Indoor smoking is tightly controlled compared with most places. Law vibe is strict, orderly, and very rule-aware.
Minimum budget: rural $2800/mo, urban $3100/mo. Medical insurance: $2,200/yr.
Auto: A Russian license needs an IDP, official English translation for clean visitor driving, and rental desks are strict. Rentals are extremely expensive, often $90-180+/day for compact Toyota, Honda, Mazda class because car ownership costs are baked into the market. Malaysia crossing is possible only with explicit permission and insurance; Johor checkpoints can be painfully slow at peak times.
Smoking: Indoor smoking is tightly controlled compared with most places.
Police / rules: Police and public-order vibe is strict and rules-first: keep behavior clean, keep documents in order, and do not expect small-rule flexibility to be the default.