A Malaysian woman’s breakdown of monthly expenses reignited discussions on whether T20 households are truly financially comfortable.
WITH the recent proposal to remove fuel subsidies for the higher-income households in Malaysia, netizens have voiced their dissatisfaction online, pointing out that there is more to it than meets the eye regarding households earning more than RM10,000 per month.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently said that the proposed targeted RON95 fuel subsidy rationalisation was still under review, including discussions on whether the rationalisation should apply to the T5, T10, T15 or T20 income groups.
Now viral on Threads, a Malaysian woman shared her perspective on the reality of earning above RM11,819 a month, reflecting on how little remains after covering necessary expenses.
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“Most T20 households are not one person earning RM11,819. It’s two people. Two salaries combined,” she said.
According to her post, the total expenditure for a family of three with a combined income of RM11,800 comes to RM10,100.
The list of expenses included rent or mortgage payments (RM3,000), car-related expenses (RM2,500), food (RM1,500), utilities and internet (RM1,000), insurance (RM600), a child’s schooling (RM500) and family leisure expenses (RM1,000).
This leaves just over RM1,000 each month for savings, emergencies and “everything else”.
She also added that the classification does not necessarily reflect the cost of living across every state nationwide.
“In Kedah, RM11,819 is genuinely comfortable. In Kuala Lumpur, RM11,819 is barely enough to keep up.
“Same country. Completely different financial realities, but the government uses one number for the whole of Malaysia,” the woman added.
She went on to argue that the proposed subsidy removal is not truly targeting the wealthy.
“It’s targeting people who look rich on paper but are quietly drowning in real life.
“The truly rich in Malaysia are not worried about RON95 prices. They’re worried about yacht fuel,” she said.
Netizens were divided, with several pointing out that lower-income households also have to scrimp and save due to tight budgets, while many agreed that earning a T20 salary does not necessarily mean living comfortably.
“In Johor Bahru, this is considered a B40 salary because everything is so expensive. This doesn’t even include expenses for children,” one user commented.
“We’re not living comfortably either; we’re surviving. While you’re driving expensive cars on the road, we drive the cheapest cars on the market, squeeze into two- or three-bedroom flats, and stretch every ringgit until payday,” another user countered.
