M'sia home prices at 5.5 times of median income

Kuala Lumpur

IN median income terms, the average home in Malaysia costs more than in Singapore, the US, the UK or Ireland - one reason being the hefty profits made by builders, according to a survey by Khazanah Nasional.

If affordable housing should cost three times annual median income, average prices in Malaysia are much higher at 5.5 times. In comparison, Singapore's housing prices are 5.1 times and the UK 4.7 times, its research institute's "The State of Households" reveals.

At 14.9 times, land scarce but heavily populated Hong Kong occupies a tier by itself, its stratospheric home prices fam…