AWS Malaysia Region vs Singapore: How SMEs Can Save 10–20% on Cloud Costs with Smart Migration

Reading Time: 7 minutes
Audience: SME Business Owners, IT Managers
Tags: Cloud Migration, AWS Cost Optimisation, SME Digitalisation, FinOps

Why This Matters for Malaysian SMEs

Until 2024, most Malaysian businesses hosted in AWS Singapore because it was the closest region.
On 21 August 2024, AWS launched the Malaysia Region (ap-southeast-5).
👉 AWS Official Blog — Malaysia Region Now Open

For SMEs, this means:

• ✅ Lower hosting costs (10–20% savings possible)
• ✅ Faster systems for Malaysian users (less lag)
• ✅ Easier compliance with PDPA and grant requirements
• ✅ Billing in MYR instead of SGD/USD

How Much Can You Save?

Many SMEs ask: “Is AWS Malaysia really cheaper than Singapore?”

Here’s what early comparisons and public pricing trackers show:

• EC2 Instance Price (t3.medium): ~USD 0.046/hr in Singapore vs ~USD 0.040/hr in Malaysia — about 13% cheaper.
• Data Transfer to Malaysian users: Cross-border rates from Singapore vs local rates in Malaysia — expect lower egress costs.
• Latency to Kuala Lumpur: 50–60 ms when hosted in Singapore vs 10–20 ms in Malaysia — noticeably faster experiences.
• Billing Currency: SGD/USD in Singapore vs MYR in Malaysia — no foreign exchange losses.

📉 Typical savings: 10–20% of monthly bills, depending on workload profile.

• Global AWS region cost tracker: CloudPrice AWS Comparison

Migration Strategy: From Singapore to Malaysia

For SME Owners:
Think of migration like moving your office from across the border to downtown KL — shorter commute, cheaper rent, and easier paperwork.

For IT Managers:
Here’s the technical playbook:

1. Assess current workloads (EC2, RDS, S3, data transfer).
2. Plan the migration:
   • Lift-and-Shift → fastest, minimal changes.
   • Re-architect → adopt newer, cheaper services (e.g., Graviton EC2, Lambda).
   • Dual-Run → temporary parallel setup for zero downtime.
3. Execute using AWS tools:
   • Migration Hub, Application Migration Service, Database Migration Service.
4. Optimise after cutover:
   • Right-size servers.
   • Use Savings Plans / Spot Instances.
   • Apply S3 lifecycle rules.
   • Enable FinOps cost monitoring.

For deeper architectural guidance, explore our AWS Cloud Architecture services.

How Anchor Sprint Helps SMEs

We understand SMEs don’t have time for trial and error. Anchor Sprint provides:

• 🔍 Cloud Cost Evaluation → Compare your Singapore bill with Malaysia projections.
• 🗺️ Migration Roadmap → Choose the safest, cheapest path.
• ⚙️ End-to-End Migration → Hands-on execution with minimal downtime.
• 📊 Continuous Optimisation → FinOps monitoring to sustain savings.

💡 Business Owner takeaway: You’ll know how much you can save before making the move.
⚙️ IT Manager takeaway: You’ll get a tested migration plan with the right tools and no guesswork.

👉 Book a free AWS Cost Assessment with Anchor Sprint and see your real savings potential.

FAQs

Q1: Is AWS Malaysia really cheaper?
Yes — compute is ~13% cheaper for some instances, plus lower data transfer costs. Many SMEs save 10–20% overall.

Q2: What about downtime?
With a dual-run migration, downtime can be close to zero.

Q3: Are all AWS services in Malaysia?
Most core services are live. Niche services (advanced ML) may lag behind Singapore.

Q4: Can I get government grants for migration?
Yes — some digitalisation grants require local hosting, making AWS Malaysia a better fit.

Conclusion: Time to Rethink Your AWS Strategy

The AWS Malaysia region is a game-changer for local SMEs. By moving workloads from Singapore to Malaysia, you can:
✅ Cut 10–20% of cloud costs
✅ Improve performance & reliability
✅ Simplify compliance & billing

Anchor Sprint is ready to help you model savings, build a safe migration plan, and execute with confidence.

👉 Schedule your free AWS cost evaluation today and unlock smarter cloud savings.

References

• AWS Official Blog — AWS Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Region Now Open (21 Aug 2024)
• CloudPrice — AWS Region Pricing Comparison