How much duit raya should you give this year? The gomen calculated

Raya is just around the corner. And we’re pretty sure with the recent MCO announcement, there are certain raya traditions that you’ll miss – from the gatherings to the food and even… duit raya!

Speaking of which…

But here’s a question to ponder – how much of duit raya should you be giving out in this current time? Thankfully, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) might just have an answer for you.

You can give up to… RM122.29 in a single packet!!

Well… this is considering if you’re one of those rich uncles and aunties who always give RM100 duit raya every year la, ok?

Anyways, DOSM recently posted an infographic on its Facebook and Twitter about how much duit raya should you be giving out now as compared to 10 years ago (2011). And, boi were the numbers interesting.

According to DOSM, you shouldn’t be giving out RM10 every single year for 10 years. Instead, if you gave RM10 duit raya back in 2011, then you might wanna consider giving out RM12.29 this year, thanks to the national rate of inflation.

Ok, we know that the amount of money doesn’t seem like a huge difference, so let us put it into a more realistic perspective. Imagine using the RM10 duit raya you gave to buy roti canai in 2011 and 2021.

Why specifically roti canai? Well, that’s because the inflation rate of roti canai based on an article we wrote in 2018 and the ones reported by DOSM are almost similar, which is at 22.9%.

So, how many plates of roti canai can a person buy using his or her RM10 duit raya back in 2011 and, now, in 2021?

2011:

RM10/RM1.20 = 8 plates

2021:

RM10/RM1.50 = 6 plates

You gotta admit that getting 8 and 6 plates of roti canai can make a HUGE difference. 

But that’s not all.

Johoreans might be giving the MOST duit raya this year 🤑

But it has nothing to do with their location being too close to our kiasu neighbour, Singapore.

Now, if you take a closer look at the infographic, you’d notice that your duit raya rates seem to change depending on where you’re living. If you’re living in places like KL, Selangor, Penang and Johor, be prepared to give out more ka-chings this year as compared to other states.

Wah, why so unfair one? T.T

In general, inflation rates are typically measured based on the assumption that everyone, everywhere in the WHOLE country consumes the same thing – food, financial obligations, and services. But we know this is not 100% true, la. 

And that’s because, according to Bank Negara, the rate of inflation is also affected by two factors – location and household income. You can see a higher inflation rate in more urbanised areas like KL, Selangor, Penang and Johor. This explains why the people living in these areas would have to prepare more cash for duit raya this year.

Just to add on, lower income groups also face higher inflation. And it doesn’t really help if they’re living in urbanised areas because they tend to experience an even higher cost of living. 

So, if you’re a duit raya receiver from urbanised areas, then hurrah! You may be expecting to receive RM62.15 this year if you’ve been getting RM50 these past 10 years.

But bad news to those who are living in these areas and are only making about RM2,000 per month (read: urban poor). You may wanna do some MAT-MATIK to find out if you have enough money to survive for the month if you still insist to give out duit raya.

So… how much duit raya is acceptable to give?

Easy answer: Depends on your budget.

Let’s be real for a moment – nobody has actually ever given duit raya with cents anymore these days (please, do let us know in the comment section if you’ve received them in the past five years). So, you can take DOSM’s infographic as an stonks economy lesson instead.

And we’d love to help you answer the question of how much duit raya you should be giving by comparing the minimum wage Malaysia had in 2011 to the ones it has now. However, the Minimum Wage Order was only put to practice in 2012. So, it’s a bit tricky to calculate when the minimum wage wasn’t really standardised back in 2011.

But fret not, we do find some helpful tips for you. For one, you should set a budget for duit raya and list out all of your recipients. Pro-tip: the closer your relatives are to you, the more money you may wanna give them.

Oh, we also gotta note that it’s completely okay if you don’t give out duit raya, especially during these tough times. We’re pretty sure your relatives would understand.

At the end of the day, the amount of duit raya you’re giving shouldn’t be what matters the most. It’s the thought that counts, right?

And with the current MCO, we’d like to remind you to stay safe during this festive celebration. Selamat Hari Raya, ugaiz!