10
Affordability Index
3.6 / 107.7 / 10
Entry Ease Index
7.4 / 106.6 / 10
Tax Freedom Index
9.0 / 107.7 / 10
WiFi Index
8.8 / 108.5 / 10
Admin Ease Index
9.3 / 108.0 / 10
Healthcare Index
8.2 / 107.9 / 10
City Comfort Index
9.1 / 108.5 / 10
WeatherComfort Index
6.4 / 105.5 / 10
Banking Index
9.4 / 107.7 / 10
GeoStability Index
7.0 / 107.7 / 10
Justice & Order Index
6.1 / 106.0 / 10
Quality of Life Index
8.0 / 107.6 / 10
Open Society Index
5.3 / 105.1 / 10
Flight Index
8.0 / 106.1 / 10
Environmental Quality Index
7.3 / 107.3 / 10
English Index
7.5 / 106.7 / 10
Wealth Protection Index
9.3 / 108.3 / 10
AI Access Index
5.7 / 107.6 / 10

Tax, economy, and demographics

DimensionHong KongMalaysia
Corporate income tax
16.5%Moderate
24%High
Corporate tax basis
Territorial
Modified remittance basis
Personal income tax (marginal)
17%Low
30%High
Personal tax basis
Territorial
Remittance basis
Population7.5 M
34.2 M×4.55
Area1,114 km²
329,847 km²×296
Population density6,741 /km²104 /km²
CapitalHong KongKuala Lumpur
CurrencyHKD (Hong Kong dollar)MYR (Malaysian ringgit)
Main airportHKG (Hong Kong International Airport)KUL (Kuala Lumpur International Airport)
Phone code+852+60
Internet TLD.hk.my

Visa access controls

Your access

Pick your nationality above to see how long you can stay in each country and whether you need a visa.

Passport power

Mobility strength of each country's passport, useful if you are weighing it as a future citizenship.

Hong Kong passport

54.99

LN Passport Index (#40)

179

Visa-free destinations

  • Schengen visa-free
  • UK visa-free
  • Canada eTA
  • Australia eTA

Malaysia passport

52.82

LN Passport Index (#47)

192

Visa-free destinations

  • Schengen visa-free
  • UK visa-free
  • Canada eTA
  • Australia eTA

Verdict

For professionals who prioritize affordability index, Malaysia leads with 7.7 / 10 versus 3.6 / 10 for Hong Kong. On ai access index, Malaysia is at 7.6 / 10 compared with 5.7 / 10 for Hong Kong.

Who should choose which country

Who should choose Hong Kong

  • Professionals who prioritize banking index (world-class banking access for expats)
  • Professionals who prioritize admin ease index (minimal day-to-day bureaucracy)
  • Professionals who prioritize wealth protection index (exceptional wealth protection index)

Who should choose Malaysia

  • Professionals who prioritize wifi index (high-quality connectivity for remote work)
  • Professionals who prioritize city comfort index (high urban quality of life)
  • Professionals who prioritize wealth protection index (very strong wealth protection index)

Also compare

See full Hong Kong analysis →See full Malaysia analysis →
Lucky Maillard, Founder of Lucky Nomads

Lucky Maillard

Founder, Lucky Nomads · Wealth manager

Researched from official sources, leading global indices and Lucky Nomads' own scoring.

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