Couple who moved to £80 billion ‘ghost city’ describes what it’s really like to live there

When a Chinese company agreed to spend £80 billion on a futuristic new city in Malaysia, they'd have been hoping that more than 9,000 people would be living there nearly a decade later.

Unfortunately for the developers Country Garden, various factors mean that their dream of building a utopia in 'Forest City' have fallen flat, leaving the area resembling something of a ghost town or zombie apocalypse.

While things are still well maintained, it is reported that just 15 percent of the planned infrastructure has been built, while local Malaysians have been priced out of renting the few areas that are ready to live in.

There is also something of a property crisis in China, with the government there restricting overseas real estate investments, and former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad previously blocked visas for Chinese buyers, as he opposed the idea of it being a 'city for foreigners', which has instead left it to be a city for pretty much nobody.

The city does tend to look abandoned at times (Samsul Said/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When the pandemic arrived in late 2019, it also seriously impacted business as borders closed and potential residents could no longer travel across to visit the city.

Plenty of YouTubers have visited the city in the hope of getting to the bottom of why it remains largely deserted, but locals do seem to love it there.

For anyone who doesn't mind a bit of isolation, it could be a dream location, as fairly-priced properties include amenities like swimming pools, tennis courts and gyms. Although you might struggle to find many shops or restaurants open in the area.

However, thanks to the work of local estate agents, the properties in forest city are now starting to fill up a little, and one couple has explained exactly why they decided to make the move to the city in the Malaysian state of Johor.

Speaking on a video for CNA Insider, Wafa Aina Wahid, who recently signed a lease with her husband, explained: "Here I can basically get below 2,000 ringgit ($450) per month for an apartment with two bathrooms. So it's more affordable compared to other places."

There are plenty of empty apartments (Samsul Said/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Wafa certainly isn't wrong there, considering most folks in the big smoke are paying four times that for a tiny flat that probably isn't within several miles of a swimming pool, let alone having one and a beach round the corner.

She added: "Finally I'm not going to have to do a long-distance relationship with my husband. So that's why I am so excited to move here. He can commute daily here."

The city is very much a work-in-process, and considering Country Garden are reportedly $200 billion in debt, it's hard to see it ever reflecting the vision of 2016, despite the company previously vowing to finish it.

So, if you don't mind living in luxury in an area where nothing really happens, then maybe Forest City is the place for you. It still sounds better than Dubai to me anyway.