It's interesting that you guys seem to think living is quite affordable here.
Imported cars are obviously extremely expensive in Malaysia, but compared to, say, the USA or UK, cars here are expensive. Wine, too. But it's not like anybody is forcing you to buy an imported car or drink wine.
You gotta eat. The cheapest meal here, if you eat out, would be AU$8. Wanna beer with that? AU$10.
You need a roof over your head, too. It's too expensive to live in Sydney, so you move to Perth or Adelaide. AU$500,000+, thanks, for a basic house on a tiny block 30 minutes from a State capital! Oh yeah, that is after you find a 20% deposit and pay 6% interest on your loan. Plus, maybe another 10-20% of the value of the house in taxes and duties.
Which, as you pointed out, is after the government has taxed your income at 30-40%!
Fuel? AU$1.50 / L
Electricity and water? AU$2-400 / month
Interesting comments about the expensive watches here. I don't shop in the AUD$20k range, so I wouldn't know, but a US$300 Seiko retails for AU$600-700 here. Seriously. A B01 Navitimer on bracelet is something like AU$11k, at least $2k more than other markets.
Not having a whinge, I love this place. But most other countries seem more affordable.