Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petaling Jaya and Rawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Rawang: $735 a month against $1,056 in Petaling Jaya, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Petaling Jaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Petaling Jaya
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Petaling Jaya Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Rawang
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Rawang Living Index

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Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,056

/mo nomad

Rawang

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Petaling Jaya and in Rawang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Petaling Jaya and in Rawang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $735 in Rawang, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,056
Rawang $735

A couple spends around $1,569 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,173 in Rawang, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $1,569
Rawang $1,173

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Petaling Jaya vs $1,611 in Rawang, rent included.

Petaling Jaya $2,082
Rawang $1,611

Petaling Jaya costs about 44% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Petaling Jaya and Rawang are more affordable than the global median – Petaling Jaya 22% lower, Rawang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.57 MYR 14.54

$3.72 MYR 15.15

-4.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.39 MYR 99.4

$19.66 MYR 80.1

24.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 MYR 19.75

$4.97 MYR 20.25

-2.41%

Cappuccino

$3.08 MYR 12.53

$3.00 MYR 12.22

2.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 MYR 3.46

$0.82 MYR 3.35

3.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 MYR 1.67

$0.40 MYR 1.61

2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 MYR 13.38

$4.23 MYR 17.23

-22.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 MYR 23.19

$4.42 MYR 18.01

28.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.79 MYR 7.30

7.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.04 MYR 4.23

-0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 5.87

$1.69 MYR 6.88

-14.79%

Eggs

$1.77 MYR 7.21

$2.14 MYR 8.72

-17.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 MYR 39.56

$14.18 MYR 57.8

-31.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 MYR 13.36

$4.43 MYR 18.04

-25.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.73 MYR 39.65

$10.17 MYR 41.42

-4.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 MYR 14.29

$2.92 MYR 11.88

20.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MYR 7.57

$1.82 MYR 7.44

2.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 MYR 11.13

$2.64 MYR 10.77

3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.44

$1.43 MYR 5.82

27.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MYR 8.75

$1.22 MYR 4.98

76.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 MYR 8.23

$1.31 MYR 5.34

54.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MYR 5.90

$1.12 MYR 4.58

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 MYR 2.14

$0.57 MYR 2.33

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$4.49 MYR 18.31

1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 MYR 79.0

$19.06 MYR 77.7

1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 MYR 10.75

$2.85 MYR 11.62

-7.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MYR 18.24

$4.94 MYR 20.13

-9.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$0.77 MYR 3.12

62.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.45 MYR 50.7

$12.26 MYR 49.97

1.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-31.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 MYR 1.44

$0.37 MYR 1.52

-5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 MYR 35.65

$6.83 MYR 27.82

28.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 MYR 3.55

$0.83 MYR 3.37

4.82%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$45.9K MYR 186.9K

$43.5K MYR 177.1K

5.57%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.3K MYR 143.9K

$35.0K MYR 142.7K

0.88%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$49.61 MYR 202

$36.97 MYR 151

34.19%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.18 MYR 33.33

$9.75 MYR 39.71

-16.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.36 MYR 111

$28.46 MYR 116

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 MYR 165

$37.63 MYR 153

7.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.03 MYR 12.34

$6.70 MYR 27.31

-54.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MYR 20.38

$4.87 MYR 19.85

2.67%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$273 MYR 1,112

$401 MYR 1,634

-31.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K MYR 42.9K

$10.9K MYR 44.6K

-3.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 MYR 210

$60.1 MYR 245

-14.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.45 MYR 120

$34.90 MYR 142

-15.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 MYR 318

$82.4 MYR 336

-5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MYR 355

$71.1 MYR 290

22.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,084

$143 MYR 581

258.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 MYR 1,738

$104 MYR 425

308.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 MYR 3,914

$576 MYR 2,347

66.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MYR 2,849

$234 MYR 955

198.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,144 MYR 12.8K

$1,963 MYR 7,998

60.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$976 MYR 3,978

$1,197 MYR 4,877

-18.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 MYR 7,115

$1,012 MYR 4,122

72.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.17

8.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Petaling Jaya: October 25, 2026

Last update for Rawang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Petaling Jaya

$426 40.4%

Rawang

$104 14.2% 75.5% $322

Groceries & Markets

Petaling Jaya

$249 23.6%

Rawang

$262 35.6% 5% $13

Eating Out

Petaling Jaya

$113 10.7%

Rawang

$115 15.7% 2.3% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Petaling Jaya

$111 10.5%

Rawang

$112 15.2% 0.9% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petaling Jaya

$85 8.1%

Rawang

$75 10.2% 11.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Petaling Jaya

$50 4.8%

Rawang

$47 6.4% 6% $3.1

Getting Around

Petaling Jaya

$20 1.9%

Rawang

$19 2.6% 7.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Petaling Jaya versus $143 in Rawang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 73% higher in Petaling Jaya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Petaling Jaya versus $20 in Rawang. Groceries tell a different story – $249 in Petaling Jaya vs $262 in Rawang – so Petaling Jaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Petaling Jaya

🇲🇾 Rawang

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

Same time as Petaling Jaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

771,687

50,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Petaling Jaya Rawang 26 km

From you

Petaling Jaya
Rawang

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Petaling Jaya vs Rawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Petaling Jaya costs about 44% more than Rawang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,583 per month in Petaling Jaya and $1,103 in Rawang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rawang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $143 there versus $511 in Petaling Jaya.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya and $735 in Rawang. That makes Rawang about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Petaling Jaya and $401 in Rawang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Petaling Jaya has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $735 in Rawang to $1,056 in Petaling Jaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Rawang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Petaling Jaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.