The hustle economy: Young Malaysians facing the cost of modern living
This is the economic reality facing Malaysia's Gen Z, where even an RM2,600 starting salary – once considered substantial – now feels insufficient in urban centres like Kuala Lumpur.
DASHVEENJIT KAUR13 Feb 2025 09:00am
Financial pressures affect daily spending and fundamentally reshape major life decisions. Photo: Canva
A college student's weekly allowance of RM200 barely lasts three days.
Young couples need two incomes to survive, yet still struggle to envisage marriage or children.
This is the economic reality facing Malaysia's Gen Z, where even an RM2,600 starting salary — once considered substantial — now feels insufficient in urban centres like Kuala Lumpur.
In a series of candid interviews with Sinar Daily, three young Malaysians revealed their strategies, struggles and observations about navigating today's financial landscape.
Their stories paint a picture of a generation forced to be resourceful yet increasingly anxious about their financial future.
"Even if I have RM2,000 now, it's not enough. But that amount was a huge thing for them [the previous generation].
Even RM100 was substantial over a decade ago," said Sarah Andrejen, who, at just 17, took over her mother's flower business.
Now pursuing a master's degree while running her business and working as the head of marketing for a beauty brand, Sarah represents a growing trend of young Malaysians juggling multiple income streams.
THE HUSTLE GENERATION
This multiplication of jobs isn't just about ambition — it's about survival.
"Many people around me are working two or three jobs, especially when it comes to part-time jobs," she said.
As a marketing professional, she observes that many young people, especially those in their early 20s, are actively seeking additional income streams through various means, including social media affiliates.
Yet despite this hustle culture, daily financial struggles persist. Adam Zulaini, a 21-year-old fashion design and management student, provides a stark glimpse into student life.
His parents' weekly allowance of RM200 "only lasted for like three days," with the rest of the week sustained by instant noodles.
This might suggest poor budgeting; Adam acknowledged spending on "unnecessary things" like vapes and coffee, which reflects a broader generational struggle between meeting basic needs and maintaining lifestyle aspirations in an increasingly expensive world.
These financial pressures don't just affect daily spending — they're fundamentally reshaping major life decisions.
REDEFINING LIFE MILESTONES
Ain Husniza, 21, a student and advocate for women's and children's rights, said that most married couples today have no choice but for both partners to work full time, unlike a decade ago when one income was enough to support a family.
This shift has created a complex web of marriage and family planning considerations.
High living costs and the desire for work-life balance and personal fulfilment have led many young Malaysians to delay or reconsider traditional life paths.
As Ain pointed out, it's not just about affording a child — it's about having the time and resources to raise one well.
The generation's response to these pressures varies dramatically.
Some, like Sarah's acquaintances, set ambitious financial goals: "They want to get luxurious cars like Porsche and Mustang in their 20s."
Others, like Adam, mask their financial anxiety with humour — when asked about his future, he quips about "living on the side of the road due to not having enough income with my unusual spending."
Behind such self-deprecating humour lies a stark reality many young Malaysians face: the widening gap between lifestyle aspirations and realistic earning potential.
This tension creates financial stress and constant psychological pressure to keep up.
As Ain described: "It's not enough to work hard anymore. We must maintain a LinkedIn presence for career growth and curate our Instagram for personal branding. We have to keep up with so many things just to be relevant in today's world."
Some adaptations are more practical. Despite his limited budget, Adam opts for public transportation to save fuel and money.
However, his experience reflects the compromises Gen Z often makes between economy and convenience.
"As a Gen Z? Public transport is not the first option because we prefer things to be faster.
"So if you drive a personal car, you will reach a place faster. On the contrary, we'd have to hustle and wait for half an hour for a bus to come," he said, adding that while buses could be more comfortable – "sometimes, you know, it smells like armpits and socks" – but the cost savings make it worthwhile.
This balance between ideal and reality characterises many of their financial decisions.
Overall, these conversations paint a picture of a generation that's simultaneously more financially aware and more financially pressured than their predecessors.
They're creative in finding income streams, conscious of the need to build wealth, yet often overwhelmed by the gap between their aspirations and economic realities.
The challenge facing Malaysia's economic policymakers is clear and urgent: bridging the growing divide between young people's earning potential and the reality of modern living costs.
As Sarah noted about entry-level salaries, "With a degree, it is only RM2,500. To top it off, the cost of living is very high compared to the previous generations."
Yet despite these challenges, Gen Z demonstrates remarkable resilience and adaptability — finding creative ways to generate income, reimagining traditional life milestones, and crafting their definitions of success.
Their ability to navigate these financial pressures while maintaining hope for the future may become their defining generational trait.
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