--- title: "KL CBD & Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur — Class A submarket" description: "Historic CBD with Merdeka 118 trophy." canonical: https://classa.info/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka pageType: neighborhood lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > KL CBD & Merdeka is a trophy-tier Class A submarket of Kuala Lumpur with average asking rent around RM120/sqm/mo · ≈ $28.1 PSF/yr USD. ## TL;DR - Historic CBD with Merdeka 118 trophy. - Trophy tier — ~RM120/sqm/mo. - Active Class A leasing market with deal flow across major broker desks. # KL CBD & Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur — Class A submarket *Historic CBD with Merdeka 118 trophy.* · Tier: trophy · Avg rent: RM120/sqm/mo · ≈ $28.1 PSF/yr USD ## TL;DR - Historic CBD with Merdeka 118 trophy. - [Trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) — ~RM120/sqm/mo. - Active [Class A](/glossary/class-a) leasing market with deal flow across major broker desks. ## Overview The historic KL CBD around Merdeka Square anchors trophy stock — Merdeka 118 (the tallest building in Southeast Asia), Menara Maybank, and the deep banking core. ## Tenant profile Banking (Maybank), government, professional services, hospitality. ## Typical specification 15–40,000 sqft floor plates available across newer Class A stock; 9'+ slab-to-slab and modern MEP common. ## Transit Pasar Seni (LRT Kelana Jaya, MRT Kajang), Merdeka (MRT Kajang and Putrajaya Lines). Multi-modal transit captures the metro's principal professional catchment. ## Amenities Merdeka Square, Pasar Seni, Petaling Street. ## Comparable buildings - **Merdeka 118** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Merdeka%20118%2C%20Jalan%20Hang%20Jebat%2C%2050100%20Kuala%20Lumpur%2C%20KL%20CBD%20%26%20Merdeka%2C%20Kuala%20Lumpur%2C%20Malaysia&query_place_id=ChIJFekvqdBJzDER0ceyCU0bUXM) - **Menara Maybank** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Menara%20Maybank%2C%20100%20Jalan%20Tun%20Perak%2C%2050050%20Kuala%20Lumpur%2C%20KL%20CBD%20%26%20Merdeka%2C%20Kuala%20Lumpur%2C%20Malaysia&query_place_id=ChIJwcT1wtNJzDERK72Wi2Bzthc) - **Wisma Genting** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Wisma%20Genting%2C%2028%20Jalan%20Sultan%20Ismail%2C%2050250%20Kuala%20Lumpur%2C%20KL%20CBD%20%26%20Merdeka%2C%20Kuala%20Lumpur%2C%20Malaysia&query_place_id=ChIJgYqeRQA3zDERuyX0RXIAbQ0) ## Where KL CBD & Merdeka sits in Kuala Lumpur KL CBD & Merdeka is one of 5 Class A submarkets we cover in Kuala Lumpur, classified as trophy tier with an average asking rent around RM120/sqm/mo · ≈ $28.1 PSF/yr USD. Compared with the broader Kuala Lumpur Class A stock, KL CBD & Merdeka typically attracts Banking (Maybank), government, professional services, hospitality and competes most directly with the city's other trophy submarkets on building specification, transit access, and [amenitisation](/glossary/amenitisation). Adjacent submarkets to study alongside KL CBD & Merdeka: [KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre)](/cities/kuala-lumpur/klcc), [TRX (Tun Razak Exchange)](/cities/kuala-lumpur/trx-tun-razak-exchange), [Bangsar & Mid Valley](/cities/kuala-lumpur/bangsar-mid-valley), [Bangsar South & KL Sentral](/cities/kuala-lumpur/bangsar-south-kl-sentral). The full Kuala Lumpur submarket atlas is at [/cities/kuala-lumpur](/cities/kuala-lumpur). ## Topic deep-dives for KL CBD & Merdeka For an institutional Class A occupier evaluating KL CBD & Merdeka, the highest-leverage analyses to commission next are the rent benchmark, the concession-package comparable, and the ESG performance baseline. Class A Atlas covers each as a dedicated topic page for this submarket: - [KL CBD & Merdeka — ](/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka/rents-and-availability) - [KL CBD & Merdeka — ](/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka/tenant-profile) - [KL CBD & Merdeka — ](/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka/transit-and-commute) - [KL CBD & Merdeka — ](/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka/amenity-and-lifestyle) - [KL CBD & Merdeka — ](/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka/trophy-and-comparables) - [KL CBD & Merdeka — ](/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka/fit-out-and-spec) ## Related glossary Terminology specific to Kuala Lumpur Class A leasing and to the trophy tier: [Class A](/glossary/class-a), [Trophy asset](/glossary/trophy-asset), [Effective rent](/glossary/effective-rent), [Concession package](/glossary/concession-package), [TI allowance](/glossary/ti-allowance), [Submarket tier](/glossary/submarket-tier). ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Kenji Watanabe**](/about/authors/kenji-watanabe) — APAC contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) ## Related topics - [**Class A Lease Negotiation**](/topics/class-a-lease-negotiation) — How to negotiate a Class A office lease — the playbook from LOI to signed deal. - [**Hybrid Workplace Strategy**](/topics/hybrid-workplace-strategy) — How to size, structure, and lease a Class A office for a hybrid workforce. - [**ESG / LEED for Tenants**](/topics/esg-leed-tenants) — How tenants evaluate, negotiate, and report on ESG performance in a Class A office lease. - [**Cross-border Expansion**](/topics/cross-border-expansion) — How to run a coordinated Class A office search across multiple geographies. - [**Fit-out Capex**](/topics/fit-out-capex) — How to budget, sequence, and govern Class A office [fit-out](/topics/fit-out-capex)">fit-out capex. - [**Lease vs Flex**](/topics/lease-vs-flex) — When premium flex (coworking, [managed office](/glossary/managed-office)) beats a conventional Class A lease — and vice versa. --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/cities/kuala-lumpur/kl-cbd-merdeka), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.