KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — Shah Alam’s rising living cost is a consequence of its growing residential appeal, rather than policy failures or mismanagement, said Mydin managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin.
He said the city’s increasing costliness is driven by urban migration, particularly middle-income households from Kuala Lumpur seeking better planning, infrastructure, and overall liveability.
“Shah Alam has wider roads, more organised townships, good infrastructure, and strong community amenities. These are exactly the qualities people look for, and naturally, demand pushes up property prices, rent and service costs,” he said when met at the launch of a book titled Putting Everything in Its Proper Place by Kamarudin Abu Bakar at Zezz Residence in Country Heights Damansara here on January 15.
Ameer also said that as more people move into Shah Alam, operating costs for businesses rise in terms of rent, utilities and labour.
“Retailers are not pricesetters. We operate on fixed margins. When rent and utilities go up, those costs are reflected in final prices,” he said.
On policy priorities, Ameer Ali cautioned against an excessive focus on living costs in developed cities like Shah Alam. Instead, he urged the government to channel resources into addressing poverty and accelerating growth in underdeveloped regions.
“Helping lower-income communities outside major urban centres and uplifting poorer regions will have a much greater national impact than subsidising cities that are already well developed,” he said.
He added that Shah Alam’s rising costs should be viewed as a reflection of its success and desirability, rather than a sign of structural weakness, as the city continues to attract residents seeking better quality of life.
On December 24 last year, the Statistics Department (DOSM) revealed that Shah Alam had the highest cost of living among Malaysian state capitals in 2024.
In its Cost of Living Indicators Report 2024, Shah Alam, which surpassed Kuala Lumpur, had a Basic Expenditure of Decent Living (PAKW) Index of 99.8, followed by Johor Baru (92.9) and George Town (90.7).
